***Warning*** This chapter gets somewhat intense with the mild theme of
unconsented adult acitvities...Nothing TOO graphic, as you'll see, (I only
upped the rating to be safe, because, really, the theme in general does not
belong in PG-13.) but I figured I would warm you anyway, since the story
has been sort of bubble-gumish up to this point. Well, enough of this...
Chapter 8: The Last Kiss and the Wrong Intention
"Flying...I'm flying..." Rosa smiled to herself as she felt the wind whip through her long, sun-kissed hair. She opened her closed eyes and looked below her, where the town of Baron was merely a tiny cluster of rooftops and trees. "Imagine, they said there was no way we could do it, but here I am! I discovered the White Magic spell of Flight and was the first to ever master it! I guess I didn't turn out as bad as everyone said I would! Hee hee!" Rosa smiled more and looked up into the sky above her, which had considerably darkened, with the exception of the beautiful full moon.
"Oh..." Rosa reached up and tried to touch it, but suddenly, she felt her body get heavy, and a moment later, she was falling!
"AHHHH!" Rosa cried, closing her eyes. "Cecil, HELP ME!!!"
"Rosa!"
"Hmmm..."
"Rosa! Are you awake?"
"Cecil...?" Rosa moaned and opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't in the sky, or on the ground even--she was in a bed, in Baron Castle. The room was faintly lit up with a few candles, but other then that, it was completely dark. The curtains had been drawn over the large windows in the room as well. Rosa turned her head and saw Cecil sitting in a chair by her bedside, his hands clasped together in his lap. He looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes. Reality quickly struck Rosa, waking her up fully. The flying had been a dream...but what had occured before in the forest had been a living nightmare. Somehow though, she had survived! Everything was too blurry to remember correctly.
"Cecil, you're ok!" Rosa choked, from trying to talk so fast. "I'm so glad..."
"Of course I'm alright." Cecil said firmly. "However, Rosa, because of....your idiotic behavior before..." Rosa blinked, feeling as if a weight had been dropped onto her heart, and Cecil sighed. "Because of you...Kain and I got off without being hurt too badly, and you didn't..." Rosa let out a breath of relief and tried to sit up, when a shooting pain ran through her back and leg.
"AH!" Rosa cried, and Cecil reached over to her, quickly propping up her pillows so that she could fall back on them. Rosa closed her eyes and tried to hold back a sob. Everything hurt! It was an excruciating pain she had never felt before in her life.
"You really shouldn't be moving..." Cecil shook his head. "You got pretty badly torn up...your leg is fractured in a couple places and you have bruises all over your body from being thrown by the Float Eye. Best you relax for a while..."
"Oh...I forgot about all that..." Rosa groaned. "But you said you and Kain were alright??"
"Yeah, just a few scratches for the both of us." Cecil explained. "Kain had some Phoenix Down applied to him, and he's awake now. He can't move very well, but he should be fine by tomorrow."
"Thank the Gods." Rosa sighed happily. "I must apoligize to him later for not being able to help out sooner."
"Ehh..." Cecil looked down at his hands and sighed. "About that...sorry I yelled at you before...but I was scared, and I guess my fear came out in my words...you know, when I insulted you about your magic abilities..." Rosa blinked, and suddenly that came back to her too, in a most painful reminiscence.
"Oh..." Rosa looked away to face the wall and took in a sharp breath.
"I really am sorry." Cecil tried. "I mean...I've got no right....uhh..." He stammered and clasped a hand to his forehead. "It's...uh...not something I would say under normal circumstances..."
"...." Rosa winced and rested a hand over her heart, which was pounding harder than a chocobo digging for treasure in the ground. She wondered how long this apoligy would last before he insulted her again. Cecil looked up from his lap and narrowed his eyes.
"Rosa, look at me!" He cried. Finally Rosa did so, turning slowly and not bothering to push the long strands of hair out of her face that had fallen from her ponytail. She looked up to Cecil with watery eyes and red cheeks.
"You say you're sorry now, but I don't feel you mean it." Rosa said flatly. "I'm not a silly common girl you can just woo with promises that are only temporarily true. I know you haven't known me for that long, but I can assure you that I am not the fool you take me for....although I sort of feel like one right now." Cecil blinked and looked pained.
"Rosa, I don't think you're a fool..." He trailed off for a moment and locked eyes with her. "....The only thing you said that was true was the part about you being not common...I knew that from the moment our hands touched...and our eyes met..." Rosa widened her eyes as Cecil reached over and gently took her hand in his. She felt as if her fingertips were about to ignite into flame. Why was Cecil saying all of this? Surely it was not just to get her to forgive him.
"C-Cecil..." Rosa stuttered, trying to catch her breath. "What are you...?"
"I've never felt like this before." Cecil admitted, almost in a whisper. "I've never wanted...to do this..." He leaned down and much to Rosa's surprise, gently pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Rosa felt her cheeks go scarlet and her tears seemingly vanish as she slowly reached up with her hand and caressed Cecil's cheek, working her fingers up and through his fine hair, like she had imagined doing ever since she had first seen it.
Oh my Gods, my first kiss! Rosa's thoughts screamed at her delightedly. I wonder if I'm doing it right!? Ack, this is soooooo great! Can't believe it took me 14 years to get this far though...that's kinda sad...
Oh, shut up and just keep kissing!!! The other side of her brain demanded, and Rosa happily obliged, closing her eyes as she parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss. Cecil closed his eyes as well and applied a little more pressure to her lips while nuzzling his head against her hand. Just when Rosa thought she would explode from happiness and do something stupid like laugh, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Cecil and Rosa both gasped, pulling away right as the door opened, and there appeared Kain.
"Kain!" Cecil nearly shouted, and Rosa turned away.
"Hi guys." Kain smiled.
Did he see us...? Rosa gulped. Doesn't sound like it...But jeeze, what just happened here...?
"Hi Kain." Rosa mumbled to the wall.
"Good to see you're up." Kain said happily. "How are you feeling, Rosa?"
"Tired." Rosa replied, which wasn't a lie at all. From the tone of Kain's voice, she decided that he had indeed not seen a thing, much to her relief. She realized that she wouldn't be able to explain anything to him, not that she could explain it to herself.
"She just woke up a little while ago." Cecil explained, back to his gruff self.
"I see." Kain smiled. "Cecil stayed by your side all night Rosa...he wouldn't even get treated in another room by the doctor...Stripped right down in here and kept his eyes on you the whole time, ha ha ha!"
"G-G-G-Goodness." Rosa stuttered, turning red at that strangely pleasing thought. Cecil groaned and slapped his forehead.
"Kain..."
"Sorry." Kain laughed again and then turned serious. "By the way Rosa, the guards managed to get ahold of your mom..."
"Oh Lord!" Rosa cried, snapping out of her embarassment. "She must be so angry with me! Oh, and we must all be in trouble for sneaking out of the palace...Oh no oh no oh no oh no!" She begin to panic and her breathing became more eratic. Just the thought of the look on her mother's face when she finally got home was enough to make her want to take Cecil's sword and finish herself off now!!
"Calm down Rosa!" Cecil cried. "It's not a big deal...Your mom is just glad you're ok..."
"And we didn't even get in trouble." Kain added. "Baigan said he would keep quiet for us..."
"You serious?" Rosa let out a sigh of relief, but Cecil looked uncomfortable. She couldn't imagine why! Rosa gave him a look, and he shrugged.
