Final Fantasy X 1. Prologue

C-South Residence, Zanarkand

In the fading evening light, before the street lights were activated, Auron waited idle on the front stoop, surveying the local children as they played freeze-tag in the street. Across the road, one of the neighbors was watering his garden and another neighbor was at her mailbox, sorting through magazines and bills. Limping down the sidewalk in front of the house, an old man with his grey-muzzled dog raised his hand in amiable greeting and Auron nodded back, wishing Raine would hurry up.

Behind him, the door finally unlatched and Auron faced Raine. She was still in her cheerleading uniform as she summoned him inside. "They said it was okay."

"You said they wouldn't mind," Auron said.

"They don't," she said with a simper. "I asked them."

Auron braced himself and stepped over the threshold, into the entryway of the split-level home belonging to Raine's great aunt and uncle, the first time he had been inside. It was humid and smelled of roasting meat. The game was on upstairs and it was intermingled with the general sounds of cooking: running water, a spoon beating the side of a sauce pan and the heavy, muffled boil of something thick. Downstairs was dark, below ground and faintly dank.

"You can take your boots off here," Raine said, pointing down to the rug with a pile of shoes in an array of sizes. Her sneakers were already at the top of the pile.

Auron didn't usually like taking his boots off for any reason so that he was always battle ready, but he doubted a fiend would come tearing through sleepy C-South. Leaning his katana on the wall next to a brass coat rack, he bent down to loosen the laces, then propped against the door to kick off his boots. Considering his gauntlet for a moment, he snapped it off and hung it from one of the coat rack's hooks.

"Can I take your coat?" she asked eagerly.

"No. Thanks."

Her eyes were dancing. "Do you want to see my room?"

"I've seen it."

"From the inside?"

Auron hesitated, wondering the harm in humoring her, but was instantly suspicious of his own judgment to be alone with her in her room. Most likely it was to prolong the inevitable first meeting of her aunt and uncle.

"I'm going to show Auron my room," Raine called up the stairs.

Auron shook his head, disapproving, but she just smiled at him. What made Raine believe her aunt would think that was anything but a bad idea?

"I'll call you when dinner's ready," the older woman answered and Auron glared up the steps at someone invisible.

"Come on," Raine said.

She grabbed his hand, flicked on the downstairs light, and Auron's head whipped sideways from the combination of her sharp tug and his reluctance to follow. At the foot of the stairs, they maneuvered through a cramped family room, between dusty boxes and mismatched furniture. Raine brought him to a dim hallway with a few doors, dropping his hand as she disappeared into the first dark room on the right.

Auron stood blind in the doorway while she shuffled around the familiar room and a click later, she was bent by the lamp next her unmade bed. She snatched up a few intimate items off the floor on her way to her cluttered desk where she turned on another lamp. Auron drifted in slowly. Her bedroom smelled so sweet it was almost dizzying and he noticed a molten cluster of scented candles on top of her dresser, next to several boxes of matches. Her walls were a collage of posters, mostly punk bands, kittens and a diagram of a water molecule behind her door, but Auron halted his attention on the poster over her headboard: the center for the Zanarkand Duggles, half-nude and dripping wet.

"That's for appearances," Raine explained, while she inconspicuously shoved the dirty underwear from the floor into the top desk drawer. "I'm a Duggle now. You can thank peer pressure for that."

"Hmph."

"So what do you think?"

Auron nodded listlessly at the rest of the room. "It looks suitable."

"Oh, I want to show you something," she said. She kneeled by her bed, lifting the dust ruffle to rummage underneath. Her short little umbrella skirt hiked up, revealing a sliver of white underwear and his shoulders shook in silent chuckle at the print of red hearts. He was looking at the undergarment of a girl, but his eye meandered a little too long at the milky white thighs of a woman. Darkening, Auron spun around to face the mirror over her dresser, quietly chastising himself.

For distraction, he glanced over the photos tucked into the frame of her mirror, group photos of her friends, of the other cheerleaders, a couple old pictures with Tidus and some older ones of her mother and father, discolored and worn, as if folded many times. Jecht's face was rounder and more clean-shaven than when Auron knew him and his arm draped coolly over his wife's reedy shoulders. Moving on, Auron's focus wandered over to the picture of Raine with Jory, captured in a spontaneous pose when Raine had jumped on Jory's back and he was carrying her piggy-back for the camera.

How sweet, Auron thought with a deep glare. Brainy Rainy and the boy she was having sex with.

Where did the time go? It felt like just yesterday she was reprimanding him for stepping on sidewalk cracks, frantically upset about the condition of his mother's back. Today, he was having demonstrative fantasies of her on the swings.

"Here they are," Raine said behind him. She had three white tubes, all different lengths, and when she handed him one, he realized it was a rolled up poster.

"What are these?"

"Tidus' old prints."

Auron snapped off the rubber band and unrolled it partway. It was a group photo of Tidus' old team, the Zanarkand Abes, signed by all the players in black permanent marker.

"Those are actually all their signatures. It's actually worth a lot." She handed him another one and Auron traded her.

"Why don't you hang them on your wall?" Auron asked rolling off another rubber band.

Her grimace was loosely disgusted. "I used to, but they made me uncomfortable, so I took them down."

"Uncomfortable?"

"His bedroom eyes freak me out."

Auron unrolled the poster and realized what she was talking about. The second picture was a close-up of Tidus, the lighting filtered and dreamy, and he was as undressed as his Duggle equivalent over Raine's bed, with a very unbrotherly look on his face. Auron smirked and rolled the poster back up. "I see."

He wasn't particularly interested the last one, but she had worked so hard to find them under her bed. It was an action shot they used to sell at the stadium vendors.

"I've been trying to find some of my father, but those are a little harder to find."

When she replaced the rubber bands on them all, she tossed them on her desk, then bounced on her bed and leaned back on her hands, crossing her legs by the ankles. Their eyes met for an instant before skimming to other parts of the room. He was becoming delirious from the suffocating scents of all those candles and the air vibrated as their separate chemicals mingled in the space between them, agitating in an unstable reaction.

"Dinner!"

Aunt Naya's supper call startled them both. Auron nudged himself away from the desk and waited to follow her upstairs. She got up with a vaguely irritated look on her face, but it didn't seem completely directed at him. The air outside her bedroom was noticeably cooler.

Raine stopped at the landing by the front door, where his katana was still leaned up against the wall and inclined conspiratorially towards him. "Whatever you do, don't mention anything about the Duggles' losing streak. It will set off my uncle."

"I'll try to hold back," Auron said blandly and mounted the stairs two at a time after her.

Straight ahead on the main floor, the dining table had four settings and in the steamy kitchen, Raine's aunt Naya was reaching into one of the cupboards for a stack of four plates. She spun around, her smile genuine and beaming until her eyes rested on Auron. He tried not to notice as the woman's expression swiftly altered into something phony and remotely maniacal.

"Aunt Naya, this is Auron," Raine introduced, apparently oblivious to the immediate shift in her aunt's nature.

"Hello Auron," the older woman said stiffly, glancing with aggravation into the living room, where her husband was busy with the game. From where Auron stood, Raine's uncle was just a helmet of white hair over the back of his rocking armchair.

Auron's head bobbed once in respect. "Good evening." He stopped himself before he called her "ma'am." She couldn't be that many years older than him.

A wild grin still pasted on her face, Aunt Naya stared intensely into the living room. "Cete, come meet Raine's friend."

"In a min—dammit! Get him!"

Every one of Auron's muscles seized, until he foolishly realized Uncle Cetan was screaming at the screen, swelling with cheers. Cetan was sitting forward in his chair, hostile from an undesirable turn-around in the game.

There was an uncomfortable moment as the three of them stood looking at each other, and eventually Aunt Naya gestured toward the table. "Auron, why don't you have a seat?"

Raine dragged out one of the chairs. "Sit here. This is where I usually eat," she said and skipped to the chair opposite him, against the wall.

Slowly sitting, Auron was content to wait for the elder man, but Aunt Naya lifted a bowl of mashed potatoes and handed it to Auron. "Why don't you get us started?"

Auron let his sleeve fall back so he could hold the bowl with both hands and flopped a generous spoonful onto his plate, passing it across the table to Raine, who was eying his uncovered arm with a deep blush as she flicked open her napkin and laid it on her lap.

"Son of a—" Uncle Cetan muttered from the living room, as the horn on the television announced the final score. Auron assumed the Duggles had lost, one game of many, apparently. Hastily scooting in his chair, Auron gave the patriarch room to stomp by. At the head of the table, across from Raine's aunt, Uncle Cetan whipped his chair out and slumped into his seat, grumbling something about a worthless defense and Auron got his first real look at Uncle Cetan. His hair was not all white, as he previously thought, but marbled black and gray, deep grooves frowning around his eyes and forehead as he offered Auron a curt nod and reached for the mashed potatoes.

"You look familiar, Auron," Aunt Naya said. "Do I know your parents?"

Auron opened his mouth, but Raine spoke up. "Auron's an orphan, Aunt Naya."

"Over at St. Dolam's?" Uncle Cetan asked, jutting his thumb, apparently in the direction of St. Dolam's.

A local orphanage, Auron assumed.

"Bevelle, actually," Raine said, lips twitching as she met Auron's eye. Auron slanted his head formidably at her, but she was unruffled at his reproach, almost giddy, her eyes bright and gleaming with mischief. Raine waved her fork in the air and seemed to dot an imaginary "i" with it as she pointed slightly to Auron's right. Aunt Naya was holding a bowl of buttered peas in Auron's blind spot.

Cetan reached across the table to spear a few slabs of roast. "Never heard of it."

Auron spilled a handful of peas onto his plate, passed the bowl to Uncle Cetan and as he hooked a thumb over the edge of the bowl, and provided Auron with an intense double take, initially fixated with Auron's scar until he shot his wife a quizzical look.

"What did you say you're name was?" Raine's uncle asked.

"Auron," he said and Naya passed him a plate of hot rolls under a cloth napkin.

A few silent minutes went by as the rest of the food was distributed and Auron tried to ignore the crimson fume in Uncle Cetan's pressed lips as the room's gravity plummeted. When everyone began to eat, Aunt Naya asked, "How do you know Raine, Auron?"

"I'm a friend of her father's," Auron said quickly, before Raine could answer for him.

"Jecht?" Uncle Cetan said and his expression looked as if he'd found a dead roach in one of his rolls.

"Auron was my father's sponsor," Raine said.

Flashing Raine a hard look, Auron nearly set the record straight, denying her statement, but then he couldn't think of anything to say in its place, so he let it go.

"You must have had your work cut out for you," Aunt Naya said.

"It wasn't easy," Auron said through his teeth. Was Raine trying to make this meeting difficult?

"I wasn't aware he quit," Uncle Cetan said.

"He did," Auron said without hesitation because this part was truthful. "Before he died."

Raine dimmed, chewing her food thoughtfully. Auron avoided her gaze and concentrated on his meal, navigating forkfuls over his high collar. There was a gap in the dialogue, filled with clinking silverware, the crepitus in Uncle Cetan's jaw as he ate, and the wooden squeak when someone shifted uneasily in their chair.

Quietly, feigning sincere interest, Aunt Naya asked, "Do you go to school…or do you work…?"

"Neither," Auron said and left it at that.

Naya didn't have a response and quickly took a tiny bite of potatoes, chewing quickly.

"Do you live in C-South?" Uncle Cetan asked.

Live? "No."

Uncle Cetan started to question further when Raine spoke up. "My aunt and uncle both went to C-South High."

The constant tension, which had plateaued shortly after they began to eat, sharply escalated at Raine's seemingly innocent comment. Uncle Cetan and Aunt Naya exchanged anxious glances and Auron met Raine's eyes in confusion, but she just smiled down at her plate.

"The year my uncle graduated, my aunt was…." Raine's head lifted to look her aunt in the eye. "How old were you, Aunt Naya?"

Someone's fork dropped firmly to a plate with a startling clank.

"Raine," Aunt Naya said, shaking her head in quick shakes, her face rigid, as though this was rude conversation. With a sheepish glimpse at Auron, the older woman lifted her fork and picked at her roast.

"That was different," Uncle Cetan said, low and pithily in his great niece's direction.

Auron's eye came over the top of his rims deliberately to look over the dinner table at Raine, who had, with one question, simultaneously warned her caretakers of their hypocrisy and gave Auron a not-so-subtle hint on the direction she thought their relationship should be going.

After absorbing a table full of glares, Raine rolled her eyes in defeat and said, "Not that it matters. Auron and I are just friends."

Another long moment followed and Auron couldn't seem to eat fast enough.

"Now I know where I've seen you," Aunt Naya said. "You were at my niece's funeral, weren't you?"

"I went to make sure the children were safe," Auron said after a rather uncouth swallow of roast. "As a favor to Jecht."

Raine rolled her eyes again when Auron said "children."

"Oh," Cetan said, thoughtfully frowning with new understanding, his posture reproving as he leaned to Raine. "Why didn't you say that?"

"I forgot," she said insipidly, giving Auron a dull look and slumped back in her chair, moody teen.

Safely smirking safely behind his collar, Auron was pleased how rapidly he had gone from potential suitor to guardian in her folks' eyes.

"Are you a Duggles fan, Auron?" Cetan asked and the strain of the situation immediately dissolved.

Auron gazed across the table at Raine, who was picking at her dinner with her fork, and a spark of pity penetrated through his normally obdurate shield. "I am," he said. "They play dirty, but I think that's their appeal."

Raine's eyes flicked up from her plate to Auron and then glanced obliquely at her custodians to make sure they didn't notice her shy smile.

When dinner was over, Auron declined the offer of coffee and pie from Aunt Naya and stood to leave. Raine dropped her napkin on her plate and jumped up as well. "I'll see Auron out."

Auron descended the stairs to the landing by the front door, lugged on his boots and collected his equipment. Raine slipped into her shoes and grabbed a sweater from the coat rack before flicking on the porch light. It had gotten dark outside during the meal. When they were alone on the front stoop, Auron swung around to chide her for the position she'd cornered him in during dinner, but she was pulling on his bare arm, leading him further into the yard.

"Where do you stand?" she asked.

"On what?"

She grinned. "Where do you stand when you watch me?"

He considered her, debating.

"The yard is only half an acre, Auron. If I want to know, I'm going to find out."

He nodded upwardly. "Back here." He led her around the side of the house, to the copse of landscaping junipers by the privacy fence separating their yard from the neighbors. He slid in between two bushy trees, tramping back to the spot he found to have the most cover.

"Cozy," she said looking around, although they were shrouded in darkness. She faced the lit house. Aunt Naya was in the window where the sink was and Uncle Cetan was carrying over dishes. "My aunt can't see you?"

"If she can, she's never shown it."

Raine was quiet for a few moments, stepping close to him so she could study the house. "You really can see right into my room."

"When the curtains are open." Usually she closed the blinds on the weekends when she didn't have to wake up as early.

"Of course." She glanced up at him carefully. "How much can you see?"

He glowered. "My vision is better than you think," he said sharply.

Raine flashed him a contrite look. "I didn't mean—" She shook her head and didn't finish. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Auron realized what she meant and felt like an asshole. He inwardly sighed and relaxed his tone. "I'm familiar enough with your routine to know when to look away."

Her nod was unreadable. A warm breeze rustled the scaly evergreen leaves around them as they watched Aunt Naya wash the dishes and Uncle Cetan wipe down the table and push it back against the wall.

Recalling something that had been bothering him, he smiled curiously down at Raine. "So how old was your aunt Naya?"

"Huh?" she asked, unable to peel her eyes off the mundane activities in her own house.

"When your uncle graduated from C-South. How old was your aunt?" He ventured a guess out loud. "Three or four years old?"

With a sidetracked glimpse, Raine said, "Thirty-three."

Auron had never gaped in his life, but his jaw dropped like a weight was tied to his chin. "You're lying."

She giggled. "You thought my uncle was the older one?"

"Isn't he?"

"Chestnut 51," she said, shrugging carelessly, gazing back over to her house. She said it as if that was the answer to all questions.

Auron frowned. "I don't understand."

"It's her color dye. For her hair. It makes her look 20 years younger."

"I'll say," Auron said, slightly beside himself as he pondered this. His eye was pulled to the sliding glass door by the deck as her Uncle Cetan's full frame became a forbidding silhouette against the light in the kitchen as he searched the back yard, arms folded sinisterly.

