Fly Like an Eagle
Chapter 4: Journeys
Rinoa grudgingly awoke next morning from a dream where Squall had admitted his love to her and given her his word that he would protect her from all evils, if she could only love him back. She sat up, still in a good mood, Squall's voice still in her ears, though he hadn't spoken to her since the previous night. As she yawned and stretched, still thinking about her crush on Squall, she looked around. Squall was not in their tent. She left the tent, and looked around outside. It was a beautiful morning, the sun creeping up over the horizon. She saw Squall walking back towards her, his gray jump suit unzipped slightly so she could see his white t-shirt and something shiny silver underneath it. She watched him make his way up the path toward her. It looked like a painting, a violently orange morning sky, a thickly wooded forest on the right side of the path, and open plains to the left. And right in the middle, her hero. She gazed at this beautiful sight until he was right in front of her, looking at her strangely.
"You ok?" he asked, looking at her.
"Huh? Wha..?" she came to her senses, "Oh, yes, I'm fine." She now had a clear view of his unzipped jump suit and the silver emblem of a lion on a long chain around his neck.
"Let's get going." he said, walking over to their camp and beginning to pack up. She went over to help him, and after a few minutes, they were packed. Rinoa slung her backpack over her shoulder, and was reaching for her travel bag when Squall picked it up, Zell supported on his shoulder, and began to follow the path.
"Wait up!" she called. He turned and looked at her, his steel gray eyes seeing right through her. "Where were you this morning?" she asked.
"Just taking a look around, we won't have any problems for several miles, then we'll have to go around the military base, and then we'll stop for the night. If we make good time, we'll be in Dollet by tomorrow afternoon."
"Well that's good. I wouldn't want to spend any longer than I have to with you," she teased, hoping for an indignant reaction, at least a smile. Squall had never once smiled since she'd known him. He didn't smile now either.
"I wouldn't either." he said quietly but distinctively.
"What?" she asked. She must not have heard him correctly.
"Never mind." he said, and continued to walk at a brisk pace, so Rinoa was almost running to keep up. This continued for several hours. The scenery didn't change much as they walked, but Rinoa was becoming more and more irritated at the almost inhuman pace.
"Can we stop for a while?" she asked. Her feet hurt very much, and she desperately needed some water. She didn't smell too good either, although a shower was out of the question. "Why do we have to go so fast?"
He didn't answer. This annoyed her further.
"Hello! Earth to Squall? Come in! Lets's stop for a while and rest; I'm tired, I'm thirsty, and I don't smell too pretty. Please, let's just stop, just for a few minutes." she complained.
"If you want to rest, I won't stop you," he shot back. She didn't say anything else for hours, although she could have sworn the pace had slowed down slightly. Night fell upon them.
As it grew steadily darker, Squall began to lead her into the forest. As to why he was doing this became clear quickly. Rinoa saw in the distance a large building, fenced in by barbed wire and surrounded by gun turrets. The military base. She heaved a sigh of relief, that, although they were in very dangerous territory, they were at least almost don't their walking for the day. He led her deeper and deeper into the forest until she could no longer see the base.
"Where are we going?" she asked at last.
"Far enough away not to be found." he said pushing branches and bushes aside. They finally came to a clearing, a river running through the center. She gasped.
"Wow, are we staying the night here? It's beautiful!" she said in an awe-filled voice.
"I suppose, this way you get everything you want."
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"Look, fresh water." he said, as though the meaning of this was perfectly clear.
"Excuse me?"
"You can drink it, then you won't be thirsty, you can bathe, then you won't smell bad, and then you can rest and recover, then you can shut up and leave me alone." he said as though he were explaining that one plus one equals two to a three year old.
"Ok, first of all," she began angrily, "I am not drinking or bathing in that gross river water. Secondly–" Squall walked over to the river, pulled a small metal container from an inside pocket of his jump suit, and dipped it in the water. "Are you even listening!"
"Dramine water, as I thought." He said.
"Excuse me?"
"Dramine, it's an element that can be very deadly in larger doses, but in this water it's only one part per one hundred million, quite healthy actually." he explained.
"What does it do?"
