Chapter 4: But Some Things Do
After what seemed like hours of the two lovers holding each other in silent relief, she opened her eyes and gazed into his vibrant blue ones.
"We really should try to find somewhere to stay," she spoke at last. "Somewhere away from here; away from forgotten memories." He nodded his head in agreement, blonde hair falling into his eyes.
"I'm for getting out of here," he said, a sad smile on his face.
Lenne stood and smoothed down her clothes before offering Shuyin a hand. He smiled and took the hand that Lenne extended and stood. He put his arm gently around her waist, and the two walked solemnly out of the stadium.
When they reached the edge of the city a few minutes later, they asked around for the nearest inn that was somewhere other than Zanarkand.
The sun was just beginning to rise above the towers, and Lenne could not help but stop and take in a beauty she had for so long taken for granted. Shuyin, noticing Lenne's distant gaze, took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"We'll be okay," he said quietly, more for his own comfort than hers.
"I know," she answered.
The couple continued asking various tourists if they knew of an inn, or rental, campsite; anywhere that they could stay for a while.
Finally, someone was kind enough to tell them that the nearest inn outside of Zanarkand was in the Calm Lands, through Gagazet Pass. They were told that it would be wise to explain to the Ronso where they were going, and to not appear hostile, so as not to cause any trouble.
Shuyin thanked the man for the advice, and after purchasing a few various items from him, they began their long trek toward the Calm Lands.
For the first few hours, the two were fine. It wasn't a very cold time of year, but the snow was rather blinding at times, and visibility could be obstructed a bit.
They were met by very few fiends, and Shuyin was able to fight them off without too much trouble.
They continued their journey in silence; 1000 years of not talking to one another could wreak havoc on any relationship. They made idle conversation now and again, but both could feel the uncomfortable silence growing.
Lenne sighed deeply and trudged on through the deep snow, and crossed her arms, feeling the biting cold. She was not dressed for mountain exploration.
Finally, she just stopped in her tracks, and dropped her arms to her sides and turned swiftly around to face Shuyin who had been trailing a bit behind. She planted her feet in the snow and exclaimed, "This is insane! Why can't we find anything to talk about?!"
Shuyin just stared at her.
Then a smile broke his stern expression. With a sly grin he walked up to her and bowed nobly in front of her. "Hello, fair lady. My name is Shuyin, star player of the Zanarkand Abes. *wink* *wink* May I be graced with your name?"
Now it was Lenne's turn to stare before breaking out with a grin of her own. She offered her hand, which Shuyin took and gently kissed.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Shuyinstarplayerofthezanarkandabes. That's quite a name you have there," She grinned.
He smirked.
"If you'd truly like to know my name," she said, taking a step backward and curtsying, "You'll have to catch me first!"
And at that, she was off! She pegged Shuyin right in the face with a snowball and turned and ran playfully away from him.
"Oh! So that's how it is?" Shuyin exclaimed, making a snowball of his own and running after her.
Being the athlete that he was, Shuyin would have had no trouble catching up to Lenne, but he decided to have a little fun. He ran after her, and when he came within a few feet of catching her, he collapsed with a loud, "Ow! Damn it!" at sat in the snow, once again holding his "hurt" foot. Lenne fell for it immediately, and swiftly turned around and ran back to him.
When she reached him, she asked breathlessly, "Are you alright?"
"I am now," Shuyin answered, looking up at her with his signature cocky grin.
Before Lenne had time to react, Shuyin had grabbed her arm and pulled her down into the snow.
"Gotcha," Shuyin said with a wink. "I think you owe me a name, m'lady."
"I've got plenty of names for you," she answered sarcastically.
"Hey!" she exclaimed as Shuyin pounced, arm-fulls of snow covering her.
"You jerk!" she added, sitting up and beginning to pelt Shuyin with the snow that was surrounding her. In no time they were both throwing snowball after snowball at each other, while running around trying to dodge the other's ammunition.
Lenne was getting tired, and Shuyin knew this. He smiled, planning his victory in this *war*. After timing his moves just right he ran at almost full speed directly at her in a charge. "No!!" Lenne exclaimed, laughing, and knowing exactly what was about to happen, she crossed her arms over her chest in an X, to prevent any unnecessary pain, and closed her eyes tightly.
Immediately, she felt the impact of his body against hers as he knocked her down into the soft powder, and landed above her, his arms supporting his weight so that he wasn't crushing her.
Lenne smiled up at him, and just as Shuyin let his mental guard down enough to smile back, she rubbed a handful of snow all over his face.
"Hey! That's not fair," he said, spitting out snow.
"And tackling me is?" she countered coyly.
"Well, you were kind of an easy target."
"You jerk!" Lenne said again, about to shove more snow all over that cocky face of his, but he had anticipated that, and lifted his left arm and caught her hand.