"I think that's my cue," Raine said. "Thanks for today. You're a good listener."

A hug followed. It was unexpected, clumsy and over too soon. Without another word, she was ducking out of the trees, running back to the house. Uncle Cetan floated away from the patio door, back to the living room to watch the Blitzball highlights. Auron faintly heard the slide of the door on its rollers as she went inside. She said something to her aunt, who looked up from her dishes. The older woman nodded, picked up a towel to dry her hands, and Raine took her place in the window above the sink as she took over dish-duty. Her aunt joined her uncle in front of the holographic screen. Auron speculated this was done to impress him somehow, since Raine had never volunteered to do dishes before.

When the dishes were done, Raine shut off the kitchen light and passed by the patio window. She paused at the top of the stairs to say something to her custodians and headed downstairs, out of sight. Auron's eye traveled diagonal across the back of the house to her bedroom window, still lit from when they were there earlier, and a moment later, the door opened wider and she strode into her room. She avoided looking out the window and headed to the corner where her bed couldn't be seen and Auron waited patiently for her to come into view again. There were times she was on her bed for hours, reading or chatting with a friend on a commsphere, so this was not uncommon. But she was visible again a few minutes later, at the window, closing the curtains.

Hmph. That didn't take long.

To entertain himself, he glanced back to the living room. Her aunt and uncle were still watching a recap of the Blitzball game, quiescent in their chairs. Auron leaned against the fence, brooding over the consequences of showing her his usual post, until her curtains split open again. She had changed into loungewear, a pink tank top and purple running shorts. She opened her closet door, which blocked nearly half the window, and busied herself inside for another few minutes. When she approached the window again, her hand came up to fiddle with the locks and release the window.

"Auron!" she hissed across the yard.

Auron came quickly, only so she didn't say his name again and risk her parental guardians hearing. As soon as she saw him, she delved into her closet again and Auron immediately grew wary. He lowered down to one knee at her open window. There was music playing low in her room and he could hear commotion in the closet.

"Raine?" he whispered.

"One sec."

Auron checked the dark yard for nosy neighbors. Raine came out of the closet, covered neck to ankle in a shimmering blue gown and a perfectly square graduation cap with a blue and white fringe swinging against the side her face. She made a showy "ta-da!" gesture, her hands shaking like tambourines, and he snorted.

"Graduation's in two months," she said, leaning her arms on the chest-height windowsill. "You're coming, right?"

He tilted his head, evincing an ironic look. Did he not already follow her everywhere?

"You can't miss my valedictorian speech."

"I won't," he promised.

"Every student gets four seats, I think. You can sit next to my aunt and uncle. You can talk to my uncle about Blitzball."

Auron didn't say anything. He was sure a decline would diminish her upbeat mood.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked, swinging the window wider.

_Badly._

"I'll be fine out here."

"Are you sure? My uncle and aunt never come down here, not since the laundry was moved to the main floor."

She misinterpreted his hesitation as a silent scolding.

"Okay, okay. Look, I'll leave the window unlocked. In case it ever starts to rain or if you just want to talk."

"Lock your window," Auron said.

"But—"

"Don't argue. You'll be safe from—"

_ Me._

"—prowlers."

"I thought you kept me safe from prowlers," she said with a light in her eye.

"Do your homework," he said sternly and walked back to his spot in the trees before she could respond. He heard the windows shut after a while.

Back in his thicket of junipers, Auron situated to run on idle for the remainder of the night. Raine sat dutifully at her desk, working on homework.

Auron had to remind himself it wouldn't always be like this. Her crush on him would eventually disappear. Right now, school was slowing down to give her time to apply to colleges, but life would pick up again when her higher education commenced.

His thoughts were interrupted as the house began to darken. Aunt Naya and Uncle Cetan had turned off the lights and gone to bed. Soon, Raine put away her homework and started her nightly routine, disappearing into the bathroom across the hall and returning with a freshly washed face and brushed hair. A new move had been added to her routine, however, a short wave in Auron's direction, before the lights blinked off. He smiled without humor at her good-night gesture, suddenly losing himself in contemplation, considering the open invitation he now had to her room….


	2. Day One

It was well after midnight when Auron sidestepped between the tugging branches of the junipers, knelt by his reflection in Raine's window and pushed it open with his gauntlet. The sweet and spicy scents of her candles reached his nostrils immediately. Round and full as a silver gil coin, the moon illuminated everything but for the darkest corners of her room in a steely hue. It seemed like he was waiting for something. Another invite, perhaps, but when one didn't come, Auron knew she was deep in sleep. His boots landed on the carpet with a muffled thud and he leaned his sword in the corner by the closet before silently latching the window.

She was sleeping to his left, laying on her side, facing away from him, her blonde hair spilling across her pillow. Auron maneuvered her bedroom carefully, stepping over stacks of books and magazines and heaps of clothes to find safe patches of carpet. Boots didn't tip-toe well, but he managed to approach her bed without awakening her. There was nothing he wanted to say and to take her out of slumber just to prove how easy it was for prowlers to get to her was a weak excuse. Anyway, she was right. Auron was there to keep her safe, from prowlers, from sinspawn, from anything that posed a threat.

So who was keeping her safe from him?

Making his way back through the obstacles, Auron settled in the arm chair between her closet and desk, opposite the wall her bed was on so he could watch her. He could tell the rickety way the chair shifted under his weight that it was old, but she had repurposed it with a rose colored sheet as a slipcover to hide any stains or holes it might have underneath and accessorized it with a silk heart pillow frilled with white lace, which Auron adjusted at his lower back for the most comfort, but ended up removing it completely. He noticed the white stitching on the back: Luv Sux. With a silent snort, he tossed it to the floor.

Raine hadn't moved a muscle since he had come in. He didn't know what he was doing there, but after a few minutes he was content with not knowing. He should have known better than to get comfortable; it made it harder to leave. Apart from the occasional sleepover at a friend's house, Raine slept at home and Auron had spent every night for the last three years in those junipers. He was enjoying the novelty of being inside for once and the rare, guilt-free opportunity to close his eye for a moment. Soon, the candles' pungency was making him sleepy. He didn't need sleep to function, but he enjoyed a nap once in a while for meditation. His eyelid felt heavy behind his sunglasses and he began dozing off in short intervals, his head dropping forward. At least he only woke himself when his breath began grating on the back of his throat.

A few hours passed before Auron came out of one of his catnaps, apparently woken by Raine's stirring. Her back was still to him, but she had shaped her pillow differently. With very good intensions to wake up and stay up, Auron situated in the chair, winking his eye in determination, but then he slouched forward and rested his eye again.

He was roused a second time, this time by Raine's soft breathing. Since her blankets were pulled up to her shoulder, the only visible part of her body was her head, but she was fidgeting under the covers, slightly hunched as if she was situating her pajamas or scratching her leg. After so many hours of perfect stillness, her activity, even in sleep was a welcome diversion. He was suddenly wide awake, rapt by her simple actions of listless scratching, adjusting her bedding or changing positions. As she languidly rolled on her back, Auron noticed she was trembling strangely under the covers and Auron watched her with rigid alarm until it occurred to him she was dreaming. He smiled faintly, fondly, and rested his elbow on the arm of the chair so he could lean his cheek on the knuckles of his gauntlet, idly wondering what sorts of things Raine dreamed about. He was realistic enough to know her dreams were not all puppies, rainbows and candy (or whatever girls her age dreamed about), but judging from her low whimper, Auron realized not even little Raine was immune to nightmares.

However, something in the rhythm of her breathing jerked his cock. Suddenly, her head came off the pillow, suspended under the blankets, curled in what looked like a stomach crunch. She relaxed, her legs straightening, lying back on her pillow, and then something was deposited out the side of the blankets, landing in a small heap on the floor. Auron had to squint to focus on it, but when he saw her white-with-red-hearts underwear, he knew she wasn't dreaming.

Auron arched his eyebrow.

Slowly shrinking into the chair, Auron didn't dare make a sound. While unanticipated, it was suddenly glaringly obvious to Auron why grown men didn't enter the rooms of young women unannounced, but it was too late to broadcast his presence now. It would mortify her and he couldn't imagine it would be pleasant for him, either. Studying the window, Auron knew he was stealthy in his boots, but not enough for this kind of escape. His only option was to keep still, hope her eyes remained shut and pray she finished quickly. After, when she was asleep, he would sneak out, saving him from ever acknowledging this.

Raine's lips parted as her light pants turned to breathy moans, and Auron had to imagine the place where the blankets shivered was where her hand was feverishly rubbing between her legs. The faint squelch of her fingers inside her made Auron very aware of how insufferably hot it was in the room and Auron felt the first crack of his composure as a cold sweat developed under his arms. He wanted to open his cloak for air. As a durable, stoic man, Auron could fight the urge to fidget restlessly, but his first instinct to close his eye only brought images to his mind that were even more lecherous than what was actually happening.

Although the shame of his reluctant erection was excruciating, he found her compelling to watch. He had never asked a woman to pleasure herself for him, but he suspected it would not have been as satisfying as this. Raine's body undulated under the covers with practiced poise, an air of routine that let Auron know this wasn't exploratory for her. Eyelid softening, Auron leaned his head back on the chair, releasing a channel of stimulation inside him as he allowed his blood to boil. He had to force himself to breathe controlled sips of air through his nostrils.

His gauntlet crept to the drawstrings of his trousers, but he wavered. The tension inside him was almost painful, but the commotion of his own release would certainly alert her of his uninvited company.

"Oh, Auron," she groaned.

Auron started, his boot inadvertently knocking over a stack of books. His first thought was she had finally opened her eyes and saw him, but it quickly became apparent she was only seeing him behind her eyelids as she touched herself. The books slumped and a quiet rustle of pages and creaking of new spines was all it took for Raine to know she wasn't alone.

As her limbs flailed wildly under the covers, Auron heard the inhale of her scream and flew out of his chair, pouncing to subdue her. Quickly, he wrestled his arm out of his sleeve. The last thing he needed now was for her aunt or uncle to hear and his hand smashed her face to smother her mouth, one knee coming up to hold her down. She gave him a good fight, he realized later, when he had time to examine the battle scars: a single bloody scratch on his forearm and teeth marks on his palm. But during their tussle, the only sound was the soft rustle of flannel sheets, muted slaps and the gentle clicking of a string of beads hanging from her headboard.

It was the most physical they had ever been and Auron found the brawl exhilarating, but when he had the opportunity, he leaned close to her face, emphatically touching his lips with one finger. She watched him with wide eyes, her fingers curling around his forearms, not really pulling or fighting. Just holding on. Her eyes darted around in the moonlight, slightly frazzled, but unafraid. Auron's gloved thumb was absently stroking her forehead in effort to calm her and after a few moments, he felt her relax minutely. It only took Auron a moment to realize why. Her eyes were bubbling with tears and both her hands clapped over her eyes to hide herself. He heard the whine of humiliation right before the vibration of her adorable weeping against his hand. Waves of heat came off her face like the flu, but he was reluctant to let her mouth go. Once he released her mouth, talking would inevitably follow. And he didn't think he was ready to talk about…_this_.

Maybe it was the tension of the moment or the excitement of their wrestle or how her embarrassment was as endearing as it was heartbreaking, but it seemed wholly out of his control when he asked, "Would you like my help?"

Her fingers opened like scissors so she could peer out between them and Auron couldn't help chuckling. Her nod was eager under his hand, but she was also trembling. Slowly, Auron let her face go and she repositioned herself against the pillow.

"How did you get in?" she whispered.

"The window," he said and almost added, "I told you to lock it," but he didn't want her to think she brought this on herself.

Auron lifted the blankets out from under him and tossed them aside to shield an audience of lime-green tonberries, creamy white moogles, and fiery orange moombas, all stuffed and judging with their plastic googly-eyes.

Raine was naked from the waist down and she only wore a thin tank top. He could see the peaks of her nipples through the fabric, but her legs were together, held at an awkward angle as though purposely trying to hide her nakedness. "How long were you watching me?"

"Long enough." Auron removed his robe, draped it at the end of the bed and began unsnapping the buckles of his collar. Raine watched his every move carefully. "This will go better if you remember to breathe."

With a great exhale, she smiled in chagrin and made an exaggerated effort to take in air, her chest heaving nervously. At one point, her swallow sounded like a gulp.

Kneeling up on the bed, Auron positioned himself between her quivering knees and dropped down on his belly. He wrapped his arms around her thighs, easing them open. She smelled ready. He nudged her, feeling the tickle of damp pubic hair on his upper lip and wondered if her young boyfriend could do this as well as Auron could. He was feeling a massive boost in ego as he thought of all the things he could do to her.

"I—I haven't showered since this morning," she rushed to say.

Somewhat disgruntled with her interruption, he felt like he was in a pool of fantasy and every time she talked brought him closer to the surface of reality. "You smell good," he murmured and kissed the inside of her thigh. Like a tug to the deep end. The moonlight made her skin look like stone, gray and smooth. Auron leaned in to kiss her pubic lips, already imagining her taste, her warmth, all just within reach of his outstretched tongue.

"Wait," she said and shifted suddenly. "Wait, wait."

Like a bubble popping, Auron surfaced to reality. He looked up. She had sat up a little on her elbows, looking down at him. What was he doing? Kneeling in a twin bed covered in stuffed animals, face down against the wet genitalia of Jecht's daughter? Disgraceful. He nodded and rose to his knees. "I understand." His cock didn't, but he did.

Even in moonlight, it was hard to see what she was doing. He felt the balmy heat of her sex on the back of his hand as she scooted towards him and her fingers as they combed tenderly through the hair on his temple. After that, he hardly needed any coaxing to kiss her open mouth. His lucidity had been brief, permitting her to drag him back down into the murky depths of debauchery with one long, captivating kiss.

She was a better kisser than he was, little wonder with a boyfriend with a backseat, but her tongue was surprisingly hesitant as it dipped searchingly between his lips. She tasted sweetly sour, like green apple, and once he tasted her he couldn't get enough of it and demanded more from her, invading her mouth with his tongue, losing himself in her kiss. This was new. Kissing women had always been like signing a contract. Sealing the deal. Just business. No one had ever kissed him and meant it before. He leaned into her, one hand flared against the small of her back, the other propped on the mattress by her hip. He was careful not to let his groin touch her. If it did, his tongue would not be the only thing thrusting inside her.

Her lips fell away from his as she dropped her head back, but he didn't want the kiss to end. Stubbornly, Auron bumped his mouth against hers, as if to provoke her, and felt the twist of a faint smile on her lips right before she lied back.

"I'm ready now," she said.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he made a noise that was something between a subtle scoff and a snort. He was completely beside himself, marveling at her. "How did you do that?"

She was settling back into her pillows. "Do what?"

Something had changed. Auron felt it, but Raine was too innocent to notice.

She was no longer fulfilling his fantasy. He was fulfilling hers.

Auron lowered to his stomach and sunk his tongue between her pubic lips, familiarizing himself with the sensitivities of her anatomy; her smell, her taste, the way her juices chilled on his whiskers. Her breath was ragged, but quiet. Stiffening his tongue, he slowly circled the tough kernel of her clitoris and he felt her tense, her pelvis pressing into him slightly. Over the top of his sunglasses, Auron saw her white knuckles clutching the front of her tank top, exposing the writhing muscles of her stomach, her marble skin glistening as tracks of sweat pooled in her belly button.

A long, low moan came out of her mouth, and it increased his hunger. He devoured her with gluttonous enthusiasm, valiantly pushing through the ache rising in his jaw, and he was compensated rather unceremoniously with a vice to his skull as she crested. His glasses shifted on his face, but didn't break. While he fought to hold her bucking thighs apart, Auron was progressively aware of Raine's cries as they gained authority. He climbed over her body to stifle her with one hand, the wind of her rough breaths fast and focused on the back of his knuckles, the vibrating hum of her muffled hollers on his palm. His other hand twitched fitfully between her legs, chasing the glorious aftershocks of her climax, watching the beautiful sight with smug satisfaction, and he didn't let it end until she physically pulled his hand free of her loins.

Kneeling back, Auron admired his work. She was breathing quickly through a lazy smile, making no attempt to cover herself as her legs splayed lewdly. Her tank top had hiked up during her delightful ordeal and he stared at the tender swell of side-breast. He wanted to expose it. Squeeze it. Suck the nipple. Instead, he glanced down at the erection in his pants.