"Yeah....well...at least you won't get in trouble by Baron." Cecil finally said, and stood up. "I have...to get a drink of water...Kain, shouldn't you try to get some rest? We will still have to rise early tomorrow...as if nothing happened..." Rosa suddenly felt confused. Why did Cecil sound so upset over the idea of them not being in trouble?
"You're right Cecil." Kain said, and raised a hand in Rosa's direction. "I'll see you tomorrow morning..."
"Kain!" Rosa exclaimed. "What exactly did Baigan tell you guys...?"
"He didn't say anything to me." Kain said confusedly. "Just said he would keep quiet...Don't worry so much Rosa...we'll take care of you." Rosa felt her breath get caught in her throat as Kain said that...there was so much sincerity in his voice, so much caring... Cecil turned his back to both Rosa and Kain, leaving the room.
Oh Rosa, you're reading into things too much. She thought. It's because you need to go to sleep...
"Good night Kain." Rosa said, and slowly began to get herself comfortable enough to fall alseep. Kain left, closing the door softly behind him. Rosa sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wishing it would somehow spell out to her what was going on. She could still feel the slight pressure Cecil's lips had left on her own, making her face flush over. How calm and serene she had felt in those few seconds that they had been together...as if they were one being, totally in harmony.
It seemed like hours instead of minutes until Cecil returned to the bedroom, a goblet of water in his hand.
"Still awake?" Cecil questioned.
"Er, yes..." Rosa nodded.
"Just wanted to make sure." Cecil said quickly, and sat back down at his chair by the bed.
"Um, Cecil..." Rosa began, but he cut her off.
"You should really get some sleep..." Cecil sighed, and looked to the wall. "Dawn will be upon us before we know it..."
"What about you?" Rosa asked, giving up on asking anything about the kiss. She just knew he would try to avoid it...
"I'll sleep here..." Rosa could feel his gaze on her. "If you don't mind."
"I don't." Rosa replied, and closed her eyes. "Good night Cecil."
"......Night Rosa...sweet dreams..."
Sweet dreams about you! Rosa thought to herself, and tried not to smile too much as she let sleep seep into her senses and soon put her at rest. Surely the dawning of a new day would bring the answers to her questions... More then ever, Rosa was looking forward to tomorrow.
**********
The next day, Cecil rose early, his eyes opening to the sound of some robins who had nested outside the window of the bedroom he and Rosa were in. He moaned and reached up, rubbing his tired eyes furiously. He knew that this was going to be one of the longest days in his life, being that he had had only a few hours of sleep. He looked down at Rosa, who was sleeping peacefully, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out...in and out...
"Maybe it wasn't meant to be." Cecil sighed to himself, and stood up, walking to the window, and parting the curtains slightly to see outside. The sky was a brilliant combination of different pink and golden hues as the sun rose over the horizion. When he looked down, he could see a few soldiers mulling about at the entrance of the palace, laughing and doing impressions of each other. However, one soldier that was down there was just standing by idly, keeping his eyes on all of the activity around him as his scarlet cape gently flapped in the morning breeze.
"Ugh...he's already waiting for me." Cecil moaned. "Persistant bastard...I guess he was serious..." He looked back to Rosa, and bit his lip. He didn't want to, but...
"Well well well, looks like the Dark Knight got himself into a bit of a pickle!"
"Shut up Baigan! Please, just let us into the palace, this girl needs care immediately, and Kain is hurt as well..."
"Hmm...she's that white wizard that's been hanging around here lately...She's quite exquisite...What did you do to her?"
"Not a damn thing! There was an accident in the forest..."
"Aha, I see. Well, I suppose that an accident is forgivable...but I suppose that the King does not know about this."
"No, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Is that so? Well, as Captain of the Guards, that is something I cannot permit..."
"Come on Baigan! What the hell is your problem?"
"Well, its just that I don't remember being in your debt for anything recently."
"I can help you out sometime, if that's what you mean..."
"Oh really? How about...you introduce me to your little friend there then?"
"Huh, Rosa?"
"But of course...as I said before, she is exquisite...quite beautiful, in a childish way...but none the less, I cannot help but be interested..."
"Forget it Baigan!"
"What? It's not like she's engaged or even courting anyone. I hope you are not objecting for your own sake...because it would never happen anyway."
"....What....are you talking about Baigan?"
"You and Rosa...it would never happen, so I don't see why you have anything to object about."
"....Why wouldn't it happen?"
"Because...you are training to become a Dark Knight...the lone weilder of the Dark Sword. You are frigid enough as it already is...but any sensible girl wouldn't keep a true interest in you for too long. Everyone knows what happens to a Dark Knight when he tries to battle true evil..."
"SHUT UP BAIGAN!"
"....Well excuse me. Now, what were you saying about wanting to be let in in secret? I'll even wake a few nurses to help out and keep them quiet as well as a small bonus..."
"....."
"Well?"
"......Fine...let us in...tomorrow...first thing in the morning, I'll bring Rosa to you...but you had better not pull any crap Baigan...cause I'll know if you do..."
"I'll be a perfect gentleman. Be sure not to keep me waiting..."
"Damn!" Cecil moaned, and slammed his fist on the window sill, making the window frame rattle. "But really...if it was to keep Rosa out of trouble...then I guess I don't mind as much...even if it means giving up on...everything."
"Cecil...are you awake?" Rosa mumbled, and opened her eyes. "I hope I'm not just hearing voices in my head..."
"Rosa!" Cecil blinked, and looked over to her. "Sorry if I woke you, but...well, there is something we need to do."
"Huh?" Rosa sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I...I don't know if I can do anything Cecil...my leg...it really hurts..."
"I know Rosa...but as long as it is set in a cast, you'll be ok...Besides, I'll help you out."
"Um, ok." Rosa blinked. "Whatever you say Cecil..."
"Well, up you go!" Cecil said, and with that, gently lifed Rosa up and rested her over his shoulder, supporting her with one arm while using the other to grab a pair of crutches near the doorway.
"Ack!" Rosa cried, her leg stuck out in an odd way for fear of causing it pain.
"Just relax." Cecil assured gently, and Rosa slowly lowered her leg as she held onto Cecil tightly.
"This is ridiculous..." Rosa tried not to laugh as Cecil carried her out of the room and downstairs. "So, are we like, trying to get some early breakfast? And then you're going to teach me how to use these crutches, right???" Cecil sighed and looked down.
"Not exactly...there's someone that would like to meet you..."
"Meet me?" Rosa blinked. Cecil didn't say anymore until they had reached the doorway of the palace. He then gently set her down on her good leg and supported her with his arm until he had manged to hand her the crutches. Rosa shakily took them and put them into place under her arms, feeling ridiculous.
"Cecil...?" Rosa began, but he cut her off.
"It's Baigan..." Cecil sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "He uh...is apparently really interested in you Rosa...and I guess he wants to be introduced to you and such..."
"Interested in me?!" Rosa cried. "But Cecil...I don't think I..."
"I don't know much about it..." Cecil mumbled. "But it can't hurt talking to him Rosa..."
"That may be so Cecil, but I don't think I'm interested back, reguardless." Rosa protested. She was so confused...Wasn't it just last night that Cecil had said those things to her...and now he was acting as if nothing had happened, AND he was trying to set her up with Baigan! Baigan was handsome enough, and already quite powerful...but Rosa just couldn't push Cecil out of her mind like that. Something was wrong.
"Come on Rosa." Cecil urged. "I don't want Baigan to get impatient..."
"NO!" Rosa cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "What about last night, Cecil?! What about the kiss!? Answer me....!!!!"
Cecil blinked and sighed, looking away.
"Sorry Rosa...but...it was...sort of like...well...you know, when you do something just to see what things could have been like in the future...do you know what I mean?"
