Author's Note: I think my muses have actually returned. I'm starting to write like I used to with only a few days in between chapters. We can only hope that it'll last. And, as of this chapter, I believe this is my longest story ever. Even word-wise.
Note to Ellyrianna: I thought of you when I wrote the ending of that last chapter. I know how much you like to see Squall hurt and I just had to do it. And about the "chiseled chest," I had to write that after I got this picture of Yuffie wrapping bandages around him. We need a shirtless Squall in KH2. That's what we need.
[Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I would've put Squall in the game shirtless, have Yuffie be a playable character, and have the action options be "Kiss," "Glomp," "Touch," and various others that I can't put here in a PG-13 fic when you were Yuffie and near Squall. But, as we all know, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Therefore, those things I just described will probably never happen.]
Chapter Thirteen: Chasing Rainbows
Leaning her forehead against the cool glass of the hotel room window, Yuffie briefly wondered why a world that seemed to pride itself on the traditions of the Olympians would have such a modern hotel in the small city. A quick flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder caused her to jump backwards from the window and watch as the clouds became even darker, threatening the rain that had yet to fall. She calmed considerably when a warm arm wrapped around her waist, resting upon the bare skin between her shirt and shorts, and pulled her against the firm chest of the owner of said arm. "How did you know where I was, Squall?" she whispered softly as she lifted her head up to stare at the man holding her.
"I can hear you. Even when you're not talking, I can still hear all the tiny little noises you never knew you made," he murmured as he lowered his lips to her head of short ebony hair. "I can hear each breath you take, the rustling of your clothes, and this time, the little gasp you made when the thunder hit."
"So, you're kinda like Superman now?" Yuffie laughed, reaching one arm behind her to place her hand on the back of his neck and play with his long mahogany locks with her delicate fingers. She leaned her head back against him and rolled it to the side so she could gaze at his face, wishing she could pull the bandages off and stare into the stormy depths of his deep blue eyes.
Squall shook his head slowly, his mouth forming a thin line. "No, Superman wouldn't have lost--" he began, only to be cut off when Yuffie spun around in his arms and placed two fingers over his lips.
"Don't say that! Even Superman has to lose occasionally," she said insistently, moving both hands to his shoulders. "Besides, you can be my Superman. My Gunblade wielding Superman." Standing on tiptoe, she slowly leaned forward to kiss him when a loud clap of thunder caused her to jump, pressing her whole body into his.
Laughing against her lips, Squall pulled her tighter to him and lifted her up slightly as the kiss deepened. "I think I'm going to start looking forward to storms if you jump in my arms every time it thunders," he whispered in amusement as their lips parted, giving her another quick kiss before he released her from his arms. "But, as much as I love that fact, we're going to have to leave now or else we'll be stuck here for a week or more."
Yuffie furrowed her brows and gave him a confused look, pulling back from him slightly and placing her palms on his chest. "But Phil said..." she trailed off and looked out the window, seeing that it still hadn't started to rain yet.
"Yuffie, do you really want to stay here that long with Phil of all peo-er things?" Squall asked, trying not to think what the trainer would force them to do if he had the chance. Sora had told him once that the satyr had tried to force him to move a heavy stone once, a feat which proved impossible for the trio of Keyblade master, duck, and dog.
Letting his words sink in for a moment, Yuffie finally realized that he had a point. There was no way in hell she was going to stay here to become slave labor for that thing, even if it meant returning to Traverse Town to face a fuming Aerith. "Anchors away, Squallie boy," she announced, grabbing his arm and hurriedly pulling him out the door. She was glad they hadn't moved their suitcase out of the Gummi ship yet as it was one less thing for them to move now.
"Yuffie, if you call me 'Squallie boy' once more, I'll turn you over my knee and smack you," Squall threatened as the ninja pulled him down the hallway and into the elevator.
Grinning mischievously, Yuffie pushed the button for the lobby before turning back to Squall. "Really?" she asked softly, placing both hands on his forearm.
"No."
"Darn it," Yuffie muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
The elevator finally reached the bottom floor and the two fighters quickly stepped out, heading in the direction of the hotel exit only to be stopped by the one they were trying to avoid. "And just where do you think you two are going?" Phil demanded angrily, placing his hands upon his hips and glaring at them.
"We're going home," Squall explained, following Yuffie as she led him around a pillar and towards the door.
The satyr quickly jogged to the entrance and stood in front of it, his pudgy arms crossed over his chest and continued to glare at them. "I told you guys earlier, no one is leaving until the storms pass over. No exceptions!"