Raine saw it too. She reached over and grappled with his drawstrings.

"No, Raine," he grumbled and pushed her hands away. Of all the lines he'd crossed tonight, this was the one he couldn't intersect.

"It's okay," she whispered.

"I can't."

"I want you to."

"No," he barked. Before this, their voices had been hushed, never exceeding some invisible threshold of hearing, until now. Auron did it to startle her into listening, but she only grinned conceitedly, pluckier now in the afterglow of orgasm.

"If you're worried about defiling me, someone already beat you to it."

Auron scowled.

"At least let me return the favor," she said, doing her best to ooze pity. Her hands came inching back to his belt, but he swatted her away.

"Forget it." He pushed off the bed and found his cloak at the end of the bed. He threw it over his shoulder.

She sat up to watch him leave, but he wouldn't look her in the face. He swung the strap of his scabbard over his shoulder and opened the window.

"At least think of me when you're handling yourself tonight."

Auron stopped and looked over at her. He saw the glint in her eye before she rolled away, fluffed her pillow and settled in. She flipped the covers over her, tucking herself into bed.

"Lock your window," he muttered and hurdled over the window sill.

But as far as he could tell from his post in the junipers, she didn't get up to lock it. Securing the belt of his great coat, he arranged his arm sling-style at the front of it and adjusted the strap of his scabbard on his shoulder, comforted by the sword's weight. His boots fell into the usual ruts in the ground, his shoulder blades leaning on the same worn spot on the fence. But his mind wouldn't stop. While he waited for dawn, he didn't—in Raine's words—"handle himself," but he did think of her, fighting back a grin every time he repeated her words in his head. And for now, it made him forget to feel guilty. But it bothered him the way she rolled over and went to bed, as if it didn't matter, as if nothing fundamental had changed; her vain confidence was unexpected.

The next day was drearily typical. He waited in the sun dappled alley until her friends came to walk her to school, gave them plenty of head start and followed behind. After last night, he didn't expect to see much difference in her appearance, but he anticipated she would be wrought with the shame and indignity of it all. Somehow he figured her disposition would change, whether she would be slow to smile or contribute in conversations, but she seemed her regular self—the self she presented to her friends, at least. She participated quite willingly to the gossip her friends found interesting and Auron felt intensely relieved when her giggles reached his ears.

She only lived a few blocks from the school. Before long, they joined the current of babbling students, flowing up the stark white sidewalk that divided a sprawling, green front lawn. The walkway bulged midway to the main entrance to accommodate a large stone fountain, like an island in a stream of pupils, with bronzed representations of Aeons dancing in the jets and sprays. Raine's school was a historic building made of maintained red brick with bleached columns, gabled rooflines and a steeple over the belfry. The windows were narrow and paned, arranged in groups of two and three and, according to Raine, were drafty in the monsoon season.

Today, Auron remained in plain view, sitting on a concrete bench across the street on the southern main entrance. As usual, the school yard became a deserted wasteland after the second bell and he began to mark the time by the number of bells sounded. He was used to emptying his mind during these long expanses of time where nothing was happening. Auron had spent the better part of the last couple years thinking cold about Spira, Sin and pilgrimages—past and future, but now he realized those sorts of ruminations were futile. Overthinking events he could no longer do anything about made him miserable and he still had a solid 7 years with Raine in Zanarkand.

But as much as he tried to keep his mind a blank slate, today Auron was afflicted with random flashes of last night: the quick tempo of Raine's breathing, the natural settle of her breasts under her shirt as she lied on her pillow, the dark mound of her pubic area. Spontaneous strobes of salacious images, accompanied with an upswing of elation, followed by little stabs of dread that stripped his dignity and made him distrust his effectiveness as a guardian.

It wasn't until lunchtime when Auron began to genuinely relax. The school yard was teeming with students and Raine was sitting cross-legged on the wide fountain ledge with her friends, eating the cold lunch she brought from home. He had half expected a hassling from the school counselor along with a few Zanarkand authorities, but when he saw Raine thriving with her usual temperament, he knew she was handling this better than he was. She was fine. Better than fine. Auron dared to say…glowing.

Suddenly, Auron felt intensely irritated with her. He had purposely sat in the open so she would see him, why didn't she give him some sort of sign? A nod, a thumbs-up, a secret wave, anything trademark to her personality to show him she was doing fine or at least to remind him he wasn't invisible. It was like last night hadn't happened for her and it deeply vexed him.

After school, Raine met at the field on the north side for cheerleading practice. Auron had already moved to a wooden slatted bench with iron arm rests, facing the train station across the street with his back to the field. He hated to admit he knew all the cheers, but he did; a consequence of attending all her rehearsals and games. For most of the practice, he was able to tune out the drills, but he could tell they were trying something new today from the change in rhythm. Auron glanced around the empty street before extending his arm over the backrest and shifting in his seat to watch over his shoulder.

It was a complicated pyramid with a lot of technical aspects that not all the girls could grasp right away. The late afternoon sun stretched the shadow of their wobbly human pyramid half the length of the field. Auron's eye automatically trained on Raine during every routine and she was playing her part perfectly at the bottom as far as Auron could tell. But it wasn't enough to avoid the wrath of the head cheerleader, a brunette who was too slim for her head, wore too much make-up and wasn't happy unless all eyes were on her. She called the end of practice soon after their pyramid attempt.

Raine left school from the south entrance, waving or smiling to her friends in farewell as they forked off in different directions towards their respectable streets. Most days, one or two of her friends stayed linked to Raine's hip on the way to her neighborhood and this day was no different. Auron knew to stay back. Part of him hoped she might make an excuse to her friends and meet him on his bench. It was rare, but she had done it before. As much as he dreaded a conversation about last night, apparently not discussing it was making him just as uneasy.

Home again, Auron found his place within the junipers and as it got dark, the windows got bright and he was able to watch them eat as a family. Dinner seemed a little more low-key tonight than last night. Their gestures of conversation were infrequent and looked polite in nature. When it was over, Raine went downstairs to her room, where she would talk on a commsphere, watch a show or do a little homework.

At some point a few hours later, Raine closed her curtains and it relieved Auron to know she wouldn't tease him. After last night, he was sure she would try to ruffle his feathers again now that she knew she could. On the same note, it disappointed him she didn't trust him to look away at the appropriate times anymore. She was probably right not to.

The curtains parted again and Auron was pleased she was wearing a thick white robe. Maybe this was the start of a new, more maintained relationship. She would be more aware of how she presented herself and Auron would work on subduing his attraction.

With the curtains pulled all the way back, Raine tugged the windows open and Auron raised his chin alertly. She wanted to talk. He supposed it was time. Auron started to step out of the trees, but Raine moved out of the window to the bed where he couldn't see. His eye flicked up to the second floor window. Her custodians were watching the late evening news. They would be retiring to bed soon.

Was she inviting him, or did she just need a little fresh air? It was a brisk night and a basement room like hers was already chilly enough. What was she doing? Feeling a trick, Auron stepped back into the trees. She was luring him, he realized. Forget it. He wouldn't go.

Soon, Raine's aunt and uncle turned out the lights and went to their bedroom on the far side of the upper level where Auron couldn't see. Raine's light was still on, the window still open. Still waiting for him to come. Crossing his arms, he settled back against the fence and became idle. He struggled to hollow out his mind to prepare for a long night of playing guardian, but clips of her self-pleasure blinked unbidden into his mind and he speculated if that was what she was doing now. Was she naked under her robe? Was she touching herself? Was she thinking of him? Whispering his name?

Fuck it.

Adjusting the strap of his scabbard, he glided out of the trees and strode across the yard. He crouched by her window and looked inside. She was sitting on her bed, reading under the covers, looking very snug in her thick white robe. He rapped his knuckles on the side of the window to get her attention. She only turned the page in response. With an inward sigh, Auron dropped down into the room and closed the windows, vowing to only stay a minute.

"It's freezing out there," he said.

Her nose still buried in the book, she answered with a lift of her finger. _In a moment, _she seemed to say.

Auron rolled his eye and waited, but she was taking her sweet time. "Would you like me to leave?"

"I have a quiz tomorrow. I'll be done in a moment."

Oh she was very good. Smirking, Auron leaned his katana on the wall. From the arm chair, he lifted her open book bag and moved it to the floor so he could sink into it. He tried to get comfortable, twisted, and plucked that little "Luv Sux" pillow out from under him and tossed it on the floor with the rest of the clutter. Although, as Auron glanced around, it seemed he could see more of the carpeting now, enough to realize it was a beige shag. Maybe she had picked up a little. In any case, it was much more comfortable inside than standing in the trees. He rested his head back and shut his eye, listening to the dry slide of paper as she turned the pages.

A few minutes later, Auron heard the soft thump of the book closing and he opened his eye. She was looking at him with a soft gaze. He shouldn't have gotten so comfortable. It would be easier to deflect her charms if he was standing.

"I saw you at lunch today," she said. Her knee came up and she placed a fist on top of it to prop up her chin, tilting her head sweetly.

"I wasn't sure that you did," Auron said impassively.

"Why?"

Auron sat still as stone and didn't answer right away. He wasn't sure he had a reply.

Her eyes turned bright, but wary. "Because I didn't come over and talk to you?"

"You have nothing to say?" Answering a question with a question was usually a good way to take the heat off.

"There's nothing more unattractive than a clingy girl."

"How would you know what I find attractive?"

Her cheeks stained red, but she wasn't about to be sidetracked and flashed him a hard look. "Nobody likes clingy."

Auron wondered if he was the clingy one. After all, he was the one sitting in her bedroom and had come inside without a proper invite. He didn't push the topic and was glad when she changed the subject.

"Did you see me on the field today?"

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't."

"How did you like our pyramid?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

"You did well," Auron said, skirting the question.

"Yeah," she said with grim sarcasm. "I'm so great at the bottom."

"If you want to prove yourself, first you must complete the tasks you're given," he said.

She sighed through her nose, annoyed. "You've never been a cheerleader before, have you?"

"No," he laughed. He figured she might not buy that. "In my world, the pyramid is a symbol for ascension."

"Well, in the real world, it just means Lindsey gets all the attention at the top." She sipped air and looked at him contritely. "Not that your world isn't real."

Affecting mild surprise, Auron said, "You want to be at the top of the pyramid?"

She shrugged. "Everybody does, so why shouldn't I?"

Auron mulled that over for a minute. "I didn't realize you craved that kind of attention."

"Everybody deserves to be at the top of the pyramid if they want to."

He nodded on that for a few beats, considering her, but didn't say anything.

With a flirty quirk of her lips, she said, "Did you think of me today?"

"No more than usual." He wasn't lying. Lately, it was typical to think of Raine squirming on his lap in her cheerleading uniform.

"Well," she sighed, "I thought of you a lot." She got up on her knees and removed her robe, draping it over her footboard. She was wearing her usual sleeping attire, a tank top and underwear. The top was burgundy with spaghetti straps and her panties were lavender, printed with fruit shapes: red apples, yellow bananas, oranges, violet grapes. She lied on her belly and rested her head on her folded arms, a drowsy smile on her face. Knees bent, she kicked her legs lazily in the air and Auron's eye lingered over the soft bump of her ass.

"Platonic thoughts, I hope."

"Oh yes," she said, her eye glinting.

"Good," he said. It was easy to sound stern, but it wasn't easy to mean it. She was often playful with him, but it was always guarded, as if she wasn't quite sure how he would take it. Now she treated him with an ease he didn't recognize. Sometimes he suspected she feared him; not from harm, but the humiliation of being scolded. He didn't necessarily like being feared by her, but it did suit his needs to keep her at a distance. But now, she had penetrated a weak spot on him and it wouldn't take much to exploit it. "You realize that can't happen again."

"Goodness no," she said, head rising in simulated horror. "There's plenty of stuff we can do before we do _that_ again."

"That's not what I mean."

"No?" she asked with a sweetly pitiful look.

"There's a name for people who are attracted to children."

"What, pedophiles?" Her eyebrows raised in mock-surprise. "Then why are you here? I don't see any children."

"Your window was open. It's freezing."

"I'm well aware of the temperature outside and I assure you its above freezing. And you can go whenever you want. I haven't tied you up," she said and gave him a sly look. "Yet."

He couldn't help smirking, but pursed his lips to restrict it and deepened his voice slightly. "You can't talk to me like that, either."

"It's called flirting. I've been doing it with you since I was 7 years old."

He raised an eyebrow in condemnation. "I find that hard to believe."

"Really?" she asked, with a challenge in her tone. She got up on her knees and clapped her hands on her cheeks, gazing wistfully up at the ceiling. "Owen, weed me this story while I sit on your lap. Owen, I'm supposed to hold someone's hand when I cwoss the street. Owen, will you tie my shoe for me?"

Auron rolled his eye. "None of that counts."

"Please. I was reading at an 8th grade level at 7, I had been crossing the street alone since I was 5 and I had plenty of dexterity to tie my own shoes."

"Acting inferior for attention? Who taught you to do that?"

"Well, since it worked on you, I guess…you did." She smiled. "Look, I'm perfectly capable of delivering my own orgasms, too, but it was more fun when you did it."

To cover a grin, he jutted his chin and quickly glared. "I apologize for invading your privacy last night. When I realized what was happening, I didn't want to embarrass you by announcing myself."

"Thank you for that," she said insipidly, tipping her head, giving him a level look. "Moaning your name was so much less humiliating."

"It was an awkward situation and I made the wrong choice. " He hesitated. "You understand you didn't do anything wrong, don't you?"

"Stop it. You sound like an afterschool special. Look, I can see this makes you uncomfortable. I'm willing to forget about it."

Finally. She was being reasonable. "It's best if we do."

"I'll forget about it for exactly 6 days."

Auron frowned. "Why 6 days?"

"I turn 18 in 6 days. Well, 5 after tonight."

"Raine—"

"I thought we were supposed to be real friends? Like you and Tidus."

Auron sighed. "We are—"

"Well, real friends should be able to talk about this. I'll agree not to talk about it for 6 days if you promise to talk about it openly when those 6 days are up."

He considered her deal. With her attention span, she would likely forget about it by then. He nodded. "I'll agree to that."

"Good," she said spritely, jumping off the bed. She approached him with a sideways smile and crawled into his lap.

Auron tensed. "This isn't part of the agreement."

"Friends do this," she assured.

"Believe me, my friends have never done this."

He was already missing the days when she used to fear him because his efforts to repel her were ineffective. The chair springs were squeaking as Auron squirmed to deter, but she managed to raise her knees like a fetus and cuddle against him. Disgruntled, Auron allowed it and situated in his seat to accommodate her. The weight of her against him was as comfortable as the sword on his back and his hand betrayed him almost immediately as his gauntlet cupped around her shoulder. His other arm was still tucked into his coat and Auron doubted it would have wasted little time finding its way to bare skin if unhampered. He closed his eye and his collar bent forward as he leaned his cheek on the top of her head.

There was something innocently familial about sitting like that with her, an intimacy they were both unaccustomed to, since Jecht was lost at sea before Raine turned 5 and the only life Auron knew as a boy was inside a monastery. Although it was like huddling for warmth, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that made it permissible. And yet, his heart was thrumming behind his armor and his excitement was persistent on the side of her hip.

She busied her fingers by tracing the seams around his armor and even though he couldn't see her eyes, he could tell her mind was working. "How well does this armor protect you?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," she giggled. "Jeez. It's not like I'm trying to learn your weak spot."

"I think you're closer to knowing than you think."

Her arm came across his chest to touch the small medallions, hanging like ornaments from the corner of his shoulder guard. Auron cast his eye down to simply watch, reminiscent of when she would play with them as a little girl, as if she liked the sound of them tinkling together.

"These are for beating Sin," she said and Auron couldn't tell if it was a question or not. It must have been a statement because a moment later, she asked, "Is this all you get for doing it?"

"And reputation."

"Nothing else physical? Money? Treasure?"

Auron shook his head.

"Is it worth it?"

"No. The calm makes it worth it."

Pushing back the shoulder guard, Raine released his arm. Just as Auron thought, his freed hand went straight for her thigh, sliding around the outside of her leg. Hearing the clicks of his collar buttons, Auron felt the delicate yanks as Raine unsnapped them and the material split apart, away from his mouth, weighed down by the heavy buckles.

"Why don't you face the field while I'm at practice?" Raine softly asked.

Auron almost smiled. He began rubbing his whiskers in her hair, stroking the outside of her leg. "Why do you think?"