"....What?!" Rosa shook her head. "Cecil, hold on one minute..." This was just not right, she was sure of it! The way Cecil wavered with his words proved it so.
"It was the first and the last kiss." Cecil said finally. "And...uhh..." Rosa turned red with anger, and would have slapped Cecil right then and there if she had not needed both hands to keep steady on those damn crutches. Cecil pulled open one of the large doors for Rosa to get through.
"Forget you, Cecil!" Rosa cried to mask her confusion, but as she tried to make her dramatic exit through the door, she lost her balance and tumbled over in a heap of legs and crutches onto the floor, landing on her side.
"Owww.....damnit..." Rosa cursed under her breath angirly. Cecil reached down to help her up, but she swatted at his hand bitterly.
"Is there a problem?" A cool voice asked, and when Rosa looked up, she could see Baigan, the Captain of the Baronian Guard standing over her.
"Ahh....no." Rosa said embarassedly. She was afraid to answer with anything else, because Baigan intimidated her greatly.
"Let me help you." Baigan said sweetly, and reached down, grabbing Rosa and hoisting her back to her feet before she could protest.
"Cecil, your friend is a little clumsy, eh?" Baigan laughed, and Rosa felt herself go scarlet in anger.
"Baigan, this is Rosa, Rosa, Baigan." Cecil muttered between clenched teeth. Rosa blinked and tried to read Cecil's expression. He looked so mad...
"Hello Rosa." Baigan smirked. "It's nice to finally get to meet you..."
"Oh, well, uh...thanks." Rosa blinked.
"I was wondering if I might have the honor of sharing lunch with you today." Baigan said. "It would be in the palace of course, seeing as you are not too fit to go anywhere right now..." Rosa sighed and averted her gaze from both Cecil's and Baigan's. She had been taught by her mother and by every other lady that she had ever known that it was very rude to turn down any sort of a proposal to go out made by a man, even if you did not particularly want to go through with it."
"I went out with lots of men, but I still adored your father for a long time." Rosa remembered hearing her mother say at one time. Her father had laughed at that comment, and Rosa remembered laughing too, just because she could. It was all so silly and gay back then, to joke about matters like that when you were little, because you thought you would never have to deal with any of that grown-up stuff. It all seemed so trivial.
"....Well I'd like that." Rosa finally managed to choke out. Baigan at that point, slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze, making her cry out softly because her body still hurt from last night. Baigan didn't seem to notice, but Cecil did, and let out a slight growl.
"Well Cecil, I suppose you've got work to get to." Baigan smiled, and waved his hand as if to shoo Cecil away. Rosa looked up at him, and he looked back to her, a pathetic look in his eyes.
Oh Cecil, please lie and tell Baigan that you have to take me home...say anything... Rosa prayed to herself. We have to talk...I just know you wouldn't push me off on Baigan because he wanted you to!
"Good bye, Rosa, Baigan." Cecil said, and turned to walk away.
Nooooo! Rosa's thoughts screamed. Cecil...!
"Well now, I thought it would be nice if we had a little drink and talk a bit in the courtyard before we have lunch." Baigan said, looking to Rosa. His brown eyes had taken a darker glint to them somehow.
"Lunch...isn't for quite a while." Rosa replied dumbly.
"I know, that's why we can relax before it does." Baigan smiled more, and Rosa could feel his hand that had been resting on her shoulder slide down her arm and slip around her waist, making her squirm uncomfortably.
"Very well." Rosa gulped, and Baigan began to pull her away from the door.
"Wait!" Rosa cried as she struggled to stay on her good foot. "My crutches!"
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to get them for you later." Baigan said. "I am having our meal brought to us outside, so we don't need to go anywhere for quite a while."
"Oh...good thinking." Rosa said sadly, and put a false smile on her face. Baigan smiled back, and although Rosa wasn't quite sure, she thought he lightly patted her behind before they proceeded on.
The gate to the courtyard was locked when they arrived, and Baigan pulled out a shining silver key to open it for them. Rosa hopped inside and leaned back against the white stone wall that fenced them in while Baigan closed the gate and locked it up again, sticking the key in his pocket. Rosa looked out and saw a silky blanket lying in the grass of the courtyard with what she recognized as a bottle of Fabulian wine, which was very expensive because of it's high taste and cost to import into Baron, and two goblets as well.
"Wine, so early in the morning?" Rosa questioned idly.
"Anytime you can have Fabulian wine, you should take advantage of it, no?" Baigan asked slyly, and Rosa just nodded to get him off her case about it. She decided right then that she would not be having much of it, even during lunch. Baigan led her over to the blanket and she slowly sat herself down, stretching out her bandaged leg so that is stuck out straight ahead and curling her other leg so that the bottom of her good foot touched the inside of her thigh. Rosa didn't realize until now that she was still in her leotard from archery, making her suddenly feel less clothed then she desired to be at that particular moment.
"It is certainly hot today." Baigan said as he popped the cork of the bottle with his thumb and began to pour the drinks. Rosa groaned, for when he said that, she realized the heat herself and felt the urge to drink something. As soon as Baigan handed her her goblet, she took it and sipped at her drink as quickly and elegantly as she could manage. The taste was sweet and the bubbles of the wine seemed to do a little dance on her tongue, making her laugh to herself.
"I guess you like it!" Baigan exclaimed, and Rosa nodded, setting the goblet down, empty. He slowly sipped at his and let out a contended sigh.
"I have a confession." Baigan said, and Rosa looked to him.
"What might that be?" She asked.
"Heh, well, I found myself quite jealous of your little friend Cecil when he started parading around with you on his arm." Baigan smirked, and Rosa frowned a little.
"Cecil wasn't parading around with me on his arm." Rosa said softly. "We have only met not too long ago, and..."
"Oh, so you're not involved with him at all then?" Baigan cut in. Rosa shook her head.
"Well, no...But why do you want to know so badly?"
"Just making sure that I am not treading on taken property." Baigan smirked, and suddenly leaned in, pressing his lips to Rosa's. Rosa gasped and let out a cry of protest against Baigan's lips.
"Stop!" Rosa cried, and pushed Baigan back, wiping her lips immediately. "What are you doing?"
"Your beauty has simply captivated me!" Baigan exclaimed. "Come on Rosa, I just know you're not the prudish type who keeps away from anyone's advances." Rosa turned red and scooted further away disgustedly.
"I am not....prudish." Rosa said. "I just don't think I could welcome that sort of advance from someone I barely know!"
"Well then, lets get to know each other better." Baigan said, his voice edgy, his eyes narrowed. Rosa blinked and shook her head.
"No...not like that..." Her voice wavered, for she knew what was coming next. Rosa struggled to pull herself up on her good foot, but Baigan simply reached out and grabbed her fractured leg, making her howl in pain as she fell back to the blanket on her hands and knees.
"Let me go!" Rosa screamed. "Somebody help!"
"No one is going to bother us for quite a while." Baigan said cooly, and dragged Rosa closer to him by her leg.
"OOOOOOUCH!" Rosa screamed as the pain ripped through her fractured limb. Baigan laughed happily and flipped her over, throwing her down onto her back and pinning her down with his arms as he leaned over her and smirked.
"Quite the big mouth you have there." He teased. "I bet I could put it to good use."