"I believe you still owe me your name," he smiled.
Lenne smiled in return. "My name, oh persistent one, is Lenne, as you well know."
"You have a beautiful name, Lenne."
Shuyin released his light hold on Lenne's arm and lowered himself on top of her, before gently kissing her on the tip of her nose.
"Am I crushing you?' he asked quietly as he began to gently kiss her neck. "No," Lenne moaned softly into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him. She loved the pressure of his body over hers. Shuyin brought his hand down to Lenne's side and began to caress her soft skin, starting to kiss her more fervently.
Lenne let a sigh escape her lips, and knew that they would melt all the snow on Gagazet if they kept this up. She opened her mouth to protest, "Shuyin," she whispered softly.
"Yes?" he answered, moving his lips back to her mouth in a passionate kiss that he had longed to give her for a thousand years. Lenne's mind went blank as she deepened the kiss, and she was lost in his arms.
"Take me."
And he complied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Lenne woke up, it was to the sight and sound of a bright light in front of her.
It took a few moments for all the memories to come flooding back, and it registered in her mind that she was inside a cave. She looked toward the source of light and saw a fire crackling near her, and she also realized that her head was resting in Shuyin's lap.
"Hello, Gorgeous," he said to her when he saw that she was awake, and began to run his fingers through her long hair. She rolled over onto her back to look up at him.
"Talking to yourself again?" she replied. He just laughed.
"Why aren't you wearing your shirt?" she asked him, reaching a hand up and pressing it up against his chest, causing his well-defined muscles to tense under her soft, yet very cold, hand. She smiled absent-mindedly.
"I couldn't find it," Shuyin replied. Lenne just laughed.
"It's night outside, so it would probably be a good idea to go back to sleep," he told her. "We can continue to the Calm Lands tomorrow."
"Okay," Lenne replied, reluctantly removing her hand from his soft skin, and turned back over to try to go back to sleep. After a moment of discomfort, Lenne sat up and pushed herself back wards until she was sitting beside Shuyin, and swung her legs over his lap. She gently buried her face in his next, and cuddled up close to him, sighing deeply. "I love you," she whispered softly, barely audible, her warm breath caressing his cool skin. "I love you, too."
Shuyin sighed and continued stroking Lenne's silky hair that was cascading over his bare skin. Soon, he felt her breathing slow and become rhythmic, and he knew she was asleep.
"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he whispered softly, and spent the rest of the night watching her sleep, making sure that nothing would harm her.
After what seemed like hours of the two lovers holding each other in silent relief, she opened her eyes and gazed into his vibrant blue ones.
"We really should try to find somewhere to stay," she spoke at last. "Somewhere away from here; away from forgotten memories." He nodded his head in agreement, blonde hair falling into his eyes.
"I'm for getting out of here," he said, a sad smile on his face.
Lenne stood and smoothed down her clothes before offering Shuyin a hand. He smiled and took the hand that Lenne extended and stood. He put his arm gently around her waist, and the two walked solemnly out of the stadium.
When they reached the edge of the city a few minutes later, they asked around for the nearest inn that was somewhere other than Zanarkand.
The sun was just beginning to rise above the towers, and Lenne could not help but stop and take in a beauty she had for so long taken for granted. Shuyin, noticing Lenne's distant gaze, took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"We'll be okay," he said quietly, more for his own comfort than hers.
"I know," she answered.
The couple continued asking various tourists if they knew of an inn, or rental, campsite; anywhere that they could stay for a while.
Finally, someone was kind enough to tell them that the nearest inn outside of Zanarkand was in the Calm Lands, through Gagazet Pass. They were told that it would be wise to explain to the Ronso where they were going, and to not appear hostile, so as not to cause any trouble.
Shuyin thanked the man for the advice, and after purchasing a few various items from him, they began their long trek toward the Calm Lands.
For the first few hours, the two were fine. It wasn't a very cold time of year, but the snow was rather blinding at times, and visibility could be obstructed a bit.
They were met by very few fiends, and Shuyin was able to fight them off without too much trouble.
They continued their journey in silence; 1000 years of not talking to one another could wreak havoc on any relationship. They made idle conversation now and again, but both could feel the uncomfortable silence growing.
Lenne sighed deeply and trudged on through the deep snow, and crossed her arms, feeling the biting cold. She was not dressed for mountain exploration.
Finally, she just stopped in her tracks, and dropped her arms to her sides and turned swiftly around to face Shuyin who had been trailing a bit behind. She planted her feet in the snow and exclaimed, "This is insane! Why can't we find anything to talk about?!"
Shuyin just stared at her.
Then a smile broke his stern expression. With a sly grin he walked up to her and bowed nobly in front of her. "Hello, fair lady. My name is Shuyin, star player of the Zanarkand Abes. *wink* *wink* May I be graced with your name?"