"Do you think it's creepy for a man to watch girls through a school yard fence?"

"I wouldn't trust me," he chuckled.

There was a long pause and then she asked, "Are you afraid of what people think of you?"

"Only if I'm unable to do my job."

"Oh." Another pause. She dropped her head back and he felt her breath on the side of his face. "Next time, will you watch me?"

Faintly insulted, he opened his eye. "I watch you."

"Then face the field. When you sit with your back to me, it feels like your snubbing me."

Turning his face slightly, Auron's lips reached, coming within an inch of hers. He was breathing through his mouth, his saliva pooling with expectation of her sweet green apple tongue. "As you wish," he murmured.

She was also gasping for air, the same air he was trying to take in, but every time he tried to nudge against her mouth, she gently retreated. And the more she resisted, the more he thirsted. Before he could get a taste, she laid her head back in the crook of his elbow and stretched across his lap, her legs bending over the arm of the chair.

Eye sweeping over her quavering body, Auron targeted the peaks of her nipples under the material of her tank top. He lowered his mouth to one and snared it between his teeth. Her gasp was sharp and her hips raised off his lap slightly, enough for Auron to slip a hand under her ass and twist his fingers around the elastic waistband of her underwear. Tugging roughly, Auron stretched her fruited lavender undergarment around her hips. He was about to throw them aside when he sparked a devious idea. Gathering them in one hand, he raised them to her chin and touched them to her parted lips. Up until now, Raine's hands had been folded coolly on her stomach, but they came up suddenly, instinctively, to defend from the unexpected. Sensing rough play instead of foul play, Raine accepted her panties into her mouth. With a finger, he shoved the wads of fabric between her teeth, keeping a close watch on her wide eyes as they stared into his sunglasses.

"Can you breathe?" he asked softly.

"Mmm-hmm." She nodded eager approval, her lips unable to touch around her purple gag and the sight of her permanently open, anticipating mouth was strangely arousing. Seizing her chin, he squeezed her cheeks together, further pursing her pliable mouth, and then he stuck out his tongue and licked her loose lips, forceful, possessive. The moment his tongue touched her, she inhaled sharply through her nostrils, her lips straining to close on the purple gob.

He continued to tease her through the gag while his hand traveled down, between her breasts, around her hip to her knee, and then back up along her inner thighs. Her legs opened a little to make space and her wiry pubic hair tickled the palm of his hand as the pad of his middle finger caressed her nether lips, probing blindly until he found her slick entrance. His finger slid in without resistance, meeting the hot puddle inside her with a light squish. Emitting a stifled moan, Raine rolled her eyes up into her head and her lids floated down halfway in fresh ecstasy, oblivious now to his kisses.

Auron nuzzled the breast closest to him with his nose. "Lift your shirt," he said coarsely.

She did as she was told, exposing young, full breasts with stiff pink nipples. He growled in appreciation of her fledgling form, marveling how she was still so perfectly smooth, unmarred by life's scars. Bending forward to one of her flawless breasts, he inhaled as much as his mouth could manage, sucking harshly with primal enthusiasm. Raine wriggled in his lap, groaning and chomping on her own panties, and Auron inserted a second finger into her vagina, pumping her vigorously with his non-dominant hand. His thumb pad grazed her clitoris and she bucked against his hand, her breath coming out her nose in short bursts.

In his very distant past, Auron habitually brought his sex partners to orgasm, but not in the interest of pleasing them. As a man who craved challenge, the act of pleasuring women turned him on as a test to himself. It was different with Raine. She was so quick to please him, so trusting, and the power she let him have over her was intensely moving. Everything he was doing to her was for the first time and she experienced it with nervous innocence, lost in her own pleasure as if Auron wasn't even there. He was merely an extra appendage of hers, existing only to sate her budding desire.

Writhing toward orgasm, Raine grazed his groin without meaning to and he couldn't help his low whine and the automatic flex of his hips to brush his erection on the side of her thigh. One final jam of his fingers and Raine was electrified, her hips elevated off his lap. Her hands turned to fists on whatever they could grab: one clutched the lapel of his cloak, the other scratched madly at his knee, her guttural pleas wordless against the filter of her panties. Auron caught up to her mouth, nipping the underwear with his incisors and drawing them between her lips, dropping them useless on her chest. He was about to kiss her, but she was already clamoring up on her knees and Auron winced as her knees jabbed into his thighs and kicked him in the stomach as she switched positions.

"Sorry, sorry," she whispered on his lips, her tongue wrestling through his teeth. It wasn't green apple he tasted. Tonight, it was an effervescent, exotic blend of fruit punch. It reminded him of the apples, oranges and grapes printed on her purple underwear and he hummed approvingly on her mouth. She was still squirming against him with a heated urgency and at first he thought she was working her way to a second climax the way her hips thrust against him frantically. But her body began to rub against him in the most delicious ways, inadvertently goading his penis to full size, and there was something wickedly disgraceful and duplicitous about the way he clasped the arm rests, allowing the gratifying accident to happen without assistance or hindrance. Her pubic bone had somehow located his engorged head and the focused friction made him suddenly groan, which she misconstrued for discomfort.

"Does that hurt?" she asked.

"Sweet Yevon, don't stop," he rasped.

Encouraged, she bounced faster. His head dropped back against the back of the chair, his breath coming out in short gusts, vaguely aware of her honeyed mouth biting and yanking on his lips. Gritting his teeth to hold back grunts of pleasure, he felt the warm gush of ejaculate in his pants.

Raine slumped against him, her cheek on his shoulder, her lips barely touching the side of his neck. Catching his breath, his hand shimmied up her shirt and began to stroke her back softly, affectionately. Even with her bare breasts flattened against his leather plate and sticky juices bleeding through his breeches, he recognized the tender intimacy from before, swelling his chest in unfamiliar ways.

"You should get to bed," he whispered.

Her mumbled reply was unintelligible and Auron suspected she was already well on her way to falling asleep. He gently squeezed his arms around her and scooted to the edge of the cushion with her in his lap. It touched him the way she let him handle her. "Hold on," he said and sleepy arms snaked around his neck as she nestled her face against his throat. He carefully got to his feet and her legs wound intuitively around his waist as he carried the lethargic nymph back to her bed. Plopping her down on the bed, he untangled her limbs and lifted the blankets, and he casually noticed the spectators of stuffed animals were missing. Raine must have put them away somewhere. She cuddled with her pillow for a moment before reaching out to tug his hand.

He squeezed his lips together and lowered to a knee next to the bed, kissing her fingers. "I can't," he said quietly.

"Just stay for an hour," she murmured.

"This must stop."

Her eyes were closed in sleep, but a hurt expression still crossed her face. It was so adorable, Auron couldn't tell if it was mocking or not. "You told me not to stop."

Auron tried to make his sigh sound serious but he smiled in the middle of it and it turned into a kind of short laugh. "Go to sleep. You have school in the morning."

She grunted unhappily and Auron had to wrench his hand out of her grip. He turned off the bedside lamp, grabbed his katana and hoisted out the window.

Halfway back to the slew of junipers in the backyard, Auron waffled, tormented by his decision to leave her and guilt ridden for his immoral acts with her. Auron was also aware two wrongs didn't make a right. Of course, if he went back, he was setting a dangerous precedent, but if he didn't go back, he worried it would affect her outlook on men for the rest of her life. She was already selling herself short with Jory. Auron tried to look at it from a guardian standpoint. If anyone else had used her in this way, Auron would have taken off his head with the end of his katana before he reached the sidewalk.

Spinning around, Auron loped back to the window. He dropped inside her room and shut the window.

Raine rolled over on her elbow, dashing away tears with the knuckle of her index finger. "Did you forget something?"

He propped his sword in the corner by the closet, dangled his gauntlet on the hilt. "I think it's going to rain. Can I—"

She lifted the blanket and scooted back towards the wall. Auron kicked off his boots where he stood and slid under the covers, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her against his leather plate. He wished he could feel her heat on him, but his armor made him numb. A moment later, Raine sniffed into his cuirass and Auron craned his neck back to look at her face.

"Raine?" He tried to coax her into the open so he could look at her, but she adamantly buried her face in the front of his cloak. Auron smirked at her childish reticence and gave her another squeeze.

"Sorry," she whimpered. "I think I'm getting my period."

"What brought this on?"

She shook her head on his armor. "We'll talk about it in 6 days."

So it was because he left.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep and Auron spent the majority of the night thinking in circles. Six days. She said it as if everything would be different then. What could possibly change in that amount of time to warrant a 6 day gap before they talked about what was happening now? She might be 18 then, but it wouldn't change the present. It all depended on what was to be discussed and Auron was beginning to feel like he'd been tricked into leaving things open to interpretation. He might have been spared a difficult conversation.

But how much more difficult would it be in six days?


	3. Day Two

Auron drifted off for a little while during the night, but he was up before dawn, when it was still dark. Raine was faced away from him, just a bundle of quilts and blonde frizz, and the twin bed made it impossible not to spoon her. He slid backwards out of bed and brought his boots over to the chair to lace them up. Raine stirred and turned over, her eyes drowsy slits as she smiled.

"It's still early, go back to bed," he said quietly.

"That was more than an hour," she said.

He smirked. "It was more difficult to leave your bed than I thought."

"Try leaving it on a Monday morning."

She watched him finish lacing up his boots and strap on his gauntlet, as if committing his routine to memory. Her eyes softened on him as he kneeled next to the bed.

"Do you have a way to school?" he asked.

"The girls are coming by. We're walking together."

"And after school?"

"I'm going to Katie's for a study group."

"You'll need an escort home."

"Katie's dad is giving me a ride home."

The stab of jealousy was both unexpected and unwanted. He felt like he was chasing her even though they weren't moving. Why was he so irrationally compelled to find out when he could see her next? It seemed he absolutely could not get through the day parting so ambiguously.

"I'll be home tonight around 9, though," she said, as if this was some kind of consolation.

Auron leaned in to kiss her, but she averted her lips in shock. "Morning breath, Auron," she said and kissed him quickly on the cheek. It was a poor substitution and despite spending all night with her, he missed her the moment he entered his shroud of junipers in the backyard.

Dawn came quickly after that. Raine's household began buzzing with activity and Auron circled around to the alley to wait for Raine's friends and follow at a distance. This time, Auron passed the school to the train station across street and sat on the platform as a sentinel to the school's west entrances. Every 15 minutes, a train screeched to a stop to pick up and drop off stragglers on its way to A-west or Central Zanarkand. The day was breezy, overcast, but warm, and mid-morning a caretaker came by to sweep up trash and empty the receptacles.

Fourth period, Raine had physical education and today was an outside day. Faintly smiling, Auron watched Raine warm-up with jumping jacks, toe-touches and arm circles, trying to blend in with the rest of her class, but she was the only one in hot pink leggings under her gym shorts and his eye was naturally drawn to her, even at this distance. She ran the mile rather efficiently in the top fourth of her class and during her race, Auron left the platform and strolled down to the two-way bench he sat on yesterday during her practice, except this time he faced the field like she asked.

Only twenty feet away from where he sat, her hands shaped like claws in the chain links of the fence, Raine braced for her stretches, talking idly with one of the boys who had finished the same time. Her limbs bent flexibly, her rear arching back as she stretched her hamstrings, then touched the back of her shorts with her shoe as she stretched her thighs. The boy said something apparently funny and Auron heard her laugh across the span between them, which wiped away what little smile was on Auron's face. He never claimed to be a comedian, but he had gotten her to laugh with his dry wit and it made him sullen to watch her laugh so easily with someone else.

He had risked his anonymity to sit close to the field so she didn't think he was "snubbing" her, but now he was invisible. It drove him just short of crazy to be ignored by her, but he found it exhilarated him at the same time. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe she had forgotten about Jory long enough to realize there was other quality people available to her, although the generous look the boy was giving her breasts as they pressed against her fitted shirt during her arm stretches was hardly quality.

Auron's soul lightened considerably when Raine glanced clandestinely in his direction. The boy she was with had walked away and the way she squinted despite the overcast made Auron confuse it for a look of scorn. He didn't understand. He thought she wanted him there. Auron's teeth grit together. When did protecting her become such cruelty? Their sexual romps were clouding his judgment. No matter what she claimed, she didn't need him hovering over her. His job was better done in distant shadows. She was just a girl. She didn't know what she wanted.

Quickly, she stuffed a hand into her pocket and pulled something out Auron couldn't see, immediately shoving it through the spaces in the fence. Something small and white tangled in the blades of grass. With a significant glance, she turned around to join her other classmates finishing the mile run. Auron stayed rooted to his seat. As the rest of Raine's class trailed in to finish the race, their times confirmed and recorded in the gradebook, the students retreated back inside to the locker rooms. Auron rose and strode over to Raine's covert dead drop. It was a note, written on college-ruled notebook paper, folded several times very neatly with a fringe of paper on one side. He opened it, flattening it against the chest of his armor.

_Lunch time. Sports shed._

She had never asked him to meet her before. It was possible it was important, however what was important to Raine was trivial to Auron in the grand scope of things. But at this point any concern of hers was a concern of his. He had been wondering how he was going to get through the day without connecting with her.

Auron walked around the block, passed the main entrance to the east side, to a narrow strip of forestry he often used as a hiding spot when he intuited his welcome was wearing out on the sidewalks and benches. Marching north through the trees, his boots disturbing a carpet of dead leaves, he headed for a small outbuilding set far from the school in the field outskirts. The door faced the woods and he exited the trees with purpose to try the door, but it was secured with a gilded padlock. So he leaned against the white clapboard and waited.

Fourth period was the last class before her lunch and it didn't take long for the meal bell to sound. Soon, he could hear her footsteps hissing in the grass as she approached and she was smiling as she rounded the corner of the shack.

"Hey," she said.

"I got your note. Is something wrong?" he asked.

Keys jangled in her hand as she started to unlock the sports shed. "Only that we have less than 50 minutes."

Auron's heart skipped a beat as he watched her disappear into the shed. She stuck her head back outside.

"Coming?"

Grinning, he sidestepped inside and Raine closed the door behind him. The shed was small and cramped, lined with metal lockers filled with sport's equipment, nets of blitzballs drooping from the wall, blue practice mats layering the floor. Murky sunlight came in through a dusty window, but it made her hair look silvery as she plopped down on the mats and tossed the keys to the side. She leaned back on her hands and crossed her legs by the ankles, her demure smile made the blood rush to his crotch.

Checking an imaginary watch on her wrist she said, "Fifty minutes goes by fast, you know."

"What do you expect to happen in fifty minutes?"

"Whatever you want."

His boots sounded heavy on the plank floors as he approached the edge of the mats. "I'm afraid what I want is a little advanced for you."

Blushing, her eyes dilated in arousal. "I'm a fast learner."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Save your fear for my birthday," she said darkly, jaw hardening, vaguely haughty. It startled him and he began to sweat a little in the armpits. He was beginning to think her birthday was going to be the ultimate excuse to throw caution to the wind and be irresponsible. "Why don't you start by unbuckling your collar?"

Unhurried, Auron dipped his shoulder to remove the strap of his scabbard, braced it against one of the lockers, pausing to make sure it wouldn't slide over. He unsnapped his collar buttons one by one with his gauntlet. When he was done, his sunglasses rested on her to await more instructions. No matter how experienced she considered herself to be, no matter how much experience Jory claimed to have before her, Auron had to be ginger with her. He wouldn't take what wasn't his and if she called all the shots, he would be certain to run at a pace she was comfortable with.

Her gaze lowered and lingered at his groin, which was enough to spur his organ to life. Her ability to give him an erection from six feet away was almost magical in nature, but if she instructed him to remove his pants, would he oblige? His may not be the first penis she's ever seen, but he also knew Jory's boy-balls were no comparison. Once he exposed himself, there was no going back and the last time Auron had looked at his genital region there had been a few grey hairs and he wanted to spare her that vision for as long as he could. However, her next directive did not involve further disrobement.

"Kiss me," she husked.

Auron dropped to the mats, shouldering his arm out of his coat and met her lips. She buried her hands in his hair, coaxing him down to the mat. She hummed into his mouth as she schooled him at kissing, her tongue expertly darting between his lips at just the right times. Her flavor of the day was an ultra-sweet version of grape that tasted nothing like the grapes in wine, but delightful anyway. She knew when to breathe and when to tilt her head. She made kissing so easy and she made him feel good about his technique, improvising when she had to and fluidly moving to his ear or neck when Auron had to take a moment to catch his breath.