"Let me go!!!!!" Rosa cried again, shaking her head frantically. She tried kicking at him with her strong leg, but he responded to that by crushing it down with his knee, making Rosa moan in pain and lean back to recooperate. Baigan took this oportunity to lean in, pressing his body against hers as he kissed her again, this time using his tongue to probe through her lips to the insides of her mouth. Rosa moaned and tried everything she could to pull away, but this time she was quite trapped, there was no where for her to go. So, she did the only thing she could possibly think of--
"Damnit!" Baigan cried into Rosa's mouth as she bit down on his tongue. He pulled away and brought a hand to his lips, wiping off the blood that was oozing from the corner of his mouth. Rosa spat the remains of his blood and saliva in her mouth out onto the blanket, making Baigan laugh.
"Don't like it?" He asked innocently. "I think you just have to get used to it...Relax Rosa dear...I've been with many girls, and I've been told I'm quite good. I think you'll enjoy yourself. And since you're quite possibly the most beautiful girl I've been with, I'm going to make an extra effort to please you."
"Never!" Rosa cried. "I could never be pleased by a wretch like you! I HATE YOU! CECIL, HELP!!!" Baigan laughed more, which seemed to get creepier with each time he did it.
"I'm afraid that Cecil did this for you." Baigan said softly. "He promised to introduce your lovely self to me last night when he arrived at the palace with you and your deadbeat friend Kain. I almost didn't let you in without reporting you to the king, but when my eyes fell upon you--I was captivated. You looked so vulnerable...so innocent and strong at the same time...I had to get to know you better...so Cecil agreed...in exchange for your not getting in trouble..." Rosa gasped and felt tears spring to her eyes.
Oh Cecil...I knew it! I knew you didn't want to push me away...you did this so that I wouldn't get in any more trouble...
"But Cecil would have never alowed you to force yourself on me!" Rosa snapped. "If he had known anything like this would happen, he would have never agreed! NEVER!"
"You keep telling yourself that." Baigan sneered as he trailed his finger down Rosa's chin and neck. "Althought I'd rather you not think of him while we are together. It's so rude." He continued trailing his finger down, and Rosa squirmed helplessly as he ran it over the small amount of cleavage she had. Baigan smirked at this and leaned down, kissing at her chest. Rosa screamed louder and closed her eyes, not wanting to see any of it. She could feel the blood from his tongue dripping down in her leotard, and even worse, the soft hit of the summer air hitting her chest as Baigan released one of her arms for a moment to tug down the top of her leotard. Rosa screamed in protest and tried pushing him off of her with her free arm, but it was hopeless. His build was way too large compared to her small frame for her to do anything worth wasting her energy. Rosa gave up and felt her tears overpour from her eyes and down her cheeks as Baigan tugged the leotard down to her waist, glowering in pure delight. Rosa made the feeble attempt to cover herself with her free arm, but Baigan took care of that by pulling her arm away and gripping it tightly in his hand.
"Open your eyes Rosa." He said, in an almost normal tone, as if none of this were going on.
"No." Rosa snapped definately, between clenched teeth.
"But you really are quite beautiful." Baigan cooed, and after giving her arm a tight squeeze, released it and ran a callused hand over her right breast, making her cringe. He saw this and shook his head, pressing back down against her again to lick the tears off her cheeks. The blood from his tongue mingled with the tears in his mouth, making him shiver in delight. "Not just beautiful...but quite delicious..." Rosa moaned in protest and took a deep breath.
"CECIL, HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!" Rosa screamed, directly into Baigan's ear. Baigan screamed and pulled back, covering his ear with the hand that had been on Rosa's body. All he could hear around him was echoing rings.
"....Dirty bitch!" He growled, and shook his head. "I'm not going to be nice to you anymore. You've earned what's coming!" With that, he pressed his knee down on Rosa's fractured leg, making her howl out in pain to distract her as he took both hands and struggled to tug down her leotard the rest of the way down her torso.
Oh no.... Rosa thought. I can't let this go any further...if I don't stop him now, I'm not going to be able to save myself...Please....if the Gods up there are listening...GIVE ME STRENGTH!
"This should be a treat." Baigan growled to himself, although he was having a hard time with the leotard thanks to Rosa's squirming. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate while she bought herself time. What could she do...what could she do...
Oh Gods, I've got it! Rosa thought, and pressed her lips together. Please, let me cast this spell, just once!!!
"HOLD!" Rosa screamed. Baigan blinked and looked up at her disgustedly.
"Hold what?" He growled, but at that moment, rainbow beams of light shot down from the sky, and began to encircle themselves around Baigan, spinning so fast that they became a blur. They dissolved into nothing a few moments later, leaving Baigan totally paralyzed and frozen, sitting up on Rosa's hips.
"YES!" Rosa cried happily, and with that, she sat up some herself after much struggling and shoved Baigan's body off of her and into the grass. However, at that moment, there came a banging from the gate.
"ROSA, ARE YOU IN THERE?!" Rosa could hear Cecil screaming from the other side.
"Oh, Cecil!" Rosa cried. "Hold on!" With that, she quickly pulled up her leotard in a haphazard manner that was just enough to leave her un- exposed, and reached down in Baigan's pocket to get the gate key. Although her leg hurt tremendously, Rosa managed to stand up and hop on her good leg all the way to the gate, which exhausted her energy quickly. When she reached the gate, she shoved the key in the lock with a shaking hand, and suddenly collapsed to the ground as soon as she heard it click open. Cecil pushed the gate open and gasped, seeing Rosa gasping for breath on the ground, her hair totally dishelveled, small streaks of blood on her cheek and chest, and her clothes wrinkled and dirty.
"Rosa, what happened?!" Cecil cried and fell to his knees so that he could be at her height.
"....Baigan...he tried to..." Rosa gasped and huffed, resting her hand over her chest to try to control her air intake. "He's....paralyzed for the moment...huff....I..."
"Ok, ok, I get it." Cecil said worriedly, and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm just glad you're ok...you are ok, right?!"
"Yes." Rosa nodded. "He didn't get far enough....to do any damage...."
"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" Cecil cursed, and pressed Rosa closer to his body. "I should have known...I should have, but..."
"Cecil....please....I am alright." Rosa tried to explain, and rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't think...I can fend for myself by now?"
"That's not even funny!" Cecil cried. "I heard you screaming, and my blood just ran cold..."
"....But Baigan told me what you two talked about last night." Rosa said, changing the subject, and looked up to stare into Cecil's eyes. "....You...wanted to protect me, so you did as he requested..."
"Not with this in mind!" Cecil protested. "Please Rosa, you have to forgive me..."
"But I'm not mad!" Rosa cried, and felt her eyes begin to sting with tears again. "I couldn't believe that you wanted to push me away...I was SO relieved when I found out the truth..."
"Of course I didn't want to push you away..." Cecil shook his head. "But I figured that after you had met Baigan...you would forget all about me...that's one of the reasons why I kissed you last night...I wanted to see if you cared at all...cared like I wanted you to care...more then something friendly..."
"....More then something friendly?" Rosa repeated. "....Oh Cecil...I..."
"I know, you probably don't want anything to have to do with me." Cecil said dejectedly. "Our paths in life...are completely different...and not only that, but we're young too..."
"Be quiet." Rosa snapped, and Cecil blinked. "Don't whimper so, Cecil..."
"I'm, sorry....but..."
With that, Rosa leaned in and gently kissed at Cecil's lips, reaching up with her hand to caress his cheek. He widened his eyes and kissed back, resting his hands on her hips as she pulled away and smiled some.
"We may be different...and young..." Rosa shook her head and smiled more. "But none the less, I love you....Cecil. I have since the day we met..."
"....I love you too, Rosa." Cecil smiled back, and embraced her tightly. At that moment, Baigan let out a pained moan and began to stir, making Cecil's attentions turn towards him.
