Gau stared into Relm's eyes. "You don't have to act like that around me. I can see what's inside of you."
"Sure you do. Just like everyone else, I suppose. You don't and can't know the real..." The annoyed fourteen-year-old got cut off as Gau took the initiative and kissed her.
The two were spending a lot of time together even since the reunion, which was over a month ago. They had become closer than they were. Gau had always admired her, but from a distance. Relm, on the other hand, didn't really care for others, but when they started spending time together, she felt drawn to the seventeen-year-old.
How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
Without a soul, soul
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home
She tried to pull away, but he held her close to him until she stopped resisting. She then let herself relax and seemed to enjoy the kiss. When they separated, she wanted to hit him, but for some reason when she looked at his face, she couldn't gather the strength to lift her arm. Actually, she was starting to feel faint.
"Are you OK, Relm?" Gau asked, concerned.
"I'm OK, Gau. I think I'm a little tired. Maybe I should go home. Would you care to walk me?" Relm asked.
Gau noticed a sudden change in her attitude. This sort of surprised him, but he wasn't going to complain and ruin things. "Sure, I'll walk you. I'd be too worried if I let you go home by yourself."
As they walked towards Relm's house, Gau reached for her hand. At first, Relm didn't notice, but just before he got a firm grip, she pulled away. She glared at him for a second before returning her eyes to the road in front of her. "What did you do that for?"
"I dunno. I just felt that it was right. But, I will eventually get through to you," he replied. "It's only a matter of time."
You already have. Only if you knew how close you really are. A little too close for my liking. When she came out of her thoughts, she noticed that Gau wasn't next to her. She looked around, sort of hoping he wasn't there. She looked around, but couldn't see any sight of him. Good, he's gone.
As she turned around and continued on her way, Gau jumped down in front of her. "Thought you lost me?" he said with a grin. "I was talking to you and you didn't respond, so I thought I'd hide away and surprise you." Gau then stole a kiss on the cheek, making Relm's face red with anger.
In return, Relm pushed Gau to the ground and turned away from him, mumbling, "Jerk!" Without apologizing, she walked on towards her house again. Gau got up again and easily caught up to her, but didn't make anymore attempts to get too close to her.
At Relm's house, she made a quick, "See ya," and then went in the house, leaving Gau alone on the doorstep.
Inside, Relm started doing odd chores to get her mind off the kiss that was stuck in her head, the kiss that she almost enjoyed too much. Suddenly, Relm felt tired once again and decided to go to her room to get a quick nap before supper time.
Wake me up
Wake me up inside
I can't wake up
Wake me up inside
Save me
Call my name and save me from the dark
Wake me up
Bid my blood to run
Can't wake up
Before I come undone
Save me
Save me from the nothing I've become
Relm woke up feeling a tingle within her. "Gau?" she asked. She couldn't exactly see, but she was sure that there was no Gau nor anyone else in her room. "I'm almost sure he was lying next to me..." As she said this, she turned over in the bed just to make sure and found no one.
Confused, Relm lid down on her back. I wish Gau was here. No, I don't. What am I thinking? The thought of the kiss came back to her mind, warming her inside. "Eww, what's he doing to me? He's not even here and he's affecting me, my thoughts." Her mind then went back to thoughts of Gau, his smile, those lips, his staring eyes, and his persistence.
Getting lost in her thoughts again, she started thinking of Gau there, holding her close, kissing her, warming her, melting her ice heart. She then imagined Gau taking off their shirts and letting their bare skin touch. It felt so warm and exhilarating. It started making her want to be touched. Gau sensed it and started touching her in a certain spot that made her long for more.
Forcing herself out of her wild thoughts, she tried thinking of various other things such as her new painting of two people staring at each other after a passionate kiss. All of a sudden the two people turned into her and Gau. "Dammit, why can't I get him out of my head?!"
Sick of the where her thoughts continuously leading her, she decided to go back to sleep, where dreams of Gau came to her.
Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life
She woke up the next morning well-refreshed. She decided to get dressed right away and get breakfast. As she walked downstairs a familiar voice greeted her, "Good morning, Relm. I was wondering when you'd finally get up. I've been her for the past hour just waiting for you."
She contemplated going back to her room, but she felt too hungry and Gau would still be there waiting for her when she came down again. Unwillingly, she went into the kitchen and took the only empty chair which was next to Gau.
"Good morning, Relm," Strago said.
"Morning, Gramps."
"Gau came to see you."
"I know. I can see him there," Relm said as she turned away from Gau.
"Relm, don't be rude to our guest," Strago said gently.