"Put your hand up my shirt," she murmured against his lips.

He tried to be casual about it, but the new level she added excited him like a teenager. Cupping her bra, he gently traced the stitching of her bra, trying to locate her nipple in the lace.

"Harder."

Groping, Auron kneaded her as much as her tight sweater allowed him to, her chest heaving under his touch. He was leaning on his elbow, some of his weight braced by his knees on the mat but he felt like he was crushing his erection on her thigh. At one point he realized his kisses were becoming rough and guileless and Raine had to struggle out from under his lips to take in a few irregular breaths. The skin around her mouth was bright pink and irritated from his beard.

"Too hard?" he rasped.

"Take off my underwear," she said with a catch as she gulped air.

He kneeled up, both hands shooting under her cheerleading skirt. He merely had to hold them in place as Raine crab-walked backwards on the mats, practically undressing herself. Auron untangled them from her sneakers and then just held them. He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her, wondering if she would order him to put them in her mouth like he had done last night, but that might have been counterproductive when she wanted to give another command. Her hands were shaking as she gathered her skirt in her fingers, breathing through her mouth, the expression in her eyes timid and fearful. As the blonde mound of glistening fur became exposed, the heady scent of her musk alerted him of her excitement, and if memory served him later on, he actually licked his lips.

"Kiss the inside of my thigh," she whispered.

Anticipating where this was leading, Auron removed his sunglasses and discarded them to the mat. Leaning on his elbows, he forced himself to go slow, placing little kisses on her quivering inner thigh. Absently, he thought of the time and picked up the intensity, switching thighs, using his teeth. She began squirming in expectation, but Auron only focused on her legs as per her instructions and an abrupt moan came through her lips, as if she had been holding her breath.

"Raine, what's next?" he whispered on her thigh.

She grunted something unintelligible.

"Raine—"

"I—please—" She interrupted herself with a wordless mewl, her needy hips pumping at his face.

Auron grinned against her skin. She was testing his willpower to hold back and wait for orders, but he had to admit, he liked this game. "Say it Raine."

"Gnah!" she cried. "Make me come!"

By the crooks of her knees, he jerked her towards him to situate her and stabbed his tongue into her swollen, velvety pleats. Exploring around for the sensitive spot, he knew he'd found it when she gave a quick moan and her knees pinched involuntarily, his hearing becoming muffled by her thighs and he was glad he had put his glasses aside to preserve them. Burrowing his nose into her pubic hair, he circled his tongue around in concentrated loops. Closing his eye to relish her faintly salty taste, he curled his arms around her predatorily, ravenously slurping, her syrup trickling down his chin. Her sighs came heavy and hard, her fingers sliding into his hair, grabbing his forelock, tugging to some soundless rhythm. His jaw tightened, but he could sense how close she was, her knees drawn up, legs spread as far as she could manage to allow him total access, her ass clenching to rock her sex against his face.

Then there was nothing. Her body wilted, her shoes hit the mat, her hands left his hair, her breathing ceased, but he didn't lose pace. Soon, where there was nothing, there was everything. Her hips flicked up, rising inches off the mat. Her thighs clamped around his skull, her fists clutched at her sweater and her wonderful screams of pleasure were clear and pure.

Auron lifted his face when she began to grow ticklish, running a hand down his chin and lurched up on the mat. He was careful not to let his erection touch anything, the mat, her leg, her hand, and lied on his side with his head propped up. She was gulping air, her eyelashes lying drowsily on the tops of her cheeks and Auron smiled at her, feeling smug and anxious for his own release.

Rolling towards him with a sleepy half smile, her eyes still closed, she gently cupped his groin. He inhaled noisily through his teeth and then dropped his mouth onto hers. With a dainty, novice touch, she massaged his shaft through his trousers and when she found the head, gave it a light squeeze with her thumb and forefinger. Auron groaned on her lips, piercing his tongue through her teeth, bumping his erection against her palm. Forgetting his reservations about revealing his manhood to her, Auron couldn't think of anything except yanking his drawstrings and freeing himself. He wanted her to look. To touch. To taste.

She shoved his bare shoulder and Auron's mind was so full of wool he thought she was trying to escape. But before he knew it, he was on his back and she was kneeled up beside him. Hair mussed, red lips wet and parted, Raine looked fuzzily down at the lump in the front of his pants and began rooting for the drawstrings.

Sweet Yevon…

And then she gasped with sudden clarity, dropping the undone trouser laces and jumping to her sneakers. "Was that the bell?"

Feeling loose and lightheaded, he blinked hard with purpose. The room darkened as Raine approached the small window.

"Shit, that was the second bell." Raine dashed to the door.

"Already?" Auron asked stupidly, scooping up his glasses and pushing off the mat with one hand.

Raine peeked outside first to check to see if it was clear and then opened the door. Auron slipped out with her and she slammed the door, fiddling with the lock. When the shed was secure, she glanced at him over her shoulder as she deposited the keys into her skirt pocket and she disappeared around the corner without even a goodbye.

Auron held his sword like a staff and leaned on it to sort his bearings, but he scarcely had time to replace his sunglasses when Raine had a change of heart and rushed back to him, angling her face up to his. They quickly kissed, simple and perfunctory, like a married couple hustling off to work. Meeting his eye, Raine hesitated and Auron felt the crackle of electricity between them. Auron half-squatted to set his sword on the ground and then groped for her. Faces mashing, his arms swung around her, their second kiss was demanding and harsh, almost punishing, springing his erection back to life.

"What the hell," she panted into his mouth and dug into her pocket for the key. "I'm already late."

Auron swallowed and clapped his hands around her face so he could look her in the eye. "No," he said hoarsely, pressing his lips to hers as a goodbye peck. "Go to class."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely." He couldn't let her start cutting classes now, no matter how much he was throbbing for her. "We'll be together tonight."

She stepped back, her eyes flicking down to his excitement. "I'll make it up to you, I swear."

With a smirk, he said, "We'll see." Now that he was half-sane, Auron's evaporating resolve condensed to a solid again.

When she was gone, Auron leaned against the side of the shed to collect his wits and let his manhood settle, but his chest was still pounding when he entered the woods. He spent the majority of the day milling around in the trees, trying to walk off the nervous energy strumming in his body. Tendrils of adrenaline raced through him when the last bell rung, as he hiked back to the main entrance to watch her come out. He strained to keep his form statuesque on the bench as she came skipping out, laughing away the stress of the school day with several of her friends.

There was no practice today and Auron rose out of his seat and followed her across the street to the train platform, now flooded with students. He stood at the edge, stoic among the animated teenagers. He caught glimmers of Raine's blonde hair in the crowd and when the train came whining to a stop, he kept his distance and boarded the car behind hers. The students on his car were quiet loners who kept to themselves and Auron sat in the middle with the fewest passengers. Using both hands, Auron lifted his katana to the shelf above his booth and settled into the stiff bench. The seats were durably upholstered with lime green material and the back rests were low enough so Auron could see into the next car. To know what stop Raine was getting off at, he had to keep alert.

The train departed from the platform with a hiss and a jolt and was just gaining momentum when he saw Raine pop into the aisle in the car ahead of his. Probably changing seats to talk with another one of her many friends he realized, and expected her to shimmy in next to someone else, but she kept coming, all the way to the door between their boxcars. With a whoosh of wind and engine roar, she slid the glass partition open to pass through and met his eye immediately with a mockingly arrogant simper, eliciting from him a broad smile.

She was momentarily distracted by one of the other students sitting alone. She grinned at Raine, pushing up her thick black reading glasses, closing the book in her lap, holding her place with a finger. Raine smiled and stopped and Auron could hear the light rhythm of small talk. He wondered if Raine would have stopped if her friends were with her. But then, she wouldn't have come directly to his seat when she was done if her friends were with, either.

Gliding into his booth, sitting across from him, Raine only smiled, giddy and slightly wicked, like she had a secret to tell, but she wanted him to ask her first.

"What?" Auron grinned.

"Do you have something of mine?" she asked with a skosh of innocence.

Auron briefly frowned. "No."

She searched for his eyes through the dark tint of his sunglasses, trying to determine his virtue. "Maybe check your pockets."

"Pockets"was the key word. With a remorseful groan, Auron reached into his side pocket and returned her slightly damp underwear. He had put them there when he took them off in the sports shed. "I apologize. I completely forgot they were there."

"Yeah right," she said, flapping them open. They were baby pink, covered with squiggles of purple and green confetti ribbons. Covertly bending forward at the waist, she hiked them up under her skirt. Auron noticed the girl with the glasses as she glanced back to look for Raine, but Raine was shielded by the backrest of her bench. Losing interest, the girl focused back on her book.

Auron touched Raine so she would pay attention. "I swear it wasn't purposeful."

Regarding his gauntlet on her elbow, Raine twisted her lips. "You're lucky the pep rally was before lunch." She sat back down, fanning the umbrella skirt around her creamy thighs. "It sure kept my mind thinking of you, though. It was…kind of a thrill."

"You've had quite a day," he said, matter-of-factly, thinking of their encounter in the sports shed.

She nodded in agreement. Then, all at once, she grinned, flushed, and lowered her head as she scrutinized her painted fingernails. "I kind of like sneaking around. Makes it more exciting, don't you think?"

"A little too exciting," Auron grumbled.

"What do you mean? I thought you liked low-key."

"I like…" He searched for the right word. "Uncomplicated."

"You want to go public with this?"

"I don't know what 'this' is, but I doubt it would be easier."

"At least we agree on that."

Auron heard the rush of air from behind as someone came through the doors and a male student passed by without so much as a glance in their booth. He found a seat near the front and slid in.

Raine brushed her hair back over her shoulder and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap. The way the late afternoon sun flickered on her face as they sped by a cluster of trees, she looked like a lady sitting like that, somewhat askew with a poise and posture that looked almost elegant. "Aren't you going to ask me about Jory?" she asked.

"What would you like me to ask?"

He had put her on the spot and she grimaced uncertainly. "I don't know. Are we still dating…do we…."

"_Are_ you still dating?" Auron asked, interrupting her.

Briefly weighing a response, she said, "Technically."

"How lucky he is to have such a technical union."

She dimmed, trying to decide if he was being facetious, and said, "Things have been on hold for the last couple days. Until further notice."

"At least you've been using your time wisely."

Smothering a smirk, she gave him an all-over look. "You look hot."

"Thanks," Auron said insipidly, unsure of her vernacular. He thought maybe she was alluding to his physical attractiveness.

Her eyes were slyly calculating him. "Maybe you should take off your cloak to cool off."

Raising an eyebrow, it occurred to him she was referring to something else. Although he was quite comfortable with his cloak on, he loosened his gauntlet and sat forward slightly, obligated to release the sash on his waist and remove his great coat. Lifting his rear off the seat, he slipped the cloak out from under him and tossed it into the window seat next to him. She was like an uncharted cave. He was compelled to see where she would lead.

"That's better," she said quietly, rising to her feet to switch seats. She picked up the coat and hugged it against her as she sat down close to him. His arm made a backstroke motion and curled naturally around her shoulders and the pressure of her on his right side quickened his breath. And when she draped the cloak over his lap, he knew what she meant to do.

"Sweet Yevon," he muttered and shifted in his seat. Furtively, he peered over the backs of the seats, recounting heads. Five, now. They were all facing away, except for the most recent passenger, who was bowing over something interesting, a book perhaps.

Meanwhile, Raine was one-handedly groping at the drawstrings of his trousers, unfettering the clasps until he sprung free into her hand. He positioned his boots squarely in front of him on the floor and lifted up slightly to adjust his balls.

Slowly, her hand explored his shape, girth and length with tentative squeezes, starting at the root. When she reached the end, he could feel the itch of leakage and her thumb smeared it across the head, sending small shocks of pleasure to his spine. His organ throbbed on her palm as he felt the constriction of her fingers enclosing him and she began stroking with firm, uniform pressure.

Struggling to appear ordinary, Auron clamped his teeth together and his arm tightened around her shoulder. The back rests were tall enough to conceal their surreptitious task and if anyone happened to glance in his direction, Auron was confident all they would see were his sunglasses looking straight ahead. In fact, he could even close his eye and no one would know, however someone had to keep a lookout. The movement of her pumps under his cloak would be obvious to anyone walking by.

"Does that feel good?" she whispered.

He couldn't answer right away. He was sure that the moment he opened his mouth to talk his words would sound like lusty grunts, and when she looked up for validation, the innocence in her wide blue eyes yanked at his heart. No matter how confident she appeared, she was still learning and demanded guidance. "Yes," he mouthed and left his teeth together in that "S" position, savoring his building passion. She drove him in fresh determination, but she hadn't paced herself and now she was fatiguing, her maddening pumps becoming irregular and unpredictable.

Behind him, the rush of air blew through the door as someone else entered the cab. Disgruntled, he pressed flat on his groin to cease her, his tension deflating while they waited for the passenger to walk by. When no one did, Auron dared a glance and saw someone had sat two booths back. Raine looked up for confirmation and he faintly nodded.

She resumed her quick caresses, her hand silky with his lubrication, making lewd, squirting sounds. The gentle pinch of her thumb and forefinger over the head made his eye roll, but he had to start over to rebuild the pressure. Soon, he realized he was holding back, his pinnacle journey plateauing. The thought of ejaculating in her hand seemed vulgar and his ego wanted to spare her that awkward moment when she looked for a place to wipe it off. And as a man with high degree of control, he was disturbed with the power she had over him.

"Auron, my stop is soon," she murmured.

"Okay," he said under his breath. Just then, the girl with the glasses swiveled her head in their direction. Her glance was momentary, but Auron saw it in slow motion and it seemed cursory until she was facing the front again. He closed his eye to concentrate on her touches. He just needed a minute to get out of his head, to forget about the people sitting around him.

"My friends will be coming to look for me."

Finally, a channel opened, the rebuild of his orgasm bounding to its peak in long strides. Pushing up from his boots, he bucked once, his arm tensing around the back of Raine's neck…

…almost there…

Raine's hand pulled out from under the cloak and she cradled it in her other hand like she'd injured it. Auron's whole body seemed to jerk in anguish. "I—I don't think I'm doing it right," she mumbled, avoiding his eye.

"You were doing fine," he rasped softly. Auron's pounding erection was still at full attention underneath, the head very sensitive against the inside fabric of his cloak, but recouping his lost desire after a second interruption would be impossible.

"No, something's wrong. Usually by now—" Her hand fretfully touched her forehead as she got to her feet. "Nothing, forget it. I should go."

He knew she meant by now Jory would have climaxed. With the luxury of privacy, that boy with zero self-control had probably ejaculated in his pants before Raine had even touched him.

Auron shifted his boots to let her by and she couldn't get away from him fast enough, setting a hand on his knee by accident as she climbed around him. She hurried down the aisle and didn't look back when she went through the door.

The stop was coming up fast and Auron had to tuck himself and tie his drawstrings hastily. His erection still hadn't faded when it was time to get up to leave, so he left his cloak draped in his arm to conceal it.

Auron searched for Raine in the crowd and snagged her eye at the edge of the train platform. She was with her friends. They had stopped to talk to another group and she was listening with only one ear. Auron nodded down at the cloak in front of him and shook his head at her with a smirk. It made her smile, at least. Auron patted his heart and Raine smothered a grin and casually made a flapping motion towards her face like she was fanning herself. Chuckling to himself, Auron didn't look away. The sharp tug of their attraction kept their eyes glued to each other, until one of Raine's friends asked her a question, drawing her attention to something else. It looked like her group was getting ready to go and she glanced his way, maybe to make sure he knew it.

Blood diffusing back to his extremities, Auron wrapped his cloak around him and adjusted his scabbard, following the group of girls off the platform. He allowed a long head start before starting down the same avenue, a narrow road winding through a woody, bosky neighborhood of three story custom houses with tidy hedges and expansive green yards. There were no alleys and Auron had to skirt the garage to the back yard and duck into a clump of lavender bushes by the white-washed gazebo.

He kept low for the next hour or so until the pool lights began to turn on automatically, aqua blue light shimmering across the patio furniture and inflatable water toys. The large, fixed picture windows were capped with lunettes and allowed for optimal viewing once enough indoor lights turned on, but where ever Raine and her friends were, it was not on this side of the house and he saw no sign of them.

