Disclaimer: We all know Squaresoft is great and Powerful for creating Final Fantasy, which is great but I own (here's the official list) Kuro Mizu, Shiro Hikari, Mizuiro Hashi, Yugo Ogami, Rin Ogami, Kuma no Nuigurumi, Akaling, Ruka Chan, Whir Whitewater, and last but not least is my character, Illasu Marain!
*The Library*
Illasu had been reading Mac Beth when Rin came to get her with a lunch tray of lettuce (Usagi no Amazon!), a Fire Snapple and 2 chocolate peanut butter sandwiches made with crust-less bread.
Rin: I missed you at lunch but Selphie told me what happened. I can see you are really mad by your book choice. Selphie also ordered your favorites. Odd combination...
Illasu: (realizing what time it was) Oh, my gosh! Rin, I am sooo sorry! I shouldn't have missed that!! Darn you Irvine! (slams her head into the table and starts to cry)
Rin: It is ok, I respect you for standing up for your friends. Really, I do Illy.
Illasu: (in between sobs) But...I didn't want...to miss it. I love having lunch with you! It's fun!
Rin: Well, if you look up nice and calm, you will notice something.
Illasu looked up through teary eyes and spotted the lunch tray with today's lunch. She smiled and cried more. He was so sweet and nice. She was mad at Kuro for breaking his heart. She was definitely on the list. She wiped her eyes with her napkin and decided to munch on some lettuce while she calmed down. Rin found a chair and slid as close as he could get to her. She chugged her Fire drink, which was later a mistake. She ate one sandwich by ripping it apart and licking off the excess peanut butter then ate the bread. She couldn't eat the other so she offered it to Rin.
Rin: I do not know...chocolate peanut butter?
Illasu: Think of it as when you make No-Bake cookies...it's when you melt the choco-chips with the peanut butter.
Rin: Well, I guess it would not be so bad then. Ok, I will try it.
Illasu watched him as he tried it. She smiled when he didn't like it.
Illasu: It's an acquired taste. No one else has liked it either. It's okay, I'll eat it.
She scarfed it down and Rin finished his meal while Illasu leaned into him and he put an arm around her. She asked him what he was learning in Biology and he said the anatomy of a horse. She was invited to come tomorrow, but she couldn't. She was gonna work in the stables to make money.
Illasu: Gotta keep grain in the feed bins! Well Rin, I guess I'll walk back with you.
About that time a picture was snapped of them a few feet away. A mischievous little boy was behind the camera and as soon as he lowered the camera and Illasu waved, he ran.
Rin: Who was that?
Illasu: Oh, he's been following us. I found out from Selphie that he keeps track of the couples in the school for the paper. He's quite annoying but he's just doing his job.
Rin: You are very heartfelt. You are very sweet and sexy as well.
Micky-chan: (A classmate of mine called me sexy for the first time last school year in the ninth grade so it was weird!!)
Illasu: What? You think I am sexy?
Rin: Yes, why?
Illasu: No one's ever called me that. I guess it was just weird hearing someone call someone like me 'sexy' (making quotes with her fingers).
Rin: Well you are Illy. You are very sexy!
Illasu: You little!!
This erupted into him tickling her and her trying to tickle him. He won because she was very ticklish. So they walked back together to drop their trays off and Illasu wanted to tell Selphie. When they had dropped the trays off and were about ready to part ways, Rin leaned down and kissed her cheek. He smiled then left with a wink and a giant smile. Illasu was stunned. She was bursting on the inside. She ran to tell Selphie, giddy once more. She found Irvine in the room, apologizing to Selphie. They were both looking at the screaming, arms flailing, and emergency gossip girl. Irvine just looked at her with a sad, whipped pup face. Selphie was smiling and held up a thumb to Illasu. Irvine stepped outside so Illasu could talk. But before he was out the door, he apologized to Illasu. Illasu forgave him in a hurry. She was in critical mode and couldn't hold any more. She blurted it out. Luckily, the door was shut.
Selphie: WHAT!!!! OH, ILLASU!!!
Illasu: I know! I was so surprised and I ran to tell you! So, do you think it was a friendly kiss or a...
Irvine: It was a...
Selphie and Illasu: SHUT UP IRVINE!!
Irvine left the room and waited outside. Illasu came out an hour later and talked to Irvine.
Illasu: So, are you really sorry?
Irvine: Yeah, I guess I just wanted to see a real cowgirl...sorry.
Illasu: Listen you have a cowgirl...Selphie!
Irvine: Selphie is no cowgirl.
Illasu: Wanna bet?
Irvine: ...Not really...why?