"We can talk later." Cecil said in a low tone, and stood up. "Right now, I think it's our turn to do a little negotiating..."
To be continued...
Chapter 8: The Last Kiss and the Wrong Intention
"Flying...I'm flying..." Rosa smiled to herself as she felt the wind whip through her long, sun-kissed hair. She opened her closed eyes and looked below her, where the town of Baron was merely a tiny cluster of rooftops and trees. "Imagine, they said there was no way we could do it, but here I am! I discovered the White Magic spell of Flight and was the first to ever master it! I guess I didn't turn out as bad as everyone said I would! Hee hee!" Rosa smiled more and looked up into the sky above her, which had considerably darkened, with the exception of the beautiful full moon.
"Oh..." Rosa reached up and tried to touch it, but suddenly, she felt her body get heavy, and a moment later, she was falling!
"AHHHH!" Rosa cried, closing her eyes. "Cecil, HELP ME!!!"
"Rosa!"
"Hmmm..."
"Rosa! Are you awake?"
"Cecil...?" Rosa moaned and opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't in the sky, or on the ground even--she was in a bed, in Baron Castle. The room was faintly lit up with a few candles, but other then that, it was completely dark. The curtains had been drawn over the large windows in the room as well. Rosa turned her head and saw Cecil sitting in a chair by her bedside, his hands clasped together in his lap. He looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes. Reality quickly struck Rosa, waking her up fully. The flying had been a dream...but what had occured before in the forest had been a living nightmare. Somehow though, she had survived! Everything was too blurry to remember correctly.
"Cecil, you're ok!" Rosa choked, from trying to talk so fast. "I'm so glad..."
"Of course I'm alright." Cecil said firmly. "However, Rosa, because of....your idiotic behavior before..." Rosa blinked, feeling as if a weight had been dropped onto her heart, and Cecil sighed. "Because of you...Kain and I got off without being hurt too badly, and you didn't..." Rosa let out a breath of relief and tried to sit up, when a shooting pain ran through her back and leg.
"AH!" Rosa cried, and Cecil reached over to her, quickly propping up her pillows so that she could fall back on them. Rosa closed her eyes and tried to hold back a sob. Everything hurt! It was an excruciating pain she had never felt before in her life.
"You really shouldn't be moving..." Cecil shook his head. "You got pretty badly torn up...your leg is fractured in a couple places and you have bruises all over your body from being thrown by the Float Eye. Best you relax for a while..."
"Oh...I forgot about all that..." Rosa groaned. "But you said you and Kain were alright??"
"Yeah, just a few scratches for the both of us." Cecil explained. "Kain had some Phoenix Down applied to him, and he's awake now. He can't move very well, but he should be fine by tomorrow."
"Thank the Gods." Rosa sighed happily. "I must apoligize to him later for not being able to help out sooner."
"Ehh..." Cecil looked down at his hands and sighed. "About that...sorry I yelled at you before...but I was scared, and I guess my fear came out in my words...you know, when I insulted you about your magic abilities..." Rosa blinked, and suddenly that came back to her too, in a most painful reminiscence.
"Oh..." Rosa looked away to face the wall and took in a sharp breath.
"I really am sorry." Cecil tried. "I mean...I've got no right....uhh..." He stammered and clasped a hand to his forehead. "It's...uh...not something I would say under normal circumstances..."
"...." Rosa winced and rested a hand over her heart, which was pounding harder than a chocobo digging for treasure in the ground. She wondered how long this apoligy would last before he insulted her again. Cecil looked up from his lap and narrowed his eyes.
"Rosa, look at me!" He cried. Finally Rosa did so, turning slowly and not bothering to push the long strands of hair out of her face that had fallen from her ponytail. She looked up to Cecil with watery eyes and red cheeks.
"You say you're sorry now, but I don't feel you mean it." Rosa said flatly. "I'm not a silly common girl you can just woo with promises that are only temporarily true. I know you haven't known me for that long, but I can assure you that I am not the fool you take me for....although I sort of feel like one right now." Cecil blinked and looked pained.
"Rosa, I don't think you're a fool..." He trailed off for a moment and locked eyes with her. "....The only thing you said that was true was the part about you being not common...I knew that from the moment our hands touched...and our eyes met..." Rosa widened her eyes as Cecil reached over and gently took her hand in his. She felt as if her fingertips were about to ignite into flame. Why was Cecil saying all of this? Surely it was not just to get her to forgive him.
"C-Cecil..." Rosa stuttered, trying to catch her breath. "What are you...?"
"I've never felt like this before." Cecil admitted, almost in a whisper. "I've never wanted...to do this..." He leaned down and much to Rosa's surprise, gently pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Rosa felt her cheeks go scarlet and her tears seemingly vanish as she slowly reached up with her hand and caressed Cecil's cheek, working her fingers up and through his fine hair, like she had imagined doing ever since she had first seen it.
Oh my Gods, my first kiss! Rosa's thoughts screamed at her delightedly. I wonder if I'm doing it right!? Ack, this is soooooo great! Can't believe it took me 14 years to get this far though...that's kinda sad...
Oh, shut up and just keep kissing!!! The other side of her brain demanded, and Rosa happily obliged, closing her eyes as she parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss. Cecil closed his eyes as well and applied a little more pressure to her lips while nuzzling his head against her hand. Just when Rosa thought she would explode from happiness and do something stupid like laugh, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Cecil and Rosa both gasped, pulling away right as the door opened, and there appeared Kain.
"Kain!" Cecil nearly shouted, and Rosa turned away.
"Hi guys." Kain smiled.
Did he see us...? Rosa gulped. Doesn't sound like it...But jeeze, what just happened here...?
"Hi Kain." Rosa mumbled to the wall.
"Good to see you're up." Kain said happily. "How are you feeling, Rosa?"
"Tired." Rosa replied, which wasn't a lie at all. From the tone of Kain's voice, she decided that he had indeed not seen a thing, much to her relief. She realized that she wouldn't be able to explain anything to him, not that she could explain it to herself.
"She just woke up a little while ago." Cecil explained, back to his gruff self.
"I see." Kain smiled. "Cecil stayed by your side all night Rosa...he wouldn't even get treated in another room by the doctor...Stripped right down in here and kept his eyes on you the whole time, ha ha ha!"
"G-G-G-Goodness." Rosa stuttered, turning red at that strangely pleasing thought. Cecil groaned and slapped his forehead.
"Kain..."
"Sorry." Kain laughed again and then turned serious. "By the way Rosa, the guards managed to get ahold of your mom..."
"Oh Lord!" Rosa cried, snapping out of her embarassment. "She must be so angry with me! Oh, and we must all be in trouble for sneaking out of the palace...Oh no oh no oh no oh no!" She begin to panic and her breathing became more eratic. Just the thought of the look on her mother's face when she finally got home was enough to make her want to take Cecil's sword and finish herself off now!!
"Calm down Rosa!" Cecil cried. "It's not a big deal...Your mom is just glad you're ok..."
"And we didn't even get in trouble." Kain added. "Baigan said he would keep quiet for us..."
"You serious?" Rosa let out a sigh of relief, but Cecil looked uncomfortable. She couldn't imagine why! Rosa gave him a look, and he shrugged.
"Yeah....well...at least you won't get in trouble by Baron." Cecil finally said, and stood up. "I have...to get a drink of water...Kain, shouldn't you try to get some rest? We will still have to rise early tomorrow...as if nothing happened..." Rosa suddenly felt confused. Why did Cecil sound so upset over the idea of them not being in trouble?