When the matriarch finished making dinner, Raine and her friends gathered in the kitchen and filled their plates, filing back to their study area. Auron continued to watch idly until Katie's father came home, parking his machina vehicle in the garage. It felt odd to watch a family he didn't know; how Katie's younger siblings ate in front of the massive holographic screen and how they let their dishes pile up in the sink to be dealt with later.

Another hour went by. Night took over. And Auron's eye was captured by a small window on the first floor as a light flicked on. He could see a cloudy image moving through the glass before the curtains split open and Raine appeared, fumbling with the locks. Auron glanced around to the other windows to make sure it was clear and burst through the trees, rounding the pool with alacrity unlike him. He thought she might want to keep her distance after the mishap on the train. He also felt the need to explain, but explain what? He had been holding back…and more than just his climax.

She was smiling when he approached, her hips leaning over the window sill to drop a kiss down on his lips. His gauntlet tangled in her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered on his mouth. "I freaked. It was taking so long. I thought I was doing something wrong."

His hand ran down the curve of her skull, smoothing her hair, loving and sympathetic, but his lips quirked teasingly. "Faster is not always better." It wasn't the explanation he wanted to give, but it made her smile through her kiss and she wrapped her soft, sweatered arms around his neck. Wrestling his arm out of his cloak, he let the sleeve fall back and touched the side of her ribs. Her face tilted to deepen her kiss and Auron matched her intensity. He couldn't get enough of her mouth.

"Come with me," he whispered.

She retreated. There was a funny expression on her face. "Where?"

"Anywhere. I'll walk you home."

She looked confused as she considered and Auron sensed a no and smothered it with his lips. He wanted her to himself. No other guardians, no students, no second bells, no people on a train. Just the two of them.

"I can't," she said, regretful, but somewhat dogged, too. "I'll get in trouble."

Auron winced. The restraints of underage. The rules she had to live by seemed so arbitrary and meaningless. In Spira, women younger than her were already married, having children. She was old enough to make her own decisions now, what was the difference if it was now or in 5 days when she turned 18? But it occurred to Auron she _was_ making her own decision and it was to play by the rules. Auron never thought he would be the one talking her into breaking them. He felt sheepish for even suggesting she stay out past her curfew and he also had a strangely unprotected feeling in her presence, like he'd run into battle before making sure he had the proper equipment.

"I have to go," she said. "They're going to think I'm constipated or something."

"One more."

Grinning, she swooped down so they could kiss and it was full and simple and it made Auron's heart expand. "I'll see you at home," she said.

Auron nodded and let her go. Checking his surroundings, he headed back to the trees. The last leg of the study session seemed to take forever to end, but finally the garage opened and Katie's dad backed out with Raine and her friends in the back seat. Auron ran to the train station to catch the last train back to the school. He always preferred it when she walked or took public transportation but on those times when she was at the mercy of someone else, Auron's nerves were on edge until he could catch up.

On the way back, Auron was alone on his train car. He took a rare moment to close his eye and thought back to her warm hand on his erection, exploratory at first and then firm with determination. Her confidence was so thin from inexperience, although sometimes she masked it well. It confused him. He hated to think of her with hurt feelings. There was very little Auron could do about it, it was simply the nature of the situation. He couldn't push her along too quickly and he couldn't take back what experience he already had.

It was his nature to keep all things at arm's length. But now he had the peculiar sensation of being held back, by an arm not his own and not necessarily by Raine, either. Her school schedule, her social life and the boundaries set not only by her caregivers, but the rest of society too, was keeping her just out of his reach. Her inaccessibility distressed him and made him want her more. It was all very complicated and Auron preferred simple. Some spare gil and the glory of being a guardian on a pilgrimage made it effortless to have his basic needs met, but when he thought back to the hungry, soulless women in the darkest parts of Spira, simple just felt hollow. And Auron suspected his needs had become less basic and more convoluted as of late.

Waiting at the door when the train stopped, Auron slipped out onto the platform the moment the doors opened and headed down the avenue towards Raine's street. He wasn't that much farther behind her, seeing Katie's father swerve away from the curb as Auron came down the sidewalk. He turned into the alleyway shortly after Raine disappeared through her front door.

In the backyard, Raine's window was black, but upstairs, he saw her chatting with Aunt Naya. He didn't even bother going to the junipers first and stayed in the shadows as he quickly crossed the yard, pushing open her bedroom window. He liked how she kept it unlocked and slightly ajar for him. An intruder's welcome mat. Dropping inside the dark room, he closed the window and went to the door to listen for her foot treads on the stairs.

He heard the faint swell of the game upstairs, along with the mumble of conversation. Soon, Raine was on the stairs and he backed against the wall. When she walked in, he grabbed her. One arm slid around her waist, the other clapped around her mouth. She seized in startle, but Auron's lips brushed her neck and she softened. He felt her turning in his arms and he kissed her face in the dark until he found her open mouth.

"How long have you been here?" she whispered.

"I just got here," he said, nudging her chin up with his nose to kiss her throat.

Her arms came up around his neck and his hands traveled all around her backside and when he came back up to kiss her lips, he could feel her smiling. "Did you miss me?" she asked.

"Hmmm" was his only response. Understatement at best. He was missing her now, knowing she would be asleep soon, knowing in the morning she would have to leave him again. The moments they stole today were too short and left him wanting more every time.

"Sit down, okay? Let me get changed."

He made a whining sound on her mouth that surprised even him.

"Don't worry, you're going to like this."

Moving back his face, he tried to focus on her in the dark, but it was impossible behind his sunglasses. "You've planned something?"

"Sort of. Sit, sit."

She left him to do something in another part of her room and Auron felt around nearby for the arm chair. He drew the strip of his scabbard off his shoulder and set it on the floor next to him before sinking into the chair. He could hear the woody drag of drawers opening and closing and the spark of a match lit up Raine's face as she ignited a few of the scented candles on her dresser. Shaking the match, she left it smoking on the surface and the sulphur reached his nostrils as she closed her bedroom door.

Adjusting in his seat for ideal comfort, he plucked that heart pillow out from behind him again. Of all the paraphernalia forgotten on her bedroom floor, why was the pillow the only thing to ever get picked up and put back? Although lately it seemed her floor was less cluttered, at least he hadn't stumbled over any books or humps of clothes while maneuvering her room in the dark.

Auron held up her laced heart pillow with an ironic look.

Her brief smile was dry and humorless. "Jory gave it to me for our anniversary."

With a questioning tilt of his head, Auron turned the pillow around so "Luv Sux" was facing her.

"Inside joke."

"Funny," Auron said just as blandly and threw it down by his feet.

He didn't take his eye off her as she passed him to go to the closet, rummaging around in the dark for some item and removing something long and snake-like. She kneeled down on the right side of the chair and toyed with it a moment until Auron was able to see it.

"A belt?"

In the dim, shaky light, he saw the corners of her mouth turn up. "Shh. No talking. Hold out your hands."

He did, both of them, just a few inches above his legs and she slipped the loop she made around his right hand. But she had another belt, too, and did the same with his left hand, cinching them tightly around his wrists. The belts were made of real woven leather, not the plastic fashion belts some women wore. Circling behind, she tugged on one belt, the left one, until his arm was dangling over the side of the chair and slightly back as she tied the other end of the belt to something. Twisting back to look behind the chair, he found her shackling the belt to the back leg of the chair.

He automatically tested his limits and found the belt surprisingly unyielding.

"Where did you learn to tie a knot?"

"Cheerleading camp." Her voice had come from his other side now, cinching his right hand backwards, and stretching the tendons in his shoulder until he flinched. "We had to tie our own harnesses."

"Wonderful," Auron said dryly.

When she finished, he was tethered down rather snuggly and had to slouch down slightly to take some of the pull off his shoulders. His heart began to race with exhilaration. He realized he was getting hard and couldn't do a thing to hide it, except hope it was too dim to see.

Raine got up to the dresser again and opened the second drawer, pulling out some articles and tossing them to the bed. She began to disrobe, tugging the sweater over her head, casually, the way she probably did every night, until she realized he was watching her every move. She smiled, blushing in the candlelight, and made light of the situation as she did a little funny dance in just her cheerleading skirt and bra. Auron chuckled and she slid her eyes away, suddenly very shy as she put on her tank top first, before unclasping her bra and maneuvering out of it. She changed into clean underwear before unzipping her cheerleading skirt. It was so quick, he didn't even get a chance to see what she had changed into. He had seen her almost completely naked last night, but she was being coy now and his organ stiffened even more.

A second later, she opened her bedroom door and was gone without explanation. Auron shifted in his seat to look into the hall, the straps cutting in his wrists. A light clicked on from her bathroom and there was the rush of running water as she attended to her nightly routine. Smirking, Auron shook his head to himself as he adjusted his hands against the restraints. They were unnecessarily tight, but Auron wasn't about to ask her to loosen them. He expected his erection to diminish slightly in her absence, but the bulge in his trousers was still prominent when she returned. Her face had been freshly washed, her make-up removed and her features had a naturally naked look.

Bracing both hands on the arm of the chair, Raine drifted closer to him as if to kiss him and he snapped forward to meet her. But the belts made him stop short. Auron realized it was so Raine could know exactly how far his limits were. Her mouth was within an inch of his, her lips slightly apart to anticipate him, but she stayed purposely out of his reach. Clearly, this was the motif for the day.

Well, no more. He lifted his boots off the floor, his knees bumping against the back of her thighs, knocking her over and straight against his mouth. She recoiled, looking very insulted and Auron smirked, clever, triumphant.

"I have enough belts for your feet," she warned.

Auron smothered his smile so as not to incur further punishment, but she confiscated his sunglasses anyway. When one of the earpieces got stuck, he helped her take them off by slanting his head and she placed them on the floor. Kicking over the "Luv Sux" pillow, Raine positioned it between Auron's feet before kneeling down in front of him.

Without the glasses, the candlelight gave off a natural sepia hue similar to what his saw through his sunglasses on a bright day. Her face was imperfectly divided by the flickering light. One half, her skin was illuminated creamy vanilla, her eyes giving him warm, romantic looks, the other half shrouded in icy darkness, her intent conveniently hidden. He found himself drawn to the dark side. The idea she had a dark side made him rock hard.

Biting her lip, she nervously eyed the erection under his pants and reached around the bulk to release the drawstrings to his trousers. Her fingers quivered slightly as she unfettered the buttons and smoothly wrenched on his breeches, springing him free. Glancing down, he was pleased most of his pubic hair was still tucked into his trousers and if there were any gray hairs, they were camouflaged in the low light. Not that she took any time to look. Her mouth was on him in a second and Auron groaned before he could stop himself.

Her gentle fingers curled around his shaft, and the occasional empirical stroke of her thumb on the underside of it was shy, but affectionate. She gave head like a kitten. Quick, friendly licks with a relaxed tongue. Mostly teasing, but tender, too.

It was different than what he was used to. Deep throat stunts with practiced hand-and-mouth coordination used to bring him to a swift and efficient apex. Not a second was wasted: misspent warmth cut into a productive turnover. And for the most part, it suited Auron. But even then he would have to close his eye to the stranger suckling him and imagine someone else, usually faceless, who cared for him. But Raine was taking her time with him, taking enjoyment in his pleasure, and the little licks, while lacking the friction he needed to climax, were driving him stupid with want. It was a good thing she had bound him. There wasn't a chance in hell he could keep himself from ripping those panties off and madly pumping her until his seed squirted into her.

Her lips made a popping sound as she removed him from her mouth and she seemed to be staring at the tip, engorged, red and shiny. Belly diving, Auron feared she was rethinking what she was doing, what he had allowed to happen. Soon, she would be an adult, but he was the adult now and he was supposed to know better.

"Raine?" he rasped. He folded his leg around her to hug her the only way he was able right now and in a way he was urging her to continue, his brain hazy with lust, but miraculously he was able to say the exact opposite of his body language. "You can stop. Anytime. You know that?"

Her eyes flicked up to him. "Shhh," she said.

Auron frowned. Raine's gaze was floating around, looking for something to focus on.

"Be right back," she hissed and jumped to her feet.

"Wait, Raine. Untie me."

But she had zoomed out of the room, the door drifting open all the way until it tapped against the door stop. Dammit. Wrists struggling on the belts, Auron leaned all the way to one side, hoping it would loosen his hand enough to slip out, but Raine had secured them like he was a fugitive. He looked down at his open breeches, his erect cock, and squirmed to cover up, but it was futile. Had her parental custodians woken up? Would they come into her room? See him tied up and hanging out like a pervert? Taking advantage of the girl who was in their charge? This was not going to end well.

Still hostile with the belts, he thought he was making progress on the left one, but he could hear hushed voices upstairs. He could feel himself getting frustrated and bared his teeth as he pulled on the cuffs. His shoulders were feeling the strain.

"Okay," Raine said from the next room, probably calling up the stairs. "Night." A moment later, she was back in the room, closing the door. She smiled at him. "Sorry about that."

"Untie me," Auron instructed, firmly but quietly.

Kneeling back down in place, she smirked and curled her hands around his softening shaft, goading him back to his previous stiffness. "That's not the game."

"Did they hear us?"

"Don't worry about it." Slowly, she enveloped him with her mouth.

He made a motion with his foot to push her back, but it was weak. "Untie me," he said and it sounded a little like a plea.

"Mm-umm," she said.

"Raine, please," he whispered, but he was glad when she didn't listen. In his attempts to get free, he had slouched impossibly low and his arms had become useless, his shoulders hunched up, hands taut on the leather straps and he was unable to straighten his posture. He felt truly stuck, at her mercy, and he watched her hungrily through his lashes, his breath quick and ragged. She had found her courage since their intermission and consumed a little more of him this time, clutching him with both hands, her head bobbing with a genuine purpose and determination that impressed him. Both his legs hugged around her, squeezing her in his appreciation, keeping her close in case she decided to scamper off again, moving his hips around a little to encourage her. He pressed his lips together to keep his moans in his throat.

"Okay," he said when he was about to come, but she stayed latched to him. "Okay, okay," he said again, voice strained, his last warning as he spurted forward, his hips elevating off the cushion.

She slanted her head slightly to compensate for his movements, accepting his semen with vague alarm and he wondered if it was the first time someone had come in her mouth. Auron plopped his rear wearily in the chair and Raine's lips drew off his manhood carefully to avoid drips, immediately swallowing. Advanced move for a novice. He pinched her between his knees in loving gratitude, trying to entice her closer, the overwhelming urge to kiss her and hold her drove him mildly insane when he couldn't do either. Still out of reach. Still unattainable. And it was miserable for him.

She regarded his jostles with light humor, giggling when he jabbed his knee in a ticklish spot, but didn't let it stop her from kindly tucking him back into his pants, buttoning and nimbly tying his drawstrings. With a final pat of his groin, she began to withdraw, untangling herself from his legs. Instead of kneeling to the chair legs to unstrap him, she rolled into her bed.

"Untie me," he said.

She smiled drowsily. "That's not the game."

The game wasn't over? Auron managed to kick up with his boots to straighten his posture. "What is this game?"

She considered seriously for a moment. "It doesn't have a name."

"I mean what does it entail?" His patience was running thin.

"Well it looks like you're forced to watch while I fall asleep."

Auron didn't like that. What if her guardians came downstairs to check on her? He would never be able to hide in time. The game had to end quickly. "How do you win?"

"I lose if I untie you. You lose if I wake up."

"It sounds rigged. Come. Untie me now."

"And lose the game?"

"I don't want to play."

She arranged the covers around her, bundling herself as she lied on her side. Her little smile wouldn't wipe off her face. "Funny. You were more than willing to play before."

"You're wicked," he said reproachfully.

This was her crafty side, veiled through her sweet side and he was beginning to think the deviousness in her was winning, but there was something genuine in the way her face fell just then, as though he had truly hurt her feelings and it made him feel awful. He grinned at her to show no malice and rolled his wrists to figure out a way to get loose. It couldn't be impossible. They were knots tied by a teenage girl. How good at it could she be? Although he hated to admit it, she was going to win either way. Even if he ended the game by disturbing her sleep, it wouldn't guarantee she'd let him go.

Surveying her sleep was its own kind of torture. She drifted off quickly, probably exhausted staying up late with him the last few nights, and he found himself with nothing to do but listen to her breathing. Like that first night, there was a peculiar suspense as he waited for her to stir or turn over or scratch her face, the only break in the monotony of her slumber. He supposed it wasn't that different from holding onto the small hope she would stop to talk to him or allow him to walk her home, something different than the norm to spice the day up, but now it was revved up in way he'd never experienced before. It bordered obsession.