Illasu: Meet me in the stables tomorrow. I'll prove it. And thanks for apologizing.
Illasu went in to tell Selphie but she burst out the door. Irvine gave her a hug. Selphie almost cried. She had been waiting for a welcome home hug. She gave him a hug back. Illasu told her to come with her. The two walked off to the stables and Illasu looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Irvine smiled a little but when Selphie looked back and smiled like a mouse, he laughed and ran to catch up. Illasu said he couldn't come.
Irvine: Prove it now.
Illasu: Ok, you're on. Sorry Selphie, but I made a bet with Irvine.
Selphie: Ok, so what is this bet?
Illasu: That you're a cowgirl...or not.
Selphie stopped dead and her eyes went wide. She had never ridden a horse, except when they went speeding down the street. But maybe she could do it, at least for Irvine. She was so happy to have everything back to normal. They left for the stables.
Micky-chan: (Squall and Zell just practice this whole week until Thursday)
*Quistis, Rinoa and Kuro*
Kuro had been bringing them lunch, undoing the tape and holding a gun to their head while they ate. She was so heartless. Quistis had worked up enough courage to ask her why she was this way. She did and Kuro responded.
Kuro: My dad was walking down the street, a law-abiding citizen, with me and Shiro. There was a robbery and the police responded. The robber ran as soon as the police came. They missed the first shot and hit my dad square in the chest. He was instantly dead. I didn't understand. He wouldn't wake up and when the police came over to get me I reached for one of their guns and killed them, all of them. Then I ran into an alley with my sister and said we were on our own now. No one had witnessed us do it so we were unknown. Shiro started to cry and I had to comfort her. I was unaffected by seeing someone die. I guess I am a Diablos in disguise. The law killed my dad so I worked for people killing others for money. Then one of my boss's clients requested that we go live with him. We did and he taught us many things. We worked and trained everyday for the next 5 years. Then our master sent us to do a mission. We came back from it and he was gone. He left us. He said he was going to repent at a nearby shrine and then left for somewhere. He had left us a fortune to do what we wanted with it. So we started our own secret mission base slowly from a couple people to now, a full-scale operation. He had taught us how to fish, so we fished.
Quistis: Why is Shiro still soft?
Kuro: She was like that because she was a little younger so I always treated her like my little sister. Our mother always said for us to protect one another. I suppose you want to know what happened to her? Well, I don't know. I woke up one morning when I was little and she wasn't there. Shiro didn't think anything had happened. She thought mom was gone on a trip. So that's it. Get up. You're done.
She kicked the plate out and duct taped her hands and mouth. Then she locked the door and moved to Rinoa. Quistis felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. Poor girl, she was so young. That was why she was so possessed. Quistis just sat there and thought it over. Kuro saw her.
Kuro: Don't think about. It'll make you weaker.
Then she left the dark tunnel and everything went black once more. Quistis still thought about it.
*The stables, the showdown*
Well, there they were, the three of them. Illasu had saddled Trojan. Irvine was leaning on the fence. Selphie was walking up to the horse and got on, on the wrong side. Selphie got lucky, because usually horses don't let you do that. Illasu had her horses trained to though. Irvine didn't realize it though. Illasu left Selphie and went to the middle of the ring. Selphie had watched Illasu so many times she knew what to do. She kicked him and he started moving. Selphie screamed but then realized he was walking, not running at a full out force. Irvine cocked an eyebrow at Illasu who had hastily looked back. Then Selphie just went smooth from there till Irvine wanted her to trot. She looked at Illasu and she made a 'help me' face. Illasu, faced away from Irvine, made a motion of flicking her hands. Selphie did and Trojan started to trot. Selphie was laughing from being bounced around and almost fell off. She then realized you couldn't laugh while he as trotting. So, she tried to slow him down. She said whoa and pulled a little, but Trojan must have heard GO! because he upped his speed to a canter and Selphie was wailing. Irvine looked at Illasu and asked her to stop the horse.
Illasu: Selphie! Pull to your right, hard, and don't let go!
Selphie: I can't!
Illasu: SELPHIE TILMITT!!
Selphie: What!?
She had stopped the horse before saying whoa. Irvine was shocked. She knew how to but she couldn't do it under pressure. Of course, Selphie couldn't do anything when she knew her friend had bet. So he was convinced. Selphie got off and ran to Irvine.
Irvine: Selphie, if you would like to go with me again, I would love to go with you.
Selphie: Irvine!! You are so great!!