An idea of how to make the goat relent popped into her head, and giving Squall an almost evil grin that he couldn't see, she leaned down to whisper into the satyr's ear. "You see that guy right there?" She turned to point at Squall, making sure she had Phil's attention. "He has a goat fetish," she whispered ever so softly in his ear, hoping her partner didn't hear. But, apparently he did as no sooner had she said that than Squall licked his lips. Yuffie quickly put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
Phil looked worriedly at the Gunblade wielder before moving out of the doorway, deciding it might be better to let the two leave. He quickly shuffled to the side of the exit and let the two pass, keeping a wary eye upon Squall as he walked past. "Weirdos," he muttered under his breath.
Just as Yuffie and Squall left the hotel, the clouds burst and rain began pouring down, instantly soaking both of them as they dashed across the open area to the World Exit. Yuffie kept a firm grip upon Squall's arm to make sure he didn't get lost from her and she couldn't help but dig her nails into his skin every time the thunder boomed. They finally reached the Gummi dock doors and dived inside, immediately shaking themselves to get rid of the excess water. "Great improvisation back there, Squall," Yuffie congratulated as she walked them over to his ship.
"What are you talking about?" the Gunblade wielder questioned, genuinely confused as to what she was referring to. "I didn't improvise anything."
"You licked your lips back there!"
"Yeah, so? I had dry lips." Squall thought about what she said for a moment, before slapping his forehead in disgust. "Yuffie, what did you tell him?" he asked in a low growl, grabbing her arm to keep her from running away.
Twisting in his grasp, Yuffie attempted to pry her arm out of the steel grip of his hand only to find that she was unable to do so. "Uh... nothing," she stuttered, desperately trying to come up with a feasible lie to tell him. Not finding one, she did the only thing she could think of to get his mind off of it. She kissed him, hard, hard enough to leave them both breathless when she finally released his lips.
Squall leaned his forehead against hers, catching his breath which was coming in short puffs and mingling with hers. "For that, I'll let it slide," he murmured softly, leaning down to kiss her again only to find that she had slipped from his grip and was already pulling him into the Gummi ship.
She quickly dragged him down the hall and rummaged through the suitcase she had brought, digging through it until she found some dry clothes for both of them. Handing him a pair of blue jeans and one of his standard white t-shirts, she left him alone in the bedroom while she went down the hall to the bathroom to changed into the oversized green shirt and shorts she had found for herself. That done, she waited for him in the control room, knowing he could find his way back into there by himself since he seemed to know exactly where everything was in the ship.
Going through the same routine of flipping switches and pushing buttons, Yuffie sat in the pilot's seat and forced Squall into the co-pilot's seat, making sure he was fastened in this time before she took off. As they rose above the world, she looked out the side window to see the dark thunder clouds from above. A bright colorful circle caught her eyes, causing her momentary confusion. "Hey, Squall? Are rainbows supposed to be round?"
"What do you mean?" Feeling the ship was now flying steady, he unbuckled himself and stood up, leaning over her and placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"I mean, I can see a rainbow over Olympus, but it's a full circle, not a semicircle," she explained, turning her head to place a soft kiss on his hand before putting her own hand over it. "Why is that?" While she was waiting for his answer, she set the auto pilot for Traverse Town, setting it at a higher speed than they had previously used in the hopes that they would beat the storm that seemed to be heading there as well. She noted that the estimated arrival time was set for that evening, near ten o'clock.
"Rainbows are circles, Yuf. It's just that you can only see the semicircle when you're on the ground." He heard a soft disappointed sigh escape her lips when he finished his explanation. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, lowering himself onto his knees behind her so he could rest his head on his shoulder.
As Squall's breath blew on her ear, the ninja felt pleasurable shivers race up and down her spine, causing her to catch her own breath for a minute. "Well, that means there's no end to the rainbow. You know, no treasures waiting for you after you reach it. And that also means there's no Rainbow Bridge."
"Rainbow Bridge?" the Gunblade wielder wondered aloud, turning his head to kiss the spot right below her ear and laughing gently as she softly gasped at the sensation. "What's the Rainbow Bridge?"
Shaking her head to clear it from the sensations Squall's ministrations, Yuffie tried to concentrate on remembering the story about the Rainbow Bridge. "It's where all pets go to wait. And they wait there until that special person they loved comes to get them. And then they go into the afterlife with their person," she told him, feeling a little silly for still believing in such childish things. "At least, that's what my mother told me after my cat Trixie died. I mean, I know I had a lot of cats, but she was my favorite. She was different. She had long back longs and she hopped and she didn't have a tail."
"Yuffie, that was a mutation," he chuckled, remembering seeing a cat that fit her description on a documentary sometime before. "I think they're called 'cabbits.'"
"Yeah, so. She was still my favorite," she said indignantly, a few tears coming to her eyes as she remembered the strange black and white cat that was so different than all the others she had ever seen.
With his cheek pressed against hers, Squall felt the warm tears flow over onto his and heard a small sniffle. "Hey, I'm sorry, Yuf," he apologized, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand and placing a small kiss on her cheek. "I'm sure she was a special cat."