Later that night, he was roused by a tickle of lips on his face and awoke with a sharp inhale of surprise. "Did I fall asleep?" he murmured. He found Raine's knee had been carefully placed by his groin so she could lean over him. Instinctively, he moved to put his hands on her and discovered his hands were released, the belts still dangling free on his wrists. He twisted his lips, smug and sleepy. "Did I win?"

"No," she whispered. The candles had all been burned out and he could barely see her face in the darkness. She fumbled with the belt on one hand. "You woke me up."

"How?"

With a leathery snap, the first belt came off and Auron rubbed his wrist. As she worked on the second, Auron noticed something in Raine's face. Fear. Concern. Worry. He couldn't be sure which in the dim lighting.

"You were talking in your sleep," she said quietly.

"What did I say?"

Hesitating, she tossed both belts on the floor and ran a hand through his hair in a oddly soothing way. "Mostly moans and grunts."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

She took his hand and tugged him to his feet. "Come on."

Clumsy with lethargy, Auron stumbled with her to the bed, pausing long enough to kick off his boots before following her under the covers. She was lying on her side and facing him and she raised a trembling hand to feel his stubble. Something had shaken her and Auron doubted it was random moans and grunts that did it. Whatever it was, she was taking strides to hide it. It was his turn to comfort, but embracing her wasn't enough. With his cuirass, he was numb to her body heat.

"Turn on your stomach," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Just do it," he said gently.

She withdrew and slid to her belly, tucking her hands under her pillow, watching him with one eye as she laid her cheek on the pillowcase. He lifted her shirt and gathered the material around her shoulders to expose her back. Grazing his fingertips on her skin, he stroked her spine and shoulder blades, tracing invisible ornate designs, long after her eye fluttered shut and her light breathing signaled she was asleep. His intensions weren't sexual, but he was filled with a euphoria that was like it.

He spent the rest of the night rubbing her back that way, absently indulging in idle thoughts. Raine, the things they had done together, the things he wanted to do together and other contemplations unbecoming of a former warrior monk, dwelling on the pleasant and ignoring the heavy. They had agreed not to talk about it until her birthday, but when they ultimately faced it, he knew there would be consequences. And they were going to shatter him.


	4. Day Three

**Day Three**

Daybreak was gradual and Auron stayed very still while Raine slept. He was feeling guilty for keeping her up late the last few nights and knew she needed all the sleep she could get. His eye was quiescently focused on the wall behind her, his mind more or less blank, resting his thoughts for once, until he noticed she was up. When their eyes met, she smiled, squinting blearily. His lips twisted, elated for her rousing.

Pouting, she pulled her limp hands out from her pillow. "My hands are still asleep."

Auron snorted and took one, rubbing it alive with his scratchy hands. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," she said, averting her eyes. Auron knew she was thinking of his sleep-talking. What had he been dreaming about? "My aunt was going to come down last night, before I cut her off at the stairs."

He turned serious in a moment. "For what?"

She waved it off. "Not because she heard us or anything. There's a big blitzball championship this weekend between the Abes and the Duggles, did you know?"

"I do now. Are you going?"

"I have to cheer tonight. But my uncle is dragging my aunt to it."

"He enjoys watching the Duggles," Auron commented.

"He does. It's a two day tournament." She flicked her eyes up at him. "They're leaving tonight and staying over-night in the city."

To this, Auron couldn't think of anything appropriate to say.

"I'll have the house to myself," she said carefully.

Arching an eyebrow he said, "Will you?"

She stifled a grin. "Hopefully not _all_ to myself."

Auron dragged her close and kissed her unwilling lips.

"No, Auron, morning breath!" she hissed.

"I don't know what that is," he murmured on her mouth.

She raised her chin to escape his kiss. "It means bad breath. I haven't brushed my teeth today."

He skewed his face a quarter turn to focus his single eye on her levelly, strictly. "Raine, I was once sprayed by a malboro in hundred degree heat. I had hallucinations for half a day until my party could get their hands on a remedy. I think I can handle this."

"What's a mal—"

Auron forced his lips on hers to interrupt her. With his tongue, he touched the seam of her lips, and it didn't take too much coaxing to get her to open her mouth. When their tongues coiled, he rolled on top of her and her knee came up to meet his waist. His hand slid down her curves and gripped her thigh to hold it against him, his pelvis bearing down on hers.

She wrenched her face free, breathless. "Auron, your armor. It's crushing my boobs."

"Sorry," he muttered and slipped down to take his weight off her. He fought with her shirt to expose her breasts and kissed each nipple in apology. Raine giggled and buried both hands in his hair as he planted more kisses along her torso until he reached her navel. He stabbed his tongue into the depression. Gasping, Raine's hips bumped up in response.

"That feels funny," she whispered.

"I know." He dipped his face to do it again and she jerked a wad of his hair to snap back his head. He grinned at her deviously.

"Don't get me all hot and bothered. I have to get ready for school soon."

He settled in the niche between her legs and nestled his cheek on her belly, wishing she didn't have to go. Closing his eye, he breathed in her musk, their chemicals eagerly mixing, but without unbearable pressure. Happiness, it occurred to Auron. For Raine, all it took was a night of no homework, acing an exam or her favorite dinner, but happiness was unusual for Auron. A freshly sharpened blade and a neat Sinspawn kill came very close, but that was more satisfaction, and never was this kind of bliss completely dependent on one person.

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to skip school today, to meet him by the alley so they could take a train downtown. He didn't even care if she spent the day hauling him to every store in the plaza, as long as he could be with her. Happiness was a high he just couldn't get enough of and he was shocked by his own sweaty palms as he considered asking her on a day-date.

"Do you want to meet me today?"

"Where?"

"Sports shack again? Maybe it could be our place. At least until Lindsey asks for the keys back."

Or until Monday. But Auron didn't want to ruin his happy morning by thinking about that. Looping his arms under her thighs, he nuzzled his face on the crotch of her underwear. He didn't see them last night, but he could see now they were bright blue with red stars. He took a long, delirious inhale as the extracts of her arousal bled through, darkening the fabric navy blue. Raine sighed and her fingers loosened on his hair, fondling his forelock. Kissing her through the material, he could feel the outline of her swelling labia with his lips. He poked his tongue on the undergarment, feeling the squish of her folds beneath.

"Auron," she mewled. One hand was fumbling for the clock on her nightstand. She glanced at it and threw it facedown. "I guess—I guess I could skip my shower."

Palm down, he slipped two fingers under the elastic and yanked the crotch of the underwear sideways, revealing a trickle of clear fluid in the middle of a wreath of blond pubic hair. He lapped once, testing its smooth, aromatic sweetness. "When you come," Auron said, "use the corner of the pillow to stifle your cries."

Raine's friends were waiting for her on the sidewalk when she finally rushed out the front door. From behind the fence in the alley, Auron heard as she breathlessly apologized to them for oversleeping. Her friends took her excuse with weak acceptance and hurried towards the school. Raine straightened her ponytail as she smiled back at Auron, adjusted her book bag and hustled after them. He had to stop doing that. It wasn't fair to make her yield to his schedule. At least he didn't ask her to cut school.

Snapping up the belts of his collar, lips pursed in a vague, satisfied smile, Auron headed for the school.

Even sitting on the bench across the street, Auron could feel the end-of-the-week vibe of excitement from the school. There was also a big game tonight, which added to the buzz. Her gym period must have taken place inside today, so he didn't get to see her then. Around lunchtime, Auron made his way over to the sports shack, his heart anxiously drumming for her arrival. But he ended up standing there alone until the second bell rung and returned to his bench feeling dejected. Something must have come up for her. Times like that, he remembered why he kept his distance from women he found attractive. Leaving his heart open and endangered made for a sorry warrior monk and an ineffective guardian. But it wasn't fair with Raine. He loved her before he found her attractive.

The rest of the day was filled with nervous dread and he wasn't sure why. When the last bell rang for the day, he hoped she would come to his bench and chat with him until it was time to leave for the game. But he knew on nights when there were games, she went to the C-South plaza for a quick and early dinner with her other cheerleader friends and then went window shopping to kill time until they had to head to the stadium to warm up.

Sure enough, she was surrounded with her pack of cheerleaders after school and they boarded the train, taking over an entire car with the blitzball jocks and spilling into the next car behind. The train was a little more crowded than usual, but typical for game days. Auron sat in the back by the aisle so he could keep an eye on Raine, nearly impossible now with so many other students, but his heart leapt when he saw her in the aisle making her way into his car. It was slow moving. She had to stop to talk to almost everyone. Once she slid open the door and came into his car, the jocks were a little more rowdy here and one picked her up and ushered her into their booth.

Auron half stood, but Raine sought his eye and discreetly waved him back. It was difficult to ignore her being manhandled, but once she was in their booth, there was only talking and joking and loud laughing and the only thing keeping her there was the conversation. Every time she broke away, another group lassoed her attention and by the time she was making her way to where Auron sat, the plaza stop was coming up and her friends were gesturing her back to the previous car. Raine passed him a rueful glance and Auron half-smiled and nodded his understanding.

Most of the train emptied out at the plaza, although it was tough for him to blend in. He loitered around the turnstiles until Raine and her friends entered the building and he followed them to the food court. Auron got comfortable at the fountain, knowing they would be there a while and after, the mob of cheerleaders hopped from store to store. It was easy enough to stay far behind. Such a large group of girls all dressed the same was hard to miss. By the time they were done, every girl had an armful of bags, but Raine only had one small one. A few times, Auron noticed Raine try to break away to the ladies room but at least two or three would join, and one time, they all went to the bathroom at once. They had all been taught safety in numbers as little girls and Auron supposed he was what they had been warned about: an older man with only one thing on his mind.

The C-South stadium was only several blocks away. Raine and her friends walked there, disappearing downstairs where the locker rooms were. Auron wandered the halls until the custodians opened the doors to the stadium and vendors began raising the shutters to their shops. Pausing at one, his eye slid over the inventory: posters, tee-shirts, programs, official blitzballs.

The old man setting up his shop glanced up at Auron. His gray beard was long and looked like it had been trimmed with an ill-sharpened thief's dagger. "See something that interests you?"

Auron wandered closer, scrutinizing the posters. "Do you only sell posters with current players?"

"Generally. Sometimes we'll hold onto the free agents after their contracts run out, if they've had a good season. Is there a player you're looking for?"

"Hmph. Jecht?"

"Ah, jeez," the old guy said, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced up at his inventory. "I haven't seen a Jecht poster in years. Any merchandise from previous seasons we ship off to league stores in town, but a Jecht poster…" The old man sighed. "You know there's a specialty store in E-North. I forget the name. I'm not even sure if it's still open. She carries collectibles."

"I'll try that," Auron said and nodded courteously. Although how he was going to get there without Raine knowing, he had no idea.

Auron followed a few early birds inside, finding a seat within range of where Raine usually cheered. The stadium began filling fast after that and soon the lights lowered as the announcers began introducing players from both teams and the gravity subtly changed as the blitzball pool filled. He could see Raine on the platform with the other cheerleaders, forming two lines for the players to run through. She applauded and patted their backs the way a cheerleader was expected.

When the game began, she had cheer after cheer to perform, either building up their team or cutting down the other, and at halftime, the players exited for the locker rooms. Auron had seen the halftime show about a dozen times during Raine's practices but it was always a better display with the lights and music. This time Auron stood with the rest of the fans to watch, arms folded, his eye glued to Raine during the performance, enjoying some of her more suggestive moves and he remembered last night when she danced for him in her underwear. It was supposed to make him laugh, but it did a little more than that.

The performance ended with the pyramid they'd practiced for the other day. It was flawless, as far as Auron could tell, and he was impressed to see Raine had made the second tier. The way Raine made it sound, she would be stuck at the bottom for as long as Lindsey was cheer captain, but she was a level up, now, even if she was still one of Lindsey's stepping stones to the top.

Second half was signaled by a horn blast and Raine rested back at the bleachers, toweling off and drinking water. She leaned to one of the girls to say something and backed away and Auron realized she was making an escape. Heading towards the concourse she searched for him in the bleachers and when she locked on him, she used her middle and index fingers to point to her eyes, then used the same fingers to point down the hall. So stealthy, he thought with good humor. Auron gave a small nod and stood to side step through the crowd towards the stairs.

He found the concourse hallway completely empty, but heard the squeak of the women's room door. Raine stuck her head in the hall and waved him over. Glancing around, Auron reached up and unsnapped his collar clasps in expectation and slipped into the women's room. Inside was not much different than the men's room except more stalls and no urinals, but Auron was not really looking at the facilities. He wrapped his gauntlet around her ponytail and gently tugged to align her lips with his. Curling his tongue around hers, Auron hummed when he detected tropical orange in her mouth, relishing it with his eye closed and prolonging the kiss to dip his tongue for one last taste.

"Come on," she said, "before someone comes in."

Squeezing into the furthest stall from the door, their lips scarcely parted as Auron hoisted Raine in the air and sat on the commode to give her a lap to sit on. Her hands affectionately toured his face, his neck and ears with warm strokes and he slipped his hands under her sweater to touch her smooth back. With a lusty sigh she dropped her head back to gasp for breath.

"Your technique's improved," she whispered.

"I had a good instructor."

"Did you miss me today?"

Auron groaned on her neck. "What do you think?"

"I missed you too. I'm sorry, I wanted to see you at lunch but I got roped into going to a yearbook meeting."

"Don't apologize for your responsibilities." He had nearly forgotten all about that, how pathetic he had felt slinking away from their meeting place. For a moment, he felt it again, the gamble of happiness. "Congratulations, by the way."

"For what?"

"Second tier. That's quite an accomplishment."

She blinked. "You saw me?"

"Of course I saw you." His erection began pressing against her inner thigh, enough for her to feel it and she fidgeted to rub against it. He couldn't wait to have her alone tonight. It seemed it was all he ever wanted since that first night she drifted to sleep in his arms. "How are you getting home? Should I ride the train home with you?"

"Actually Jory is going to give me a ride home."

Auron's lips became still on her throat. He hoped Jory wasn't taking her to Gagazet again. There was only one thing he knew would happen there and he couldn't bear to think it.

Raine sensed a change in his demeanor and cupped his face in her hands, rubbing the sides of his mouth with her thumbs. She searched for something in his sunglasses but couldn't find it. "I haven't talked to him all week. I think I owe it to him."

"Okay," he clipped.

Her eyes narrowed just a smidgen, still looking for something in his face and Auron didn't know what she wanted to see. Did she want him to be jealous? They weren't supposed to talk about this for 3 more days, but he didn't want her to feel like she was being immoral towards her boyfriend. And yet he wanted to be selfish. Essentially, he had 3 more days with her. He didn't want to say they would be consequence free days, but he considered them his days. Once they began to talk—really talk—about what was going on, the error of it all would be clear to both of them. Ultimately, her decision to be with Jory tonight was up to her. He really had no say in the matter.

The door squealed open. "Raine?" someone called.

Raine's eyes widened on his and her finger snapped to her lips in caution. "Yeah?"

The girl let out an aggravated groan as she slammed shut one of the stall doors. "Lindsey is driving me crazy!"

Auron grinned wickedly and leaned over to kiss the top of her breast bone, licking the soft space just below her throat.

"Oh," Raine said, suppressing surprise. "I know it Lane. She drives me crazy sometimes, too."

Auron pulled out what he thought was his best tricks, soft seductive kisses, under her jaw, across her throat, behind her ears, all while she tried to converse with her friend in the next stall.

"You know what she said to me? She told me I was off the whole half-time routine."

"What? I thought you were fine."

"She completely missed the opening leap," Lane said, over the sound of her urine stream hitting the toilet.

Auron grinned on Raine's ear and Raine covered her mouth and plugged her nose to keep her laughter inside. His attempts to distract her were making his blood pump wildly and he leaned back to bring his erection forward, situating her strategically on his lap so she would feel it. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"Didn't you think she missed it?" Lane asked.

Raine cleared her throat. "Yes," she said hoarsely. "Totally missed it."

There was the flick of toilet paper and a swish of the toilet flushing and Lane left her stall to wash her hands. "Are you feeling okay Raine?"

"Not really. I'm going to be a few more minutes, I think."