Illasu rolled her eyes and smiled as she led Trojan away. When she got to the stable, her smile was a sad frown. She needed a hug a lot. But no one was ever there to give her a comforting hug. She finished untacking Trojan and fed and watered him. She looked at her watch and saw it was 3 pm. She had an hour before Rin got out of school. She helped Mizuiro feed and water the chocobos and then she went and lay in the field. She was drawing in a small dirt patch she had found. She was drawing horses and hearts. It was a non-objective so it might have looked a little weird to some other people. Rin silently came up behind her and squatted next to her. He put a hand on her back and when she looked up at him he smiled and saw the frown on her face. Illasu smiled at the sight of him though. Rin was not sure she was very happy though.
Rin: What is the matter?
Illasu: It's nothing...
Rin: Illy, you can tell me.
Illasu: Rin, I said it's nothing, and it is, so drop it...besides no one would care anyway.
Rin sat next to her and moved his hand around on her back. She could feel him spelling out words. It was comforting but she knew that it couldn't last. It never did. No one liked her because she was different. Only her friends did. Besides it would be weird to be boyfriend/girlfriend with a friend. Illasu turned around onto her back. She stretched and yawned. It was just a lazy afternoon. Tomorrow, her and Selphie were doing something. Selphie had begged her too. She had agreed because she had felt she was neglecting Selphie. But now that she was here and got to see her everyday, she didn't feel so bad. Her horses were all here and Mizuiro had mentioned a huge rodent problem. So Illasu had brought the farm cats and now they lived in this barn. Atlas was getting fat off of mice. Gideon and Barney lived inside with Rin and Illasu. Rin loved Barney a lot. He wasn't much of a lover cat but when you fed him or watched a movie he was the purrfect cat Rin had said. While she was thinking about her new life, Rin was smiling at her and continued spelling words on her stomach.
Illasu: You know that tickles right?
Rin: Yes, I know.
Illasu: What are you spelling?
Rin: Spelling?
Illasu: Yeah, I can feel you writing something.
Rin just smiled and it made her laugh in confusion. He was so weird.
Rin: Should I stop?
Illasu: No, it actually feels good. I just wish I knew what story you were writing.
Rin: Why?
Illasu: So I could write it and make money off of it...why do you think silly?!
Rin laughed his cute laugh that Illasu loved so much and laid back in the grass. Her eyes came face to face with a spider. She screamed and got up. Rin asked what was wrong and Illasu kept pointing to the ground and saying 'huge spider thing'. Rin looked and saw it. He picked it up and put it far away in a tree. Illasu stared at him absentmindedly. Rin came back and smiled.
Rin: Better?
Illasu: You just picked the thing up...you know what that was right...
Rin: Yes, but he was afraid of you. It did not mean any harm. Are you scared of spiders?
Illasu: ...yes (mumbles)...
Rin: (smiling) I will protect you. But I will not kill the spider. He has a right to live. He has to catch those pesky flies that bother your horses. So see, I'll also save you some money.
Illasu was astounded that he had just made all that up and was saying it. It actually made her feel for the icky thing. Ok, well maybe not but Rin kept making it harder to just be friends. He wasn't sure she was ok from the shock so he gave her a long, warm hug. He kissed her hair and she hugged him back. They stood there for the longest time. Selphie was spying on them Illasu noticed and she smiled but said nothing because Selphie jumped up and silently cheered. She quickly ran back inside when Rin turned around and started walking back, smiling. Illasu was so giddy and scared at the same time she said she'd be in in a few. Rin had said she could take as long as she wanted. He would have to come look for her after midnight though. It was 6 now so she had six hours to go talk to Selphie again. She may even talk to that Squall who seemed so nice. He might be reassuring. He seemed kind of like Rin. So she sat in the grass and one of her horses came up to her with those long, horsy looks no one can resist. Stu had the cutest. He came up and she rubbed his head. He looked at her and it was like a sign. The other two were eating but they kept looking up at her. She had plenty of friends. She got hugs everyday from these three, even if they were horses. Illasu got up and ran back inside. She had decided and before she could let herself reconsider, she saw Rin going into his room. He spotted her and was surprised she was out of breath. Illasu ran straight to him and hugged him as tight as she could. She started saying all these things and they came out as a blur to him. He couldn't tell if she was sad, happy, mad or what. So he told her to calm down and come inside. Illasu sat on the edge of the bed and Rin got on his knees. He was so tall. He came right up to her eyes though now. He asked her to explain whatever she was saying out there calmly now. Illasu took a deep breath and began.
Illasu: Ok, I know I am not the best girl in the world and I make mistakes and so does everyone else. But Rin, I don't know, something is different about you. You're perfect. You make me happy when I am sad and sad when I am happy. I don't know how to say it but I think.... I really think...