"If he was trying to hold your hand and kiss you all the time, you'd be rude to him too," Relm said bluntly. Gau blushed.
"I just came by this morning to tell you that I'm leaving later today. I'm going to Nikeah to look for a job. I'm hoping to get something that will help me learn to be an architect later," Gau announced.
"Really? So you're gonna finally leave me alone? That's great," Relm said happily and then hugged him.
"Relm, are you OK?" Gau asked surprised from the hug.
"Um, yeah. Sorry," Relm said and pulled away.
"After breakfast, I'm gonna go and buy my ticket," Gau said.
Strago got up and cooked a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. Relm made some tea for the three of them. Gau decided to help out, although he was a guest. He took the plates out of the cupboard and placed them neatly on the table. He then took out the cutlery and placed them next to the plates.
After everything was ready, they sat down and enjoyed their meal. Relm, most of all, 'cause she knew Gau would be leaving after this. She had a huge smile on her face. "You better hurry up, Gau. The tickets may be sold out soon if you don't hurry."
"Don't worry, Relm. I told the ticket booth manager to hold a ticket for me so I will have a ticket anyway. I just have to pay for it when I arrive. Relm, I'm really going no matter what." Gau finished his breakfast and got up. On the way out, Gau said, "See ya later, Strago, Relm. Hopefully, I can get back again someday for a visit."
"See ya, Gau," Strago replied.
Relm said nothing. She was already starting to enjoy being alone again.
This only lasted for a short time, though. Up in her room, she was bored. There was no one around. When Gau was here, he was always bugging me. I always had my mind occupied, trying to keep him away from my real self, my soft heart. He was always so close to it, like he had a map to it or something. Fortunately, I kept rearranging the maze, but he always found his way. Now that he's gone, he can't do that anymore. On the other hand, I'm left with no one that cares about me like him either. What am I thinking? I don't need that. I don't need someone who cares. All I need is myself.
After another few minutes, she stared out the window at an empty field. That was where they spent several of their days together, running around. Gau always wanted to stare into her eyes, hypnotize her, and sometimes give her a small kiss. Sometimes he'd push her to the ground and lie down next to her. Sometimes, she'd stay only to catch her breath, more often, not even that long.
Once, he even sat on her and wouldn't let her get up. She hit him as hard as she could, but it didn't work because she was in an awkward position and couldn't hit the right spot. He just laughed it off. Eventually, he let her up, not without a kiss though. She took off when she had the chance and tried to hide from him. She didn't succeed, however. He always found her scent and followed it. Those were good days.
"Who am I kidding? I care for Gau just as much as he cares for me. I just don't want to admit it. I can't have my heart broken anymore," she said as she thought of her parents. "I have to go get him. I can't be alone. I need him..." She paused for a few minutes and then said, "I want to kiss him."
Wake me up
Wake me up inside
I can't wake up
Wake me up inside
Save me
Call my name and save me from the dark
Wake me up
Bid my blood to run
Can't wake up
Before I come undone
Save me
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life
She ran down the stairs and quickly said "I need to go out." She then ran out the door, leaving a confused Strago sipping his tea.
She ran all the way to the ferry's terminal. She looked all around, but at first she couldn't see him. This place was getting more and more busy everyday. She then saw his familiar green hair as she was about to go outside and look around. He was in the line to get his ticket. He was the next one to be served. As she ran up to him, she called out his name.
Gau turned around and a smile lit up his face as he saw her. "Relm, what are you doing here?" he asked as she stopped in front of him.
"Gau, please don't leave," Relm pleaded.
"Are you sure? This doesn't seem to be like you. I thought you wanted me to leave," Gau wondered.
"I did, but I changed my mind. I can do that, can't I?" Relm asked and then hugged into him, leaving him speechless. She then reached up and initiated a passionate kiss.
I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life
Frozen inside
Without your touch
Without your love darling
Only you are the life among the dead
As she kissed Gau, she started thinking. I've been lying all this time, both to you and myself. Without you, I have nothing. I'm still lonely and hurting, even with my heart of ice. I need you to put life back in my body, melt the ice, and give me a reason to live again. I want you to stay. You're my light in the darkness.
Relm broke the kiss and smiled at Gau. "I'm glad I got here before you bought the ticket and left."
"Well, I guess you got lucky," Gau said grinning.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. You were probably stalling because you knew I was gonna come after you," Relm teased. "You probably weren't even gonna leave."
"Relm, actually I was going to, but I was hoping you'd come. I didn't have the ticket manager hold a ticket for me though," Gau admitted and then dodged Relm's fist. "Come on, let's go back to your house to discuss things."
"OK, you jerk," Relm said as she swiped at him, this time hitting him in the shoulder.