"Well, your skin can become damaged from thousands of different sources, and dramine attaches to those damaged spots and combines with the platelets in your blood to stop infection and heal you faster. And a small amount is healthy to drink, so it will be in your blood when you need it. Quite safe at this current concentration. I suspect that this river runs down from a mountain, as there are rock formations near the top that usually carry trace amounts of dramine." he said strangely, as though the information had been memorized.
"Thanks for the science lesson professor." she teased, sure that this would get a reaction from him. She was wrong again.
"I'll set up camp here, you can go upstream and bathe to your hearts content." he said.
"You won't try to sneak a peak will you?" she asked, smiling in a teasing sort of way.
"Don't worry, I don't like ugly little girls anyway." he said
Feeling insulted, she did as he suggested, and went upstream with a towel and bathrobe, well out of sight of Squall. She felt a little strange at first to be stripping naked, but her feelings changed dramatically when she got in the water. It was just above waist height and felt... different. It was almost... smooth. As the current pushed the water past her body, it felt as though silk were being carelessly pulled across her legs. She dived into the water and felt the same wonderful sensation spread all over her body. She rose above the water feeling the cool air on her wet face. It was a wonderful feeling. She went under again, taking in large gulps of the water, which felt so smooth and refreshing. She leaned back, floating on her back. The current was strong, but for some reason she wasn't moving. The water was so smooth. She was so relaxed, she hardly noticed her head slip under the water. She couldn't breathe, she needed air, but she was still so calm and relaxed. She was fading in and out of consciousness... her vision was blurring. Then, just as all went black, she felt two strong arms grab her.
Rinoa woke up lying on the sleeping bag inside their shelter. Her robe had been put on her and tied tightly.
"Maybe I should have been more clear, dramine doesn't stop you from drowning." said a voice she recognized. She sat up quickly breathing heavily.
"What happened?" she asked, shivering. It was much darker out, and colder too.
"You took a long time, so I thought I'd see if you were alright. I found you drowning. I pulled you out of the water, and gave you C.P.R until you awoke just now. You were unconscious for over an hour and I was–" he said, stopping abruptly.
"You were what?" she asked.
"Nothing"
"Worried about me?" she suggested, holding back a smile. He nodded slowly, turning scarlet in the face. She smiled and moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and wrapping her arms around his neck. She shivered as a strong wind blew outside.
"I... You're... It's cold, I'll go make a fire." he said nervously, trying to pull away.
"It'll be warm here if we stay close." she said, pulling him into a prone position, and snuggling up close. She pulled her blanket over them and adjusted her pillow so they both rested their heads on it, their lips less than inch apart. Rinoa felt his soft warm breath on her face. She leaned forward slightly, and gently brushed her lips against his.
"Sorry you had to rescue an ugly little girl." she whispered, still trying to coax a smile. This time however, he did smile.
"You're not little, Rinoa, and you're definitely not ugly. Trust me on this." he said, wearing a smile that almost made her forget what he said. Something clicked in her head.
"How would you know?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh never mind, you're right. I pulled you out of the river and put on your bathrobe with my eyes shut." Rinoa flushed scarlet.
"You are the biggest jerk I've ever seen! I can't believe you!" she said, hitting him playfully and laughing. He rolled over still smiling.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Next time I'll leave you to drown in the river." he said.
"No! Please... fine, I forgive you. Besides, looking as something as beautiful as I am shouldn't be a crime." she said as she climbed on top of him. He resisted at first, but became much more calm as he got used to her warm weight on top of him. His eyes met hers, and they kissed. When they broke apart, both blushed and looked away. She rested her head on his firm chest and listened to his heart beat and felt him breathing, slowly and steadily. She was just about to go to sleep when she felt his arms wrapping themselves around her waste. It was extremely comfortable.
"I love this man." she whispered as she fell asleep.
A/N: Sorry this took so long guys, I've rewritten this damn chapter like 5 times trying to get it right. I hope the wait hasn't cost me some readers or reviews. I'm still not sure if I like this chapter so let me know what you think and I'll consider replacing it. I've had soo much other shit to do it's not even funny. Lemon next chapter or maybe the one after that. Griever's ruler, if you're still interested in assisting me with that, review and let me know and if so you'll be hearing from me soon. As always, R&R!
-N.F.