Chapter 3
I got this chapter out as soon as I could; I actually typed the whole thing today. As a warning, Florina will seem a little OOC in this chapter, butI hope I explain it well. Don't judge it until you read all the way through, and if you still feel like judging it, do it in a review. Now, time for reviewer responses.
Nightmare3: Thanks for the compliments. They mean a lot, coming from you. This chapter is the first in Ilia, with at least one more coming. If you thought the last chapter was funny, then hopefully this one will crack you up. Chapter 11 was as good a Sain chapter as any I've read, and I've read about all of them.
Dairokkan: I'm glad you like him. Although that second sentence may have seemed pointless to you, I welcome any information on my reviewers. Thanks.
Black Lord 500: Thank you. This is about average for update time, hope it's quick enough for you.
Lemurian-Girl: I'm glad you think so. There will be a little romance in this chapter, it's just toward the end. Thank you, I'm glad you think it's getting better.
DarkPegasiKnight: She wasn't so much yelling as rebuking Sain. Hope that clarifies things.
JSB: That was how I interepreted his actions. I think you'll know which direction I picked after reading this chapter. Have fun at camp; I eagerly await your return.
CharCharWu: No problem, I'm happy with any review, but especially ones from the authors I admire. Thank you, that means a lot. On Sain & Florina'spersonalities, I tried to make them human while staying as true as possible to their game personas. Glad you like it, hope this is soon enough.
TweekinTinkaToy: I loved tinker toys. Sorry, I just had to say that. Thank you, I try hard to make it believable. This takes place some monthes after Nergal's defeat. I appreciate your compliments, especially since they're coming from a fellow Sain-respecter.
That's all of them; Thank you all for reviewing. I hope this chapter pleases everyone as much as the last one. Please R&R
Chapter 3: First Kiss
The trip to Florina's village lasted perhaps half an hour, although it seemed much shorter to Sain. First of all, he had an attractive travel companion, which always makes the time go by faster. Add that to the fact that his thoughts were focused on how to explain this to Florina's sisters, who, if memory served him right, were VERY protective of their younger sister. 'I guess my best chance is to run into Fiora first; she would probably give us enough time to explain. Farina on the other hand…" Sain shuddered. He didn't even want to think of what might happen to him if they ran into Farina first.
"Hey Sis! What happened? You're two days late! What, you're with a man? Who's this? Introduce me!" Farina called out, excitedly.
Sain's face dropped. He tried to signal to Florina that she shouldn't mention his name just yet, but he was too slow. "Hey, Farina. You remember Sain, don't you?" Farina's smile froze.
"You haven't changed a bit; you're just as stunning as I remember." Sain said nervously, taking note of possible escape routes. Florina nudged him; Farina glared at him.
"Yeah, well he found me and brought me into a cave—"
"What? Sain, you'll pay for whatever you did to her!" Farina screamed as she charged Sain.
"Farina, please—" Florina tried to intercede, but to no avail.
"Please, let us explain!" Sain begged as he dodged a javelin.
"The time for explanations is over!" Farina said, jabbing a silver lance at Sain.
"I didn't realize it had even started." Sain quipped as he watched the lance go between his legs. 'Whew! If that had been a couple of inches higher, I'd never have to worry about this type of situation ever again.' Sain thought.
"Sain! Now is not the time for your smart comments." Florina chided.
"Right as usual, my dear." Sain responded, pecking her on the cheek as he ran past, causing Florina to blush.
"Florina, are you alright? Good. You'll pay for that!" Farina ran off before Florina could notify her of the fact that she really didn't mind, it had just caught her by surprise.
Just then, Fiora walked up, attracted by the commotion. "What exactly is going on here?' She inquired.
"Farina's chasing Sain because he took me to a cave and we were there for a couple of nights—"
"Fiora's calm façade vanished, only to be replaced with a look of cold rage. "Say no more, little sis; we'll take care of him." Fiora said as she brought out a slim lance.
"Fiora, he didn't… Oh not again." Florina said, perceiving that Fiora wasn't hearing a word of her explanation.
Sain, preoccupied with Farina and her very sharp lance, almost didn't notice Fiora until it was too late. He barely dodged the Farina's thrust, only to come face to face with Fiora. "Ah, thank St. Elimine you're here, Fiora. As the more sensible sister, surely you will let us explain." Fiora's only answer was to slowly approach him with her lance ready to strike. "Guess not." Was Sain's only comment as he ran as if his life depended on it (because it did.). Sain avoided them for as long as humanly possible, but with the advantage of numbers, anger, and, of course, weapons, the two finally forced him into a corner. 'I never thought I'd leave this world as a pin cushion. Oh well, at least my last sight in this realm will be one of beauty; I guess there are worse ways to die' Sain thought, staring at the three sisters as he prepared himself for death.
"STOP! Don't hurt him!" Florina screamed.