Rin: It is ok, Illy.
Illasu: No, I can do this. I really, reallly like you Rin. And I don't know where you're at with me but I think that you like me too...
Rin: (smiles, moves a piece of hair out of her face and a tear goes down his cheek) Illy, I really like you too. I just did not know how to ask you to go out with me. You are different but that is what I am so in love with. You can do everything you set your mind too. Well, except where most bugs are concerned, but that is ok. You can stay up late, run through halls without feeling troublesome, and you like to do so many different things.
Illasu: (wipes her own tears away) Rin, you could've just asked. I kind of knew anyway.
Rin: Now you tell me!
Selphie: (opens the door because she caught that crying sound) RIN, IF YOU MADE HER CRY I SWEAR...
Illasu: SELPHIE!!
Rin: What!?
Selphie: (sees smiles) Oh, sorry, I was never here... (leaves them in an awkward situation)
Illasu: Oh, well, anyway, so what are you saying Rin?
Rin: Illy, would you like to be my girlfriend?
Illasu was speechless. She blinked and she looked at Rin with a slight smile. Rin was afraid he had blown it. He was scared now too.
Illasu: I...I...would love too...Rin Ogami.
Rin: (lets out a breath he was holding in) Illy...
Rin hugged her so hard she couldn't breath but he soon released her. He kind of knew he was suffocating her. He grabbed a familiar box of Puffs and gave her one. But by the time he had handed it to her, she had used her sleeve. It made him laugh, making her laugh, making him laugh even more and the laughing chain was started again. Illasu got up and picked out a DVD from the now mountain high pile. Barney and Gideon had sensed a movie coming on and had awakened from their eternal slumbers to jump up with them. Illasu saw it was 7 pm and went to grab some snacks from her pack and change. She asked Rin what he wanted and he said he was fine. She went into the living room where the bed was and started changing. Rin was in the bathroom. Illasu had just put on her cow pants and was taking off her shirt when he accidentally came out. Rin quickly went back in but Illasu laughed. Rin looked at her through a slit and asked what was so funny.
Illasu: You are! It's just my bra! It's like a shirt to me! I don't care if you see that now. But thank you for being courteous. You can come out. I'm done now.
Rin: I am sorry. Honestly, I did not mean to...
Illasu came over as she was heading to the couch and kissed his cheek.
Illasu: It's Strawberry Banana if you smell it. Now c'mon silver angel, get over here. I don't know how to turn it on!
He laughed and shook his head at her. She stuck her tongue out at him as he came and sat down. She lay down and put her head in his lap. Barney jumped onto the arm and lay there whereas Gideon got right up there and lay under Illasu's arm. Both cats were purring soon and Rin started the movie. He kissed her cheek.
Rin: Sorry, I do not wear lip-gloss.
Illasu: How come you always say the word, never the abbreviation? Is it a habit?
Rin: Yes, I have read a lot of Shakespeare and my Language teacher yelled at me for not speaking right so I have used 'correct grammar' since then. I always thought that was what everyone was saying because she was teaching me that way. I have wanted to stop but no one ever asked me too. You are the only one to ever notice, not even Yugo did.
Illasu: Well, then let me ask you to speak however you like! Silly teacher doesn't know what she's talking bout'.
Rin: Thanks.
Illasu smiled and the movie started. It was Kate and Leopold. Rin's head fell back and he laughed.
Rin: This is a chick flick!
Illasu: And a good one. You'll like it I promise.
Rin: C'mon Illy. Please, don't make me sit through this!
Illasu: Trust me?
Rin: Yes, I do.
Illasu: Then watch, if you don't like it we'll watch something else. But believe me, if you like Romeo and Juliet, you'll like this.
Rin: Ok, we'll see.
They watched it from beginning to end. Rin did end up liking it. Only problem was that it was now 10 at night and Illasu was getting drowsy. She was almost out. She told Rin to put in another movie. He made sure she was ok then went to change the movie. While the previews were showing, he got the blanket off the bed and she sat up and snuggled close to him. He wrapped her in the blanket along with himself. She lay her head on his chest and watched the first few minutes of the Matrix. She said it was one of her favorites right before she was out. Rin felt her sleeping and kissed her again, wishing her sweet dreams.
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Well, Selphie and Irvine are back together, Irvine has no cast, and Rin and Illasu are so happy!! Why can't there be more guys like Rin? Well, I guess it really is coming to a close. I think 5 more chappy's and it's over. Sorry! I know I loved writing it. I just hope I can finish before school. Well, R&R, give comments on characters or whatever and keep reading please!