"Oww," Gau said, laughing.
They walked back to Relm's house holding hands with the morning sun shining down on them.
All this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought without a voice without a soul
Don't let me die here
There must be something more
Bring me to life
In Relm's room, she started cuddling into Gau, enjoying his warmth once again. "I didn't realize how much you lit up my life until you left. You opened my eyes, made me realize how much I need you, your love."
"I'm here now. You have me, my love, everything you want. Or is there something else?"
"Well, if you're not here, I'll be bored outta my mind. While you were here, you kept my mind busy while you were bugging me."
"So, you mostly want entertainment. OK," Gau said as he looked in her closet and took out a unicycle and several balls.
"Not that kind of entertainment, you idiot!" Relm said as she hit him and threw the stuff back in the closet. "I don't need a court jester. Just my Gauy will do. I mean, without you, I'll have nothing to do. You ever get the feeling after you have such a good time with someone and when they leave all the darkness starts flooding back and surrounds you leaving depressed and stuff? That's sort of what happened when you left. I finally realized how much fun you are."
"And I was so close to leaving too," Gau teased, trying to sound disappointed, but failing miserably.
"Shut up, you," Relm said as she playfully hit him, obviously not hurting him in the least. "Come over here and sit next to me." Relm motioned him to come over and sit on the bed.
"OK," Gau agreed and sat down next to her.
They started talking. Relm admitted more and more about how she really felt about him. Gau wasn't really surprised. This kind of confused her, but he explained it plainly.
"I had already seen the signs that you liked me more than you were willing to admit. All I had to do was look into those eyes which gave all her secrets away to those who looked deep enough. It was like they gave a direct entrance to your heart and soul. After trying many times to get you to admit those feelings, I decided that the best way for you to admit your feelings to yourself was to give you time. So, while waiting I was gonna get some work in Nikeah and make some money for some things that I'd want in the future," Gau explained. He didn't tell her that those things would be an engagement rings and everything that would be needed to have a decent wedding ceremony.
Wake me up
Wake me up inside
Can't wake up
Wake me up inside
Save me
Call my name and save me from the dark
Wake me up
Bid my blood to run
Can't wake up
Before I come undone
Save me
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life
Relm growled at Gau and then said, "I can't keep anything from you! Even the things that I don't even know myself." She hit Gau, only to have him laugh her poor attempt to hurt him.
"I'm glad I did catch you before you left. It would've been a lonely time while waiting for you to come check on me," Relm said and cuddled into him. They shared a light kiss and fell back on the bed. They cuddled some more. After a few minutes Gau decided to get more comfortable and positioned himself to lie on the pillows. Relm then lid on Gau's chest and they both fell asleep.
Around two that afternoon, Relm woke up. She was still on Gau's chest. She listened to his light, steady breathing. It sounded so peaceful. She stood up next to bed and looked at him from top to bottom. "A whole lot different than her first impression of him when they had met over four years ago. And still not the same as before we started spending any time together," Relm whispered, trying not to disturb Gau.
The whispers were in vain because Gau sat up suddenly. He looked around frantically until his eyes came upon Relm. "Oh, you're still here. Thank God."
"Why?"
"I thought it was all a dream or something. I don't know, but I had this feeling something was wrong."
"No, it's all perfect now. Would you like something to eat? I'm hungry. We missed dinner," Relm said, pointing to the clock.
"Sure," Gau said, following Relm downstairs.
I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life
"You're doing a good job, Gau," Strago encouraged.
"Thanks, Strago."
Relm had convinced Gau to stay in Thamasa and get a job. Gau applied to a local business and they took him in gladly to pass on their knowledge to willing individuals.
About a year after, Thamasa started having a great intake of people. Strago became head of the committee to greet newcomers and make their new home as good as possible. Gau was a quick-learner and he became a professional architect soon after.
Relm and Gau married a month after her nineteenth birthday. She was twenty now and he was overseeing the building of their house. He hoped to have it completely finished by their first anniversary that was coming in a couple of weeks, early in October. He designed most of it by himself. It was an accomplishment that made him proud of himself.
A pair of soft hands covered his sunburnt face from the past summer. "Hello," a seductive voice whispered in his ear.
"Shay, I thought you'd never come. Now we can run off and leave that bitch, Relm, behind," Gau said as he turned and kissed his wife on the lips.
"You jerk," Relm said when they broke the kiss and gave him a playful slap..
Gau laughed and took her hand. "How about we go and get something to eat? I'm starved from standing around here all day."
Relm laughed at Gau's remark and they both headed into their soon-to-be old house to get food.