"You're right Cecil." Kain said, and raised a hand in Rosa's direction. "I'll see you tomorrow morning..."
"Kain!" Rosa exclaimed. "What exactly did Baigan tell you guys...?"
"He didn't say anything to me." Kain said confusedly. "Just said he would keep quiet...Don't worry so much Rosa...we'll take care of you." Rosa felt her breath get caught in her throat as Kain said that...there was so much sincerity in his voice, so much caring... Cecil turned his back to both Rosa and Kain, leaving the room.
Oh Rosa, you're reading into things too much. She thought. It's because you need to go to sleep...
"Good night Kain." Rosa said, and slowly began to get herself comfortable enough to fall alseep. Kain left, closing the door softly behind him. Rosa sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wishing it would somehow spell out to her what was going on. She could still feel the slight pressure Cecil's lips had left on her own, making her face flush over. How calm and serene she had felt in those few seconds that they had been together...as if they were one being, totally in harmony.
It seemed like hours instead of minutes until Cecil returned to the bedroom, a goblet of water in his hand.
"Still awake?" Cecil questioned.
"Er, yes..." Rosa nodded.
"Just wanted to make sure." Cecil said quickly, and sat back down at his chair by the bed.
"Um, Cecil..." Rosa began, but he cut her off.
"You should really get some sleep..." Cecil sighed, and looked to the wall. "Dawn will be upon us before we know it..."
"What about you?" Rosa asked, giving up on asking anything about the kiss. She just knew he would try to avoid it...
"I'll sleep here..." Rosa could feel his gaze on her. "If you don't mind."
"I don't." Rosa replied, and closed her eyes. "Good night Cecil."
"......Night Rosa...sweet dreams..."
Sweet dreams about you! Rosa thought to herself, and tried not to smile too much as she let sleep seep into her senses and soon put her at rest. Surely the dawning of a new day would bring the answers to her questions... More then ever, Rosa was looking forward to tomorrow.
**********
The next day, Cecil rose early, his eyes opening to the sound of some robins who had nested outside the window of the bedroom he and Rosa were in. He moaned and reached up, rubbing his tired eyes furiously. He knew that this was going to be one of the longest days in his life, being that he had had only a few hours of sleep. He looked down at Rosa, who was sleeping peacefully, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out...in and out...
"Maybe it wasn't meant to be." Cecil sighed to himself, and stood up, walking to the window, and parting the curtains slightly to see outside. The sky was a brilliant combination of different pink and golden hues as the sun rose over the horizion. When he looked down, he could see a few soldiers mulling about at the entrance of the palace, laughing and doing impressions of each other. However, one soldier that was down there was just standing by idly, keeping his eyes on all of the activity around him as his scarlet cape gently flapped in the morning breeze.
"Ugh...he's already waiting for me." Cecil moaned. "Persistant bastard...I guess he was serious..." He looked back to Rosa, and bit his lip. He didn't want to, but...
"Well well well, looks like the Dark Knight got himself into a bit of a pickle!"
"Shut up Baigan! Please, just let us into the palace, this girl needs care immediately, and Kain is hurt as well..."
"Hmm...she's that white wizard that's been hanging around here lately...She's quite exquisite...What did you do to her?"
"Not a damn thing! There was an accident in the forest..."
"Aha, I see. Well, I suppose that an accident is forgivable...but I suppose that the King does not know about this."
"No, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Is that so? Well, as Captain of the Guards, that is something I cannot permit..."
"Come on Baigan! What the hell is your problem?"
"Well, its just that I don't remember being in your debt for anything recently."
"I can help you out sometime, if that's what you mean..."
"Oh really? How about...you introduce me to your little friend there then?"
"Huh, Rosa?"
"But of course...as I said before, she is exquisite...quite beautiful, in a childish way...but none the less, I cannot help but be interested..."
"Forget it Baigan!"
"What? It's not like she's engaged or even courting anyone. I hope you are not objecting for your own sake...because it would never happen anyway."
"....What....are you talking about Baigan?"
"You and Rosa...it would never happen, so I don't see why you have anything to object about."
"....Why wouldn't it happen?"
"Because...you are training to become a Dark Knight...the lone weilder of the Dark Sword. You are frigid enough as it already is...but any sensible girl wouldn't keep a true interest in you for too long. Everyone knows what happens to a Dark Knight when he tries to battle true evil..."
"SHUT UP BAIGAN!"
"....Well excuse me. Now, what were you saying about wanting to be let in in secret? I'll even wake a few nurses to help out and keep them quiet as well as a small bonus..."
"....."
"Well?"
"......Fine...let us in...tomorrow...first thing in the morning, I'll bring Rosa to you...but you had better not pull any crap Baigan...cause I'll know if you do..."
"I'll be a perfect gentleman. Be sure not to keep me waiting..."
"Damn!" Cecil moaned, and slammed his fist on the window sill, making the window frame rattle. "But really...if it was to keep Rosa out of trouble...then I guess I don't mind as much...even if it means giving up on...everything."
"Cecil...are you awake?" Rosa mumbled, and opened her eyes. "I hope I'm not just hearing voices in my head..."
"Rosa!" Cecil blinked, and looked over to her. "Sorry if I woke you, but...well, there is something we need to do."
"Huh?" Rosa sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I...I don't know if I can do anything Cecil...my leg...it really hurts..."
"I know Rosa...but as long as it is set in a cast, you'll be ok...Besides, I'll help you out."
"Um, ok." Rosa blinked. "Whatever you say Cecil..."
"Well, up you go!" Cecil said, and with that, gently lifed Rosa up and rested her over his shoulder, supporting her with one arm while using the other to grab a pair of crutches near the doorway.
"Ack!" Rosa cried, her leg stuck out in an odd way for fear of causing it pain.
"Just relax." Cecil assured gently, and Rosa slowly lowered her leg as she held onto Cecil tightly.
"This is ridiculous..." Rosa tried not to laugh as Cecil carried her out of the room and downstairs. "So, are we like, trying to get some early breakfast? And then you're going to teach me how to use these crutches, right???" Cecil sighed and looked down.
"Not exactly...there's someone that would like to meet you..."
"Meet me?" Rosa blinked. Cecil didn't say anymore until they had reached the doorway of the palace. He then gently set her down on her good leg and supported her with his arm until he had manged to hand her the crutches. Rosa shakily took them and put them into place under her arms, feeling ridiculous.
"Cecil...?" Rosa began, but he cut her off.
"It's Baigan..." Cecil sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "He uh...is apparently really interested in you Rosa...and I guess he wants to be introduced to you and such..."
"Interested in me?!" Rosa cried. "But Cecil...I don't think I..."
"I don't know much about it..." Cecil mumbled. "But it can't hurt talking to him Rosa..."
"That may be so Cecil, but I don't think I'm interested back, reguardless." Rosa protested. She was so confused...Wasn't it just last night that Cecil had said those things to her...and now he was acting as if nothing had happened, AND he was trying to set her up with Baigan! Baigan was handsome enough, and already quite powerful...but Rosa just couldn't push Cecil out of her mind like that. Something was wrong.
"Come on Rosa." Cecil urged. "I don't want Baigan to get impatient..."
"NO!" Rosa cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "What about last night, Cecil?! What about the kiss!? Answer me....!!!!"
Cecil blinked and sighed, looking away.
"Sorry Rosa...but...it was...sort of like...well...you know, when you do something just to see what things could have been like in the future...do you know what I mean?"
"....What?!" Rosa shook her head. "Cecil, hold on one minute..." This was just not right, she was sure of it! The way Cecil wavered with his words proved it so.