Sain found himself being tackled by a slender blue blur. 'Even better, dying with a beautiful woman in my arms.' Sain thought before he realized that Florina being between him and the spears greatly increased his chances of survival. "Thank you." He whispered in relief.
"Florina, what are you doing? Get out of the way so we can make him pay for hurting you!" Fiora and Farina exclaimed, considerably shocked at Florina's outburst.
"That's just it; he didn't hurt me in any way."
"But you said he took you to a cave." Her older sisters protested.
"Because I was outside, unconscious, and at the mercy of the blizzard."
"B-but you said he spent two nights with you there. Are you telling us that he didn't try anything during that whole time?" They protested again, starting to look uncomfortable.
"He built a fire to raise my body temperature the first night. And although he did sleep next to me that night," Her sister's hopes rose for a moment, "He says he didn't try anything—"
"You trust his word?" Farina exclaimed, tightening her grip on the lance.
Florina glared at her, stopping the outburst before it could go further. "Yes I do, because once I awoke, he didn't even make a move to approach me until I gave him permission." Florina looked at both her sisters in turn, as if daring them to interrupt her again. "Sain saved my life. Without him, I wouldn't be here. And I'll be damned if you think I'm going to let anyone hurt my savior." With that last statement she turned around and pulled Sain into a kiss. Sain's eyes widened in surprise, but he regained his composure in time to return the kiss. Fiora and Farina's jaws dropped. What had happened in that cave to change their Florina from the shyest lady around to someone who would actually initiate a kiss? When the kiss ended, Florina realized what she had just done. Blushing, she squeaked a quick "Sorry." before running off.
Everyone else was left standing in shock. Fiora finally broke the stalemate by stepping forward and offering her hand to Sain. "It looks like we owe you an apology. I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding." She glared at Farina, who muttered a quiet "What she said."
Sain shook the proffered hand and shook it, grateful to be alive. "Don't worry about it; now we're even." The Pegasus knights looked puzzled. "I have you to thank for running off any other potential suitors." Sain grinned.
The sisters laughed. "Okay, we can accept that. No hard feelings?" They inquired hopefully.
"None at all. Now, if you don't mind, I have a damsel in distress to comfort." Sain said as he started off in the direction Florina had left in.
"Uh, Sain?" Farina called out.
"Yes, dame Farina?" Sain replied, turning to face her.
"How about we lead you to the damsel's house, considering it would be hard to comfort her if you can't find her." Farina suggested with a grin.
"A fine suggestion. Lead on!" Sain responded with his usual ardor.
The trio stopped in front of one of the nicer houses in the villages. "Here it is. Now get in there and do your thing, Savior-boy." Farina said, chuckling.
"Yes ma'am." Sain answered with a smart salute.
After Sain entered the house, Farina sighed. "Sheesh. I can't believe I just said that to Sain."
"Me neither." Fiora replied, shaking her head.
Sain walked through the front door. "Hello? Florina? Are you in here?" Sain called into the house. He heard something up ahead, so he walked towards it. When he turned the corner, he saw Florina in the bathroom, crying. Sain quietly walked up to her an softly put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, then relaxed. "What's wrong? I'm not that bad of a kisser, am I?" Sain said, trying to cheer her up.
Florina smiled through her tears. "No, that's not it."
"I'm glad. Now what is it? You can tell me."
"It's nothing. I'm just releasing my emotions after my first time shouting at my sisters and my first kiss."
"It was your first as well?" Sain queried.
"Yes, what did you— Wait a minute, you can't expect me to believe that was your first kiss." Florina accused.
"My lady, you wound me." Sain said, feigning hurt. Florina couldn't take any more of this. She burst out laughing. "Well, if you want to get into specifics, then I can honestly call it my first kiss that saved my life."
Florina giggled. "Sain, what am I going to do with you?"
"I have a few ideas, but I wouldn't want to risk your sisters walking in on us." Sain replied cheekily.
"I wouldn't care." Florina responded.
"Really?" Sain said hopefully.
"Gotcha." Florina said, "You should have seen the look on your face." She said, laughing.
"Oh, my lady, you are going to regret messing with my head like that." Sain said, grinning.
"What are you going to do about it, Sir Sain?" Florina mocked.
"This!" Sain exclaimed as he pinned her down and started tickling her feverishly.
"Oh-ha-ha-ha stop ha-ha it! Please ha-ha can't ha-ha breathe." Florina cried out.
Farina and Fiora rushed around the corner from where they had been eavesdropping. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him." Fiora said. When they saw what was happening, they relaxed.
"Aww, they make such a cute couple. Come on, Fiora, I think we should actually leave them now."
"Okay, I agree." Fiora said as they went out for a drink to celebrate their baby sister's newfound happiness.
A/N: Hope you liked it. If you did, review. If you didn't, review. If you just like to see your name on the internet, review. I really do pay attention to the reviews; your opinion counts! Now just go and review already, haha.