Now it was Lenne's turn to stare before breaking out with a grin of her own. She offered her hand, which Shuyin took and gently kissed.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Shuyinstarplayerofthezanarkandabes. That's quite a name you have there," She grinned.
He smirked.
"If you'd truly like to know my name," she said, taking a step backward and curtsying, "You'll have to catch me first!"
And at that, she was off! She pegged Shuyin right in the face with a snowball and turned and ran playfully away from him.
"Oh! So that's how it is?" Shuyin exclaimed, making a snowball of his own and running after her.
Being the athlete that he was, Shuyin would have had no trouble catching up to Lenne, but he decided to have a little fun. He ran after her, and when he came within a few feet of catching her, he collapsed with a loud, "Ow! Damn it!" at sat in the snow, once again holding his "hurt" foot. Lenne fell for it immediately, and swiftly turned around and ran back to him.
When she reached him, she asked breathlessly, "Are you alright?"
"I am now," Shuyin answered, looking up at her with his signature cocky grin.
Before Lenne had time to react, Shuyin had grabbed her arm and pulled her down into the snow.
"Gotcha," Shuyin said with a wink. "I think you owe me a name, m'lady."
"I've got plenty of names for you," she answered sarcastically.
"Hey!" she exclaimed as Shuyin pounced, arm-fulls of snow covering her.
"You jerk!" she added, sitting up and beginning to pelt Shuyin with the snow that was surrounding her. In no time they were both throwing snowball after snowball at each other, while running around trying to dodge the other's ammunition.
Lenne was getting tired, and Shuyin knew this. He smiled, planning his victory in this *war*. After timing his moves just right he ran at almost full speed directly at her in a charge. "No!!" Lenne exclaimed, laughing, and knowing exactly what was about to happen, she crossed her arms over her chest in an X, to prevent any unnecessary pain, and closed her eyes tightly.
Immediately, she felt the impact of his body against hers as he knocked her down into the soft powder, and landed above her, his arms supporting his weight so that he wasn't crushing her.
Lenne smiled up at him, and just as Shuyin let his mental guard down enough to smile back, she rubbed a handful of snow all over his face.
"Hey! That's not fair," he said, spitting out snow.
"And tackling me is?" she countered coyly.
"Well, you were kind of an easy target."
"You jerk!" Lenne said again, about to shove more snow all over that cocky face of his, but he had anticipated that, and lifted his left arm and caught her hand.
"I believe you still owe me your name," he smiled.
Lenne smiled in return. "My name, oh persistent one, is Lenne, as you well know."
"You have a beautiful name, Lenne."
Shuyin released his light hold on Lenne's arm and lowered himself on top of her, before gently kissing her on the tip of her nose.
"Am I crushing you?' he asked quietly as he began to gently kiss her neck. "No," Lenne moaned softly into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him. She loved the pressure of his body over hers. Shuyin brought his hand down to Lenne's side and began to caress her soft skin, starting to kiss her more fervently.
Lenne let a sigh escape her lips, and knew that they would melt all the snow on Gagazet if they kept this up. She opened her mouth to protest, "Shuyin," she whispered softly.
"Yes?" he answered, moving his lips back to her mouth in a passionate kiss that he had longed to give her for a thousand years. Lenne's mind went blank as she deepened the kiss, and she was lost in his arms.
"Take me."
And he complied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Lenne woke up, it was to the sight and sound of a bright light in front of her.
It took a few moments for all the memories to come flooding back, and it registered in her mind that she was inside a cave. She looked toward the source of light and saw a fire crackling near her, and she also realized that her head was resting in Shuyin's lap.
"Hello, Gorgeous," he said to her when he saw that she was awake, and began to run his fingers through her long hair. She rolled over onto her back to look up at him.
"Talking to yourself again?" she replied. He just laughed.
"Why aren't you wearing your shirt?" she asked him, reaching a hand up and pressing it up against his chest, causing his well-defined muscles to tense under her soft, yet very cold, hand. She smiled absent-mindedly.
"I couldn't find it," Shuyin replied. Lenne just laughed.
"It's night outside, so it would probably be a good idea to go back to sleep," he told her. "We can continue to the Calm Lands tomorrow."
"Okay," Lenne replied, reluctantly removing her hand from his soft skin, and turned back over to try to go back to sleep. After a moment of discomfort, Lenne sat up and pushed herself back wards until she was sitting beside Shuyin, and swung her legs over his lap. She gently buried her face in his next, and cuddled up close to him, sighing deeply. "I love you," she whispered softly, barely audible, her warm breath caressing his cool skin. "I love you, too."
Shuyin sighed and continued stroking Lenne's silky hair that was cascading over his bare skin. Soon, he felt her breathing slow and become rhythmic, and he knew she was asleep.
"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he whispered softly, and spent the rest of the night watching her sleep, making sure that nothing would harm her.