Yuffie rubbed her cheek against his, loving the feel of the short, rough stubble of his normally shaven beard against her own smooth skin. "You need to shave," she whispered, rubbing the other side of his face with her hand.
"I don't have a razor with me. You were in such a rush to get out of Traverse Town that you forgot to pack my electric one." The electric razor was a new thing to him as he would normally have used a plain, single blade razor. However, since he was unable to see, that would have resulted in a bloody disaster so he had resorted to buying an electric one.
She laughed as she rubbed his cheek once more, closing her eyes to savor the sensation. "That's okay. I love the feel of stubble. It's just so... I don't know..." Finding herself at a lost for words, she struggled to search her mind for the word she was looking for. "Sexy, maybe?"
"Sexy, huh? I'll keep that in mind, then." With Yuffie's soft hand still on his one cheek, he raised his hand to cover hers with his and move it so he could kiss her palm.
Sitting there, Yuffie was surprised to find her nausea hadn't returned yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She always got sick when flying, no matter what. The ship lurched suddenly and her stomach went with it, making her smile sardonically as she clutched her stomach and groan. "I knew I forgot to buy something back there," she muttered, leaning back against Squall who was still kneeling behind her.
"You want to go lie down?" he murmured in her ear, placing his arms gently around her waist as to not cause her nausea to become worse. A short, soft 'mm hmm' was his only answer as he helped her to her feet and then picked her up to carry her down the corridor, careful to not jar her too much. He realized it paid to know every nook and cranny in his ship as it allowed him to do this without bumping into anything.
Even with her stomach churning each time the ship made a sudden turn, Yuffie found the strength to giggle at his chivalrous actions, burying her face in his shirt. "I think I can walk, you know," she muttered, her voice muffled by his chest.
Squall started to lower her to the ground, preparing to set her on her feet. "Well, if that's what you really want..."
Yuffie wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tighter. "Nope, I was just telling you." Her stomach churned again and she dropped one of her arms from his neck to rest upon it. "But, if we don't hurry, I might puke on you." She noted that Squall increased his pace considerably, only stopping at the bathroom for her to grab a damp cloth in case she needed it.
Finally reaching the bedroom, he sat her on the bed and sat down beside her, rubbing her back with one hand while she placed her head between her knees and groaned in discomfort. Scooting back and propping himself up against the wall, he gently pulled Yuffie in front of him where he continued to soothingly rub her back. "Feeling better?" he asked as he felt her sit up slightly and push her back against his hands.
"Much," she whispered, not even having to lie. Just having Squall's hands upon her seemed to relieve her nausea. Whether it was psychosomatic or a weird healing effect of his hands, she didn't know. And she didn't really care. All she knew was that she felt like purring, and would do so if she could. The removal of his hands from her back caused her to jerk her head around and glare at him. "What'd you stop for?"
"You said you were feeling better." Not waiting for her answer, he started to rub her back again, this time in a more caressing manner.
Feeling as though she were in heaven, the ninja slowly shut her eyes to better enjoy his hands on her, snapping them open when a thought ran through her head. "Hold on a minute," she muttered, leaning forward slightly to pull the back of her shirt over her head so that it was resting on her arms and just covering her front. "There."
Putting his hands upon her back once again, Squall felt her bare skin beneath his fingers and slowed his rubbing even more, if that were possible. Curious, he asked, "Where's your shirt, Yuf?"
"Don't worry, Squall. The essentials are still covered." With his calloused, rough hands on her, her nausea was completely forgotten. She decided that this worked even better than describing the stars and such to him like she did last time, not to mention more fun.
Squall's fingers worked their up and down her back, going from the low waist of her shorts up to the nape of her neck and crossing over her bra strap in the process. And each time they crossed it, they lingered there longer than the time before as if searching for something. "Okay, where's the clasp?" he finally inquired, puzzled by the seemingly claspless article.
She let out a soft snort, having been wondering why his hands always slowed there. "It's in the front." She started to laugh even harder when she heard the mumbled "dammit" come from behind her as he continued his ministrations upon her back. "You know, this really isn't that fair," she playfully complained. And when her companion didn't answer, she continued. "I mean, you still have your shirt on and mine is off, for the most part."
His hands left her back and she turned her head to watch him, smiling when she saw him grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head. "Better?" he murmured softly, pulling her against his chest so that the bare skin of her back was pressed against his.
Wiggling a little to better situate herself against him, she felt his arms slide from her back and come around her waist under her shirt. "Much, much better," she answered, closing her eyes and letting the sleep that always accompanied her air sickness to take over.
Author's Note: Wow... three updates in a week, I think. Anyways, here you go. I hope you like it. I've got some plans going on for this story. So, review away.