"It was the first and the last kiss." Cecil said finally. "And...uhh..." Rosa turned red with anger, and would have slapped Cecil right then and there if she had not needed both hands to keep steady on those damn crutches. Cecil pulled open one of the large doors for Rosa to get through.
"Forget you, Cecil!" Rosa cried to mask her confusion, but as she tried to make her dramatic exit through the door, she lost her balance and tumbled over in a heap of legs and crutches onto the floor, landing on her side.
"Owww.....damnit..." Rosa cursed under her breath angirly. Cecil reached down to help her up, but she swatted at his hand bitterly.
"Is there a problem?" A cool voice asked, and when Rosa looked up, she could see Baigan, the Captain of the Baronian Guard standing over her.
"Ahh....no." Rosa said embarassedly. She was afraid to answer with anything else, because Baigan intimidated her greatly.
"Let me help you." Baigan said sweetly, and reached down, grabbing Rosa and hoisting her back to her feet before she could protest.
"Cecil, your friend is a little clumsy, eh?" Baigan laughed, and Rosa felt herself go scarlet in anger.
"Baigan, this is Rosa, Rosa, Baigan." Cecil muttered between clenched teeth. Rosa blinked and tried to read Cecil's expression. He looked so mad...
"Hello Rosa." Baigan smirked. "It's nice to finally get to meet you..."
"Oh, well, uh...thanks." Rosa blinked.
"I was wondering if I might have the honor of sharing lunch with you today." Baigan said. "It would be in the palace of course, seeing as you are not too fit to go anywhere right now..." Rosa sighed and averted her gaze from both Cecil's and Baigan's. She had been taught by her mother and by every other lady that she had ever known that it was very rude to turn down any sort of a proposal to go out made by a man, even if you did not particularly want to go through with it."
"I went out with lots of men, but I still adored your father for a long time." Rosa remembered hearing her mother say at one time. Her father had laughed at that comment, and Rosa remembered laughing too, just because she could. It was all so silly and gay back then, to joke about matters like that when you were little, because you thought you would never have to deal with any of that grown-up stuff. It all seemed so trivial.
"....Well I'd like that." Rosa finally managed to choke out. Baigan at that point, slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze, making her cry out softly because her body still hurt from last night. Baigan didn't seem to notice, but Cecil did, and let out a slight growl.
"Well Cecil, I suppose you've got work to get to." Baigan smiled, and waved his hand as if to shoo Cecil away. Rosa looked up at him, and he looked back to her, a pathetic look in his eyes.
Oh Cecil, please lie and tell Baigan that you have to take me home...say anything... Rosa prayed to herself. We have to talk...I just know you wouldn't push me off on Baigan because he wanted you to!
"Good bye, Rosa, Baigan." Cecil said, and turned to walk away.
Nooooo! Rosa's thoughts screamed. Cecil...!
"Well now, I thought it would be nice if we had a little drink and talk a bit in the courtyard before we have lunch." Baigan said, looking to Rosa. His brown eyes had taken a darker glint to them somehow.
"Lunch...isn't for quite a while." Rosa replied dumbly.
"I know, that's why we can relax before it does." Baigan smiled more, and Rosa could feel his hand that had been resting on her shoulder slide down her arm and slip around her waist, making her squirm uncomfortably.
"Very well." Rosa gulped, and Baigan began to pull her away from the door.
"Wait!" Rosa cried as she struggled to stay on her good foot. "My crutches!"
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to get them for you later." Baigan said. "I am having our meal brought to us outside, so we don't need to go anywhere for quite a while."
"Oh...good thinking." Rosa said sadly, and put a false smile on her face. Baigan smiled back, and although Rosa wasn't quite sure, she thought he lightly patted her behind before they proceeded on.
The gate to the courtyard was locked when they arrived, and Baigan pulled out a shining silver key to open it for them. Rosa hopped inside and leaned back against the white stone wall that fenced them in while Baigan closed the gate and locked it up again, sticking the key in his pocket. Rosa looked out and saw a silky blanket lying in the grass of the courtyard with what she recognized as a bottle of Fabulian wine, which was very expensive because of it's high taste and cost to import into Baron, and two goblets as well.
"Wine, so early in the morning?" Rosa questioned idly.
"Anytime you can have Fabulian wine, you should take advantage of it, no?" Baigan asked slyly, and Rosa just nodded to get him off her case about it. She decided right then that she would not be having much of it, even during lunch. Baigan led her over to the blanket and she slowly sat herself down, stretching out her bandaged leg so that is stuck out straight ahead and curling her other leg so that the bottom of her good foot touched the inside of her thigh. Rosa didn't realize until now that she was still in her leotard from archery, making her suddenly feel less clothed then she desired to be at that particular moment.
"It is certainly hot today." Baigan said as he popped the cork of the bottle with his thumb and began to pour the drinks. Rosa groaned, for when he said that, she realized the heat herself and felt the urge to drink something. As soon as Baigan handed her her goblet, she took it and sipped at her drink as quickly and elegantly as she could manage. The taste was sweet and the bubbles of the wine seemed to do a little dance on her tongue, making her laugh to herself.
"I guess you like it!" Baigan exclaimed, and Rosa nodded, setting the goblet down, empty. He slowly sipped at his and let out a contended sigh.
"I have a confession." Baigan said, and Rosa looked to him.
"What might that be?" She asked.
"Heh, well, I found myself quite jealous of your little friend Cecil when he started parading around with you on his arm." Baigan smirked, and Rosa frowned a little.
"Cecil wasn't parading around with me on his arm." Rosa said softly. "We have only met not too long ago, and..."
"Oh, so you're not involved with him at all then?" Baigan cut in. Rosa shook her head.
"Well, no...But why do you want to know so badly?"
"Just making sure that I am not treading on taken property." Baigan smirked, and suddenly leaned in, pressing his lips to Rosa's. Rosa gasped and let out a cry of protest against Baigan's lips.
"Stop!" Rosa cried, and pushed Baigan back, wiping her lips immediately. "What are you doing?"
"Your beauty has simply captivated me!" Baigan exclaimed. "Come on Rosa, I just know you're not the prudish type who keeps away from anyone's advances." Rosa turned red and scooted further away disgustedly.
"I am not....prudish." Rosa said. "I just don't think I could welcome that sort of advance from someone I barely know!"
"Well then, lets get to know each other better." Baigan said, his voice edgy, his eyes narrowed. Rosa blinked and shook her head.
"No...not like that..." Her voice wavered, for she knew what was coming next. Rosa struggled to pull herself up on her good foot, but Baigan simply reached out and grabbed her fractured leg, making her howl in pain as she fell back to the blanket on her hands and knees.
"Let me go!" Rosa screamed. "Somebody help!"
"No one is going to bother us for quite a while." Baigan said cooly, and dragged Rosa closer to him by her leg.
"OOOOOOUCH!" Rosa screamed as the pain ripped through her fractured limb. Baigan laughed happily and flipped her over, throwing her down onto her back and pinning her down with his arms as he leaned over her and smirked.
"Quite the big mouth you have there." He teased. "I bet I could put it to good use."
"Let me go!!!!!" Rosa cried again, shaking her head frantically. She tried kicking at him with her strong leg, but he responded to that by crushing it down with his knee, making Rosa moan in pain and lean back to recooperate. Baigan took this oportunity to lean in, pressing his body against hers as he kissed her again, this time using his tongue to probe through her lips to the insides of her mouth. Rosa moaned and tried everything she could to pull away, but this time she was quite trapped, there was no where for her to go. So, she did the only thing she could possibly think of--
"Damnit!" Baigan cried into Rosa's mouth as she bit down on his tongue. He pulled away and brought a hand to his lips, wiping off the blood that was oozing from the corner of his mouth. Rosa spat the remains of his blood and saliva in her mouth out onto the blanket, making Baigan laugh.
