Chapter 13 - A Moment of Peace
Author's Note - Yes, there will be a bit of romance and some fluff here. I told you it was coming...
And because this is rated Teen and I don't want any flames, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MILD ROMANCE, KISSING, AND THE ACT OF TOUCHING ANOTHER PERSON OF THE OPPOSITE SEX. If any of that offends you, feel free to not read this chapter. There is no sex, no nudity, and no foul language, but given how is of late, one can never be too careful.
Disclaimer: Just read chapter 1.
Terra smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair, reveling at the feeling of feeling clean after sailing so long on the ship. The inn at Ima had never had indoor facilities, and the very concept was a shocking one when she found out about it. She was relieved when Inubaka choose to wander around (thakfully with the inn owner's cloak), Meitei was gone to find a bar, and Satsu was waiting outside the door.
She smiled at that thought; Satsu, despite the horrors he had commited in Ima, had become very protective of her, to the point that he had practically dragged her into the inn to keep anyone with ill intent away from her. Normally she would be worried about such overprotectiveness, but between the very sight of the town and the notion that people were trying to kill them, it was welcomed.
Besides, it was sweet. Most men sought only one thing from her.
And that thought itself puzzled her. She had been courted by one man who had taken his time, trying to woo her, yet she saw his intent and knew his motives. Yet Setsu had shown no such signs, no hint of such primal desires. Well, maybe not any at all, but no where near as blatant as others.
And oddly enough, there was something about him that drew her to him. Even though he had slain so many, an act that she should have acknowleged by not recognizing his presence, he radiated warmth, caring, and, well-
goodness.
Satisfied that her hair was finished, she turned around, and nearly jumped at what she saw. Satsu was sitting on the bed, staring strait at her. Quickly glancing at the door, she saw no sign that it had moved by the smoothness of the rug, and a peek at the window proved it still closed. Had he teleported in, or?
Why had he appeared so suddenly, and how long had he been here? Had she completely misjudged him?
"Is something wrong?"
No matter how terrified she was at the moment, his voice sent waves of comfort through her being. What WAS it that he did to her to make her feel so? Shaking her head dumbly, she tried to compose herself, "No, I was - just suprised that you were here."
She moved towards the bed, watching him as he spoke. "I sensed that you were finished and entered the room. I did not wish to disturb you, so I did not make noise."
Was it her, or did that sound odd? Ignoring the oddity, she sat next to him, brushing his now-short hair aside, revealing his scar. Noting how he flinched as she brushed it, she summoned some psynergy to heal it. To her shock, he pulled away from her, and she gave him a quizical look.
To her suprise, she noted a slight change in his face: he was blushing. "Please do not worry about the wound. I have tried to heal it." His gaze seemed to soften a bit, frowning slightly. "I do not think there is anyway to remove it."
She slid towards him, attempting to appear professional and let him accept her efforts. "How did you...?"
He stared across the room, his gaze distant. "I earned it when a powerful being attacked me. Had it not been for two others, I would have been dissolved."
Terra stared at Setsu, wondering just what was powerful enough to harm him. Reaching out to him, she held his chin, turning him to face her. Inhaling a deep breath, she used her other hand and placed it over the wound, trying to heal the scar as gently as she could. Suprisingly, he did not resist her, probably doubting that she could match his powers.
Eyes widening at a wierd feeling beneath her fingers, she slowly pulled her hand back, shocked at the sight of the scar. Or, rather, no scar at all. Not only that, there was not even any sign that there had been a scar there before.
Releasing his chin, she stared at him, and it was all she could do to not hold him. His face was one of shock, suprise, relief, and happiness. To call it an emotional moment was not doing it justice; it was as if he had a piece of his being restored, like a fallen arm suddenly falling back into place.
Terra's eyes watered at the sight of such joy. It was not often that she saw such emotions; as such, she too began to tear up, happy at the removal of his scar. So emotional was the moment, it took her a moment to realize that he was leaning towards her, taking her chin in his arm. Even though the realization of his intent crossed her mind, she did not care. She shifted her body, raising her lips to his. Their lips touched, their arms embracing each other. The Tolbibi Empire could come in and she would not care; the moment would not end; it could not end. She relished the feeling of his arms rubbing her back, the feeling of their mouths together. It almost seemed like it would never end.
And yet, to her shock, he pulled back. Not of her will, she did not want the feeling to end, the pleasure to end. She staerd at him, oblivious to her flushed skin and the slight coat of sweat on her skin. Though unaware of her physical appearance, she noted her mouth open, breathing hard. Trying to compose herself, she tried to ask him why he stopped, but he only responded by rubbing her cheek, a soft smile on his face.
"Not now, Terra."
Her brows furrowed, she tried to read his face, only then realizing that there was reason to his words. They were not only in a dangerous area, but the Tolbibi Empire had them marked. She suddenly noted the look on Satsu's face, and realized that it was deeper: he wanted to, but wanted to wait. But for what?
The gnashing of metal on metal startled her, though not as much as the realization that she practically lept into Satsu's arms at the sound. Turning around, she saw the window open, and Inubaka stuck his head in.
There was an awkward pause as each person waited for someone else to speak. Whatever was running through Inubaka's mind, Terra was glad when he began to speak, telling them of what had transpired, and of some man named "Yul" that wished to meet with them.
Before either Terra or Setsu could respond, Inubaka dismissed himself, crawling up the building after closing the window. Terra glanced at Setsu, wondering if something else had happened. He kissed her cheek, then helped her to her feet. "You best get ready; never know when you will have another chance."
Blushing again, Terra made her way to the water closet, knowing that Setsu was watching her clean her hair and face, straiten her clothes, and take a few herbs from her pack and place them in a pouch. Somehow, knowing that he was there not watching her for ill (how she was sure of this, she could not tell) made her feel better and not distressed at their emotional moment.
Then she realized why he stopped: neither one of them knew what might or would happen; it was better to wait until nothing would stand to break their moment. Or to seperate them from each other.
Turning around, Terra made her way to the door where Setsu was waiting, his eyes following her with a soft warmth in them, a warmth that seemed - cute? Handsome? Or was she misreading it? She took his arm, smiling at him. A soft glow drew her gaze to his other hand, and with amazement she watched as a sphere of psynergy formed in his hands. The sphere danced wtih light arcs of energy, looking almost like it was solidifying into something. She had seen psynergy used to interact with physical matter and cause elements (fire, earth, water, and air) to appear, but never had she seen such use of psynergy.
The glow faded, leaving a small metal object. With a light toss in the air, Setsu sent the object in the air, revealing it to be not a solid object, but a silver necklace with a bright blue gem. With a casual-like gesture, he caught the necklace, and somehow managed to put it on her neck despite her hold on his other arm. As he secured the clasp, she heard him speak: "If ever we are seperated or you are alone, cast Mercury's wish on this and I will come."
Setsu then embraced Terra and held her close as they left the room. Though she was grateful for the beautiful gift and his care and conscern, the back of her mind nagged at her, wondering just how he had managed to create the gift.
I gave that warning at the beginning for a reason. Lord knows that there will be at least one person who reads this that will take some offense. Trust me, there's always one. I hope this was not too cliche for you to read, and I tried to make this as enjoyable emotionally as possible.
On a side note, though a bit cliche to have such a useful item, I had wanted Setsu/Alex to give Terra a gift of value, and while thinking if it could do more, I remembered reading a Magic: The Gathering novel where a powerful being gave an artifact to another being to call him if needed. Whether or not it will see use is to be determined...
Please read and review, and I'll try to get another chap out soon.
MIKAA