Part 4

They had been playing Triple Triad for hours and they were having a final game before Ellone went to bed.

Ellone's face was frowning in concentration and it took all they had for Laguna and Raine not to laugh. Laguna laid down his final card; an Odin card, on the top right-hand corner of the grid.

With a grin of triumph, Ellone laid her Sacred card below it and turned it to her side, making the score 6-4. With a jump in the air she laughed, "I beat you!"

 Laguna smiled and patted her head "yes you did, now it's time to put you to bed!"

Ellone groaned as he lifted her on his shoulders. Mouthing the words "I'll be right back" to Raine he carefully walked out of the room and into his house next door.

He gently laid a yawning Ellone onto her small bed and sat beside her stroking her hair until she became drowsy and drifted to sleep. He kissed her cheek and crept outside, making sure the door was locked but leaving Ellone a note telling her where he was in case she woke up.

Smiling he strolled into the shop and up the stairs but he stopped when he heard voices coming from the living room. He crouched on the stairs listening.

"Listen Raine we don't want to start anything…"

"START ANYTHING!? You've just threatened me to leave Laguna!!!"

"Raine please, see reason. He got you into this mess!"

Laguna stiffened, that was the shopkeeper.

"And he got me out of it! I love Laguna, and that's that! If you don't like it then tough, if it means the whole of Winhill ends up hating us then we'll just move. No matter how long I've been here"

He heard a woman's voice

"Raine, you've always lived here, he hasn't-"

"AND THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD ALL BE NICE TO HIM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR BEING LIKE THIS!!!"

Laguna smiled to himself, thank Hyne he had Raine to stick up for him. He decided that he should make himself known. He lightly climbed the rest of the stairs and crept into the room.

"Well Raine he's bad trouble and it's obvious he's using you here"

That did it. He thundered up to the woman and glared right down on her "I hope that wasn't me you were talking about then."

The woman cowered, "Um… No of course it wasn't…"

He gave her a steeled look "get out"

The woman was flustered but she wasn't going to give in "now look here, this is Raines house who do you think you ar-"

"GET OUT!!!!!!"

The woman jumped and scuttled out of the room. Laguna sank onto the bad and put his head in his hands. He look at Raine with a tear in his eye "How…could…they"

Raine rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled weakly "They didn't mean it, they were concerned that's all."

Laguna shook his head "They were right though, I did get you into trouble"

Raine stroked his cheek "of course you didn't silly, I did"

He smiled at her "You know I love you…right?"

She smiled back "yes, now come here"

Laguna lay down and let Raine gently rock him in her arms. He smiled, once again it seemed it was Raine who was looking after him even though it was suppose to be the other way round.

And that was how he wanted it, and he never wanted it to change.

The next few days seemed quieter to them then usual. Visits became less frequent and orders for Raines flowers had suddenly dwindled.

However each day was faced with a smile, Raine happily arranged flowers and had many ice cream breaks with Ellone, and Laguna got on with his 'monster patrol', coming home bruised and scratched looking forward to an evening of being fussed over by his two favourite ladies.

Life seemed all right as it was, who cared if people didn't approve? They certainly didn't. If they didn't like it, they would just have to lump it. And that's what they did, no sneaking round they strolled into town, hand in hand with heads held high like they always had. Raine was determined that no one was going to stand between her and Laguna and she was proud to have him as her own personal protector- she couldn't give a damn if anyone was a better fighter, there was no one in the world who was as sweet and caring as her Laguna and he was the only man on this earth who's deep green eyes could make her legs shake and her heart seem to dance and melt at the same time. Her sweet Laguna, no man could compare.  

Laguna felt the same about Raine. He adored the ground she walked upon, just watching her made his heart leap and all his troubles melt away. He would stroll next to her bursting with pride- she had chosen him, out of all the men in the world, to be her protector. To comfort her when she was in pain, to hide the suffering of the world from her and to let her tend to her flowers.

Her flowers… No flowers bloomed like hers, the petals soft to the touch and floating across the skin, leaving senses tingling. Like her touch. Watching her gentle hands care for those flowers was almost like feeling her hands caress his skin, he felt a tingling rush all over him and he smiled. Life could never improve, and if he could be granted one wish, it would be for time to stop and that one moment last forever, her gentle eyes gazing at him and a smile on her lips- for him only. Bliss.