"Don't like it?" He asked innocently. "I think you just have to get used to it...Relax Rosa dear...I've been with many girls, and I've been told I'm quite good. I think you'll enjoy yourself. And since you're quite possibly the most beautiful girl I've been with, I'm going to make an extra effort to please you."
"Never!" Rosa cried. "I could never be pleased by a wretch like you! I HATE YOU! CECIL, HELP!!!" Baigan laughed more, which seemed to get creepier with each time he did it.
"I'm afraid that Cecil did this for you." Baigan said softly. "He promised to introduce your lovely self to me last night when he arrived at the palace with you and your deadbeat friend Kain. I almost didn't let you in without reporting you to the king, but when my eyes fell upon you--I was captivated. You looked so vulnerable...so innocent and strong at the same time...I had to get to know you better...so Cecil agreed...in exchange for your not getting in trouble..." Rosa gasped and felt tears spring to her eyes.
Oh Cecil...I knew it! I knew you didn't want to push me away...you did this so that I wouldn't get in any more trouble...
"But Cecil would have never alowed you to force yourself on me!" Rosa snapped. "If he had known anything like this would happen, he would have never agreed! NEVER!"
"You keep telling yourself that." Baigan sneered as he trailed his finger down Rosa's chin and neck. "Althought I'd rather you not think of him while we are together. It's so rude." He continued trailing his finger down, and Rosa squirmed helplessly as he ran it over the small amount of cleavage she had. Baigan smirked at this and leaned down, kissing at her chest. Rosa screamed louder and closed her eyes, not wanting to see any of it. She could feel the blood from his tongue dripping down in her leotard, and even worse, the soft hit of the summer air hitting her chest as Baigan released one of her arms for a moment to tug down the top of her leotard. Rosa screamed in protest and tried pushing him off of her with her free arm, but it was hopeless. His build was way too large compared to her small frame for her to do anything worth wasting her energy. Rosa gave up and felt her tears overpour from her eyes and down her cheeks as Baigan tugged the leotard down to her waist, glowering in pure delight. Rosa made the feeble attempt to cover herself with her free arm, but Baigan took care of that by pulling her arm away and gripping it tightly in his hand.
"Open your eyes Rosa." He said, in an almost normal tone, as if none of this were going on.
"No." Rosa snapped definately, between clenched teeth.
"But you really are quite beautiful." Baigan cooed, and after giving her arm a tight squeeze, released it and ran a callused hand over her right breast, making her cringe. He saw this and shook his head, pressing back down against her again to lick the tears off her cheeks. The blood from his tongue mingled with the tears in his mouth, making him shiver in delight. "Not just beautiful...but quite delicious..." Rosa moaned in protest and took a deep breath.
"CECIL, HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!" Rosa screamed, directly into Baigan's ear. Baigan screamed and pulled back, covering his ear with the hand that had been on Rosa's body. All he could hear around him was echoing rings.
"....Dirty bitch!" He growled, and shook his head. "I'm not going to be nice to you anymore. You've earned what's coming!" With that, he pressed his knee down on Rosa's fractured leg, making her howl out in pain to distract her as he took both hands and struggled to tug down her leotard the rest of the way down her torso.
Oh no.... Rosa thought. I can't let this go any further...if I don't stop him now, I'm not going to be able to save myself...Please....if the Gods up there are listening...GIVE ME STRENGTH!
"This should be a treat." Baigan growled to himself, although he was having a hard time with the leotard thanks to Rosa's squirming. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate while she bought herself time. What could she do...what could she do...
Oh Gods, I've got it! Rosa thought, and pressed her lips together. Please, let me cast this spell, just once!!!
"HOLD!" Rosa screamed. Baigan blinked and looked up at her disgustedly.
"Hold what?" He growled, but at that moment, rainbow beams of light shot down from the sky, and began to encircle themselves around Baigan, spinning so fast that they became a blur. They dissolved into nothing a few moments later, leaving Baigan totally paralyzed and frozen, sitting up on Rosa's hips.
"YES!" Rosa cried happily, and with that, she sat up some herself after much struggling and shoved Baigan's body off of her and into the grass. However, at that moment, there came a banging from the gate.
"ROSA, ARE YOU IN THERE?!" Rosa could hear Cecil screaming from the other side.
"Oh, Cecil!" Rosa cried. "Hold on!" With that, she quickly pulled up her leotard in a haphazard manner that was just enough to leave her un- exposed, and reached down in Baigan's pocket to get the gate key. Although her leg hurt tremendously, Rosa managed to stand up and hop on her good leg all the way to the gate, which exhausted her energy quickly. When she reached the gate, she shoved the key in the lock with a shaking hand, and suddenly collapsed to the ground as soon as she heard it click open. Cecil pushed the gate open and gasped, seeing Rosa gasping for breath on the ground, her hair totally dishelveled, small streaks of blood on her cheek and chest, and her clothes wrinkled and dirty.
"Rosa, what happened?!" Cecil cried and fell to his knees so that he could be at her height.
"....Baigan...he tried to..." Rosa gasped and huffed, resting her hand over her chest to try to control her air intake. "He's....paralyzed for the moment...huff....I..."
"Ok, ok, I get it." Cecil said worriedly, and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm just glad you're ok...you are ok, right?!"
"Yes." Rosa nodded. "He didn't get far enough....to do any damage...."
"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" Cecil cursed, and pressed Rosa closer to his body. "I should have known...I should have, but..."
"Cecil....please....I am alright." Rosa tried to explain, and rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't think...I can fend for myself by now?"
"That's not even funny!" Cecil cried. "I heard you screaming, and my blood just ran cold..."
"....But Baigan told me what you two talked about last night." Rosa said, changing the subject, and looked up to stare into Cecil's eyes. "....You...wanted to protect me, so you did as he requested..."
"Not with this in mind!" Cecil protested. "Please Rosa, you have to forgive me..."
"But I'm not mad!" Rosa cried, and felt her eyes begin to sting with tears again. "I couldn't believe that you wanted to push me away...I was SO relieved when I found out the truth..."
"Of course I didn't want to push you away..." Cecil shook his head. "But I figured that after you had met Baigan...you would forget all about me...that's one of the reasons why I kissed you last night...I wanted to see if you cared at all...cared like I wanted you to care...more then something friendly..."
"....More then something friendly?" Rosa repeated. "....Oh Cecil...I..."
"I know, you probably don't want anything to have to do with me." Cecil said dejectedly. "Our paths in life...are completely different...and not only that, but we're young too..."
"Be quiet." Rosa snapped, and Cecil blinked. "Don't whimper so, Cecil..."
"I'm, sorry....but..."
With that, Rosa leaned in and gently kissed at Cecil's lips, reaching up with her hand to caress his cheek. He widened his eyes and kissed back, resting his hands on her hips as she pulled away and smiled some.
"We may be different...and young..." Rosa shook her head and smiled more. "But none the less, I love you....Cecil. I have since the day we met..."
"....I love you too, Rosa." Cecil smiled back, and embraced her tightly. At that moment, Baigan let out a pained moan and began to stir, making Cecil's attentions turn towards him.
"We can talk later." Cecil said in a low tone, and stood up. "Right now, I think it's our turn to do a little negotiating..."
To be continued...
