Author's Note: This chapter is mostly romance.... well not really, just Serge's thoughts on how Kid looks. Her description is looooonnnggg... That's a warning to all. This chapter does not quite have as many laughs as the last one, but has some in the end. Serge is still nervous too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Cross.

Chapter 8 Joy Ride

Then he heard Kid's voice say,
"Fine then."

Orlha stepped out from behind the curtain and nodded at Serge and Glenn with a bright smile. Then she opened the curtain so suddenly that nobody seemed prepared for it. Glenn blinked a couple of times and Serge's eyes went wide with surprise and even Kid who had been standing right behind it had a vague expression on her face.

Serge's face turned from surprise to astonishment when Kid was finally revealed to him. He looked at her from bottom to top in all her wonder and his amazement.

Kid wore red velvet high heels and around her right ankle was a gold chain. Her legs were bare up to a point and they seem to reflect the light in a golden smooth kind of way. Her red silk skirt began a few inches above her left knee. On her right leg it started a few more inches above her knee for the skirt was a slanted cut to show more of Kid's type of personality. Underneath was a pearl white part of the skirt that glimmered a bit of color underneath the scarlet silk. Around Kid's small waist was a golden belt much like a chain with large loops. In the center was a gold buckle with a fancy pattern engraved onto it. On her left side attached to the chain was Kid's dagger pouch and of course from it was a dagger handle. (Serge had a feeling Kid would bring her dagger, she seems to bring it everywhere.) Also attached to the chain belt was the end of her top. A bit of Kid's abdominal was showing as the red top went to one side. The sleeves seem to connect loosely over Kid's small shoulders making the neck of it ring to give her a classy touch. Kid's arms were bare so that her white marking showed and flashing speckled rested on her fare skin. Her nails had been done for they were filed neatly and they were painted a shiny scarlet.

As for Kid's hair it also was flooded with some kind of glittering. It glowed, but not so much that it looked strange. Her blond hair seemed more golden than usual instead of sun-like bright. Her bangs were neat across her forehead and the long strands were to the side of her face where they hung past her ears a bit. The rest of her hair was up in a neat ponytail, instead of a braid, with the same red ribbon Serge had given her long ago.

Kid's face was as stunning to Serge as the rest of her body. Her eyes shined the clear reflecting sky like never before. Kid's lashed seemed especially long and her eye lids were given a slightly darker shade to bring out her big pretty eyes. And finally Kid's lips glimmered a light pink which were really tempting to Serge, he yearned to know them.

The only thing that bothered Serge about Kid's appearance, was her neck. It looked so plain with the exception of the glitter which Orlha seem to have thrown all over her.

He hoped again that she would like the necklace, but suddenly this thought was forgotten when Kid's eyes set upon him and she smiled at him beautifully. Serge realized he had been staring at her the whole time and then he looked back at Orlha for a moment as he felt his cheeks flush a bit. It was so hard not to look at her she looked so pretty, but he didn't want to embarrass himself so he kept his eyes on Orlha as she was speaking. The more he glared at Orlha the more he felt like he could not hear her. Serge thought to himself,

What? What is she saying? Stop talking! I can't focus!

Serge's eyes seem to grow tiered and his brain would not comprehend a thing Orlha said, he just kept thinking how hard it was not to look at Kid. So finally his eyes defied his brain or more like his heart as he glanced at Kid. She was looking at Orlha too, rather bored or annoyed by her. Serge felt butterflies. This was harder then he had imagined it would be.

"Kid." Serge's voice sounded as if he were under water to him, because his heart was beating so loudly it was like it was blocking his own voice from reaching his ears.

To Kid it sounded clear and she looked to him with such sudden attention as if she were glad to be away from hearing Orlha's voice jabbering on.

"Yeah." She asked. He looked at her unready as if he had not expected her to respond, like he had expected her not to hear him as he could barley hear himself.

"I want to give you something. Something that you can ware tonight if you wish to." He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out the small case and offered it to Kid. He held his breath as Kid took it from his hand slowly with her eyebrows up in a bit of a wondering expression. Then with her eyes rested on it she opened the small case and saw the necklace inside. Serge had been holding his breath so long he felt like he was turning purple so he let it all out at once. "IhopeyoulikeitI,pickedredbecauseit'syourfavoritecolor. Ifyoudon't,that'sokay." He took a breath after the sentence was finished and looked down, he felt so stupid, like a junior high student on his first date. He was to old to be so nervous like this he thought, but now he was not so sure. Kid had still not said anything and he refused to look up at her.

Kid had already taken the necklace out of the case and she was examining it. Her eye's so well focused on it that they crossed. Finally she looked up at Serge in awe.

"I can't believe you got this for me." She said. Serge looked up he felt much better hearing her voice and started to relax.

"Every women there will be waring a fancy neck peace. I wanted you to have one too." He explained as he smiled at her. She hugged him so suddenly he let out a noise as her arms squeezed his neck and pushed his body close against her. He caught the clean scent of her hair. After a moment he pulled her away from him with his hands on her shoulders.

"We better be going now." Serge said out loud so that Orlha and Glenn could hear as well.

"Yes, we should. I have arranged something for us when we arrive at the mainland, so we better get going now." Glenn added as he lead Orlha out the door with his hand. Kid and Serge followed along out the hut.

"Will be back soon, so protect the place, got it Mutt!" Serge commanded to the dog as he stood in the doorway with a hand on the knob. The dog barked happily and Serge walked out of the hut and locked the door. Then the four of them headed to the docks where their boat was waiting. The sun just barely peaked over the ocean's horizon leaving the sky a fading midnight blue.

When they arrived to the mainland their was a fancy pearl white wagon waiting for them pulled by two drganights. Glenn hopped to the front and took the reins as Orlha sat next to him. Serge and Kid sat in the back.

"See, now here we go. Ya! YA!!!" Glenn yelled with a snap of the reins and the dragoons were off. It was a bumpy ride with Glenn in control.

"Um..., Glenn..., ouch! Do you know how to steer this thing?" Serge asked.

"How hard could it be?" Glenn questioned with no expectation of an answer.

"Oh, here we go." Kid mumbled as she rested an elbow on the window and her head rested in her hand.

"Yaaayyy!!!" Orlha cheered with her hands in the air like it was a joy ride. They were off on the trail to the Manor as the stars started to poke out one by one eventually setting the sky a blaze with sparkling colors.

Well well, this is the last Chapter for about a week. School has finally begun for me I plan to update every weekend or so. Next Chapter! They finally make it to the party.

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