"At least," Auron whispered.

Raine's eyes widened threateningly and she beat her finger against her mouth to shush him.

The crinkle of paper towel, the thud of the garbage lid. "Okay, Raine, see you out there."

Behind Auron, the automatic flush went off and Raine couldn't hold back her giggle anymore. Auron chuckled as he felt the draft of the water swirling beneath him and Raine laughed harder when she heard Lane leave. Watching her happy, his smile didn't fade as quickly as it usually did and her eyes were bright as she explored his sunglasses.

"I've never seen you smile so much before," she said.

"I can stop if you like."

"Would you?" she asked in mock-exasperation.

Auron's fingers were combing through the curls in her ponytail, the purr of intimacy overwhelming and irresistible. He squeezed her against him slowly and gave her mouth a nudge with his lips.

Their kiss was gradual, soft, tongues light and teasing, zaps of electricity connecting Auron's heart, stomach and groin. When he felt the tug of his drawstrings, he adjusted on the seat slightly to give Raine room to liberate his erection. With an assertive hand, she squeezed the tip with even pressure and Auron let out a small moan through his nose. Gathering the pleats of her skirt, he hunted for the waist band of her underwear and sunk a hand between her legs from behind. He found her warm, wet sex and inserted his finger. She gasped on his mouth and clutched his penis in a way that made him groan and spasm.

After that, Raine moved quickly. She touched her feet to the floor, elevating off his lap and his finger slipped out of her. Her hand went up her skirt to situate something and immediately began to lower. Auron felt the head of his cock kiss her pubic lips and start to ease inside her. Grunting in surprise, he jolted, hugging her against his armor and lifting her off his organ.

A flash of pain crossed her foggy eyes. "Why not?"

"Raine, I won't." Not here. Not in this stinking bathroom. And as if to reiterate, the automatic flush initiated again, the breeze chilly on his ass. It was less funny this time.

Her head dropped to his shoulder and spoke into his cloak. "I thought you loved me."

Shrugging Raine's head off his shoulder, he grabbed her chin and looked into both her eyes with his one. "When did I say that?" he asked with a little grit.

Her wide eyes bubbled with tears, but she was otherwise speechless.

Then Auron knew. He had been talking in his sleep. With a clench of his jaw, he grabbed her by the shoulders and put her on her feet. As he stood, he stuffed his deflating erection into his pants and began tying up his drawstrings saying, "Let's go into the hall." Forget her birthday. They were going to talk about this now.

There was very little space in the stall to open the door and maneuver out, but when Raine stepped out, the door to the hall opened and she quickly banged the stall door shut. Auron placed a hand on the stall door gently to hold it closed and carefully turned the lock.

"Raine, what's wrong?" one girl said right away.

After that, Auron wasn't sure how many girls had come in, but they were all talking at once and Auron felt like a real asshole as they fussed over Raine and her tears. He sat back on the toilet, resting his elbows on his knees, and waited for them to pass, but with every creak of the door, it seemed more girls were coming in, slamming into the stalls, water blasting in the sinks, air dryers going and all the chatter was like one gabbling sound. He couldn't even be sure if Raine was in the room anymore and after a while, he was sure she wasn't. Only a few women remained, the drone of conversation finally becoming coherent.

"Lindsey, what's up with you and Jory?" one of the girls asked.

"What do you mean?" asked the one named Lindsey, the cheer captain.

"I heard Raine saying Jory was giving her a ride home."

Auron situated in his seat to better see through the crack in the door. All he could see was a strip of blue and white, the school colors. Every girl managed to sound the same because he didn't know them. For all he knew, there was only Lindsey, having a conversation with herself.

"Only to break up with her."

Somebody gasped, but Auron couldn't be sure if it was from the same girl who said, "Is that what he told you?"

"It's what I _told_ him to do," Lindsey said with a snooty inflection. "After he's done dumping her, we're going up to Gagazet tonight."

"Gee, Lindsey, do you think you should? Aren't you afraid people will talk?"

Auron folded his hands and pressed his scowl into his knuckles. Why didn't Raine tell him she was having problems with Jory?

"So what? People are already talking. Besides, she's always hanging around that guy with the eye."

Auron resisted a snort.

"The guy in red?" someone else said. "I don't know. I think he's kind of cute for an old guy."

"Katie, you're demented," Lindsey spat.

Curious, Auron tried to get a look to see which one was Katie, but it was impossible to see faces.

"Go to hell, Lindsey," said—Auron hoped—Katie, and the swing of the door followed as Katie stormed out.

The subject changed to Katie's error in the half-time show, which the girls harshly critiqued, and their voices began to fade as they left the bathroom and Auron was left in silence. He swiftly left the stall and stalked into the hall, ignoring a co-ed group nearby who pointed at him as he left the women's bathroom. The game wasn't over, but Raine's team was too far ahead for the other team to catch up to in the time left and some people were leaving.

Auron waited at the door to the dome. He could see her through the window in the door with the other cheerleaders, but she seemed a little standoffish and distant to the other girls, her applauds perfunctory. When there was only a couple minutes left in the game, the cheerleaders dispersed downstairs to the locker rooms. Raine kept tight with the other girls and did not pass Auron.

He wandered outside and kept his distance to the entrance, but eventually Jory's car pull up to the curb. A few minutes later, Raine hurried out of one of the service doors, smiling and waving through the passenger window before she jumped inside. The vehicle squealed away from the sidewalk and Auron frowned in disapproval as he headed across the street to the train.

The train car was noisy and unruly from the blitzball win, but Auron leaned a shoulder on the window and stared out it until it was time to get up for his stop. He could see at the end of the street Jory's car parked in front of Raine's house and the walk was heavy, knowing Jory was ending his relationship with her. Auron wondered if Raine had known it was coming. Had it been her reason to spark an affair with Auron?

Turning down the alley, Auron noticed a light on in the living room. He rounded the house and crawled down into Raine's room, clicking on the light by her bed and leaning his katana by the closet. He hovered at her door for a moment, listening for conversations or at least sounds of weeping, but his ears detected nothing. Retreating back into her room, he started to sit in her arm chair, changed his mind. It was unlike Auron to give in to curiosity, but he found himself in the recreation room outside of Raine's bedroom, weaving through boxes, the only light funneling down from the stairs. Auron leaned against the wall at the foot of the stairs. Jory's shoes were by the front door several steps up. Still, Auron heard nothing. Sliding up the wall, Auron crept up two steps and waited. A soft sigh reached his ears. It was barely audible, but it made his scalp prickle.

He went up another step, where he could see into the living room through the vertical bars of the banister. Auron first saw the four legs entwined on the couch, then the eager hand on Raine's sweater, fervently groping her breast. He could only see her cheek and the angle of her jaw around the brown shock of Jory's hair as he kissed her, and now her hand as it came up to web her fingers in his locks.

Gritting his teeth, he averted his gaze, but it was momentary. He couldn't stop watching, the grinding of Jory's hips, the petting, the fumbling lift of her sweater. He wanted to run up and stop it, but as Raine's bare leg curled around Jory's waist, Auron knew he should stay back. Lindsey had been mistaken in the bathroom. Jory was not going to break up with Raine; he was going to make up with her. And why shouldn't he? Raine was a lot of things Lindsey wasn't.

"Jory, we shouldn't," Raine gasped but she was making no attempt at stopping him.

Jory's hands never even slowed down as he responded with a little whine.

"I think we should talk about something," she said, muffled by his lips.

Auron's chin lifted, interested.

"Lindsey and I are through," Jory breathed and resumed his attack on her lips.

"You are?"

"Um-hum."

"We should still talk before—"

"Raine, I was a jerk. I love _you_," the boy said and even Auron almost believed him.

"You do?"

Auron could see the wheels turning in her mind, turning backwards, the wrong way, and she was wavering on the brink of a foolish mistake. They never did get to have that conversation about the content of his sleep-talking and now Auron was starting to regret how he handled things at the stadium. Maybe if he did or said something differently, none of this would be happening.

Kissing Jory with fresh desire, her fingers formed a fist in his hair and her legs wrapped urgently around him. Auron felt sick.

"Ow, Raine. Not so rough."

"Sorry." She sat up a little on her elbows to watch as Jory sat back on his knees to remove her underwear. He tossed them on the coffee table and began to loosen his belt. "Maybe this time you could—"

"What?"

"Could you…you know." She nodded emphatically at her skirt.

Jory exhaled a weary sigh. "You know I don't like doing that."

The way she bit her lip just then drove Auron mad. He was ready to jump over the banister and partake himself, even just to show the boy how Raine liked it done. After only a few nights with Auron, Raine was already more advanced than Jory. It was just as Auron feared. He had taken away her innocence.

"Besides, you never do that to me."

Her eyes brightened and she fumbled with the zipper of his trousers. "I will, I can now."

Auron winced. He was sure the next words out of Jory's mouth were going to ask where she had gotten the extra tutoring, but the young blitzballer was not as bright as Auron was giving him credit for.

"Fine, but forget about kissing me. I'm not going to taste my own dick."

Dimming, Raine considered the choice. Auron knew she needed to kiss to feel connected. "Can I be on top at least?"

Rummaging for his organ, Jory's shoulders dropped. "Why can't we just do it the way we always do?"

It occurred to Auron this had nothing to do with Raine's innocence. On the one hand, Auron was tempted to throw Jory out the door by his face, but on the other, Raine had not asked Jory to stop. In fact, she was finally gaining the confidence to ask for what she wanted. When Jory denied her, he expected Raine to throw Jory out for him, but she didn't. Slowly, Raine laid back, body loosening, submissively limp and Auron knew she had just then compromised herself. It made it that much harder for Auron to watch, but it was impossible for him turn away.

Because Jory had not taken the time to properly lubricate her, Raine grimaced when he entered her. With his hands braced on the couch cushions, Jory's back was arched like a ramp, showing her less affection than a tree, his wooden limb coldly ramming inside her. His eyes were closed, face averted, lips parted in his own egotistic pleasure, while Raine's eyes were open to stare at her partner, willing him to bond with her, her lips parted to sip air on every impact. Jory clenched his teeth together and a moment later, began to pant wildly through his teeth, making weird, animalistic sounds that would have been laughable under other circumstances. Raine knew the end was near; she began pumping her hips to finish Jory quickly and Auron was slightly surprised she let him come inside her. After, he collapsed on top of her to bask in his own gratification. Raine absently rubbed Jory's side as she focused on the ceiling.

Abysmal sex aside, Auron found his partial erection invigorating. He always did like competition, even if it wasn't a fair match, and he made it his own personal goal to not only make her come tonight, but to make her come hard and often. He wanted to wreck her and then build her back up into a new woman.

"Do you want to lie next to me?" Raine asked Jory. "We can watch the game."

"I'm meeting the guys tonight," he muttered and crawled up to his knees to zip up. "I'm already late."

Sensing they would soon be at the door, Auron ducked downstairs, stepping lightly, and pressed his back to the wall around the corner.

"Do you want to come over tomorrow? My aunt and uncle won't be home until late afternoon."

"Can't," he said and didn't clarify. Jory was on the landing now, Auron could hear the jostle of shoes and then the squeak of the door as it opened.

"I guess I'll see you on Monday," Raine said and Auron noted her tone had cooled into the callous sound of someone who had been blown off one too many times. Jory was either too oblivious or too cruel to acknowledge it. Auron knew her life lesson had been learned and he didn't have the heart to feel angry or jealous about what he had just witnessed.

A moment later, Auron heard the click of a fleeting kiss and then the door shut. Auron glided across the dark basement to her bedroom and sat casual in the armchair. A little while later, he heard her coming down the stairs and Auron began unsnapping the buttons on his collar.

She stopped in the door, startled by his presence. "Auron," she said.

"Raine," he said gently and pushed on the arms of the chair to stand.

"How long have you been here?"

"I just got here," he said.

He took a step toward her, but she backed up immediately, her cheeks staining pink. Peering with shame down at the underwear wadded up in her fist, she murmured, "They smelled, so I took them off," and tossed them with the rest of her dirty laundry.

Although he craved to have her naked and gasping underneath him, Auron understood she was not in the mood to be hustled again so quickly, even if she knew it would result in mind-blowing orgasm.

"Look, I didn't mean to ditch you at the stadium," she said. "Everyone came in at the same time and it got out of control."

"I know."

She glanced up at his collar and flicked one of the belts with her finger. "Being a little presumptuous, aren't you?"

Auron twisted his lips. "I can close it if it makes you more comfortable."

"Why make more work for yourself later?" she asked, looked at him with a glint. She noticed the hesitation in his face and turned away, shaking her head. Busying herself with something in her dresser drawers, she said, "We don't have to talk about what I said at the stadium."

"Even if I want to?"

"I'd rather not."

"I'm afraid your birthday isn't long enough for all we have to talk about."

She had some clothes in her arms as she faced him. "It will just have to be. Besides, how long do you need to tell me the great and powerful Auron would never fall in love with a teenage girl?"

"Don't be a brat," Auron growled. He grabbed her arm before she could turn around. Perhaps too roughly, he realized, although her eyes were radiant as she looked at him. Maybe he was feeling a little fractious about Jory, especially since Raine was lying about it. "We'll discuss love on your birthday, but please know that I care for you more than anyone in the world."

She scoffed. "Sure, _this_ world."

"_All_ worlds," he barked.

Her face went grave. "Okay."

Assessing the loose ponytail behind her, Auron pulled out the band to release her blonde locks. Sweat, chlorine and grime from the day kept her hair back and he buried the fingers of his gauntlet in it as he leaned to kiss her.

"Ah," Raine said, abruptly backing up, as if just realizing the taste of Jory was still in her mouth. "Thanks to you, I didn't get to shower this morning. Let me freshen up first."

He didn't ask to join her, but let her arm go so she could attend to her personal hygiene. Across the hall, she closed the door partway and turned on the light.

Love on her birthday. The truth was he needed more time to analyze it. When he thought of love with Raine, he pictured the little blond girl with a filthy face and messy hair. Innocent love. Familial love. Nothing more. What he was feeling towards her now was obsessive and explosive, quick to burn out. He did care for her more than anyone in the world, but was it by default because everyone else in his life was gone? Or would she rank just as high if his life were full of people?

In the bathroom, the shower turned on and Auron remembered she was getting naked, wet and soapy in the next room. He sat on the bed and tried to occupy himself with other things, his attention catching on the open drawer in her bedside table. It was full of lip gloss and pens, as well as a small bag of candy, with flavors like orange, fruit punch, cherry and grape. He selected a green apple one with his gauntlet, took off the wrapper and popped it into his mouth. Just like his first kiss with her. Those addicting little flavors he tasted on her kisses were pieces of candy.

There was something else in the drawer, a white disk Auron first thought could be opened to reveal a cosmetic mirror. He opened it, finding Raine's birth control. Pills packaged air-tight in numbered circles and Auron was pleased she was up to date on them. He marveled at the simplicity of it. Birth control in Spira was usually nothing more than a sleeve of chocobo intestines. He closed it and tossed it back in the drawer. Sucking on his piece of candy, he unbuckled his gauntlet and hung it on the side of his katana.

He scanned the room with casual reserve, noting how the floor had been cleared away even more since the last time he was there. Books were back in shelves, dirty laundry collected in an overflowing basket and the desk had been organized. Giving the walls a second look, he thought they were looking bare. Some of her kitten posters were missing and—Auron spun his head around to look over the bed—so was the poster of the Duggles' half-nude center. The poster's presence never threatened him, but he found it amusing nonetheless.

Raine came out of the bathroom, her hair towel dried and damp, dressed in little pink shorts and a plain white tee-shirt. He could tell from the way her breasts swayed when she walked she wasn't wearing a bra and he'd be lying if he said it didn't turn him on. She found him milling around her room.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked and reached for his hand. "Tonight, the house is ours."

Grinning, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him upstairs, where he hadn't been since the night he had dinner with her guardians. After hiding out in her room for the last few days, it felt surreal being upstairs where it was warmer and smelled of potpourri. He stopped by the door to untie his boots while Raine used the remote by her uncle's chair to turn on the holographic monitor and headed for the kitchen.

"Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"No thanks."

"Go sit, I'll be over in a minute."

Boots off, Auron continued upstairs and inspected his seating options. Two reclining chairs and the couch she had just been with Jory on. If he wanted to sit next to her, he didn't have much of a choice. He inspected the cushions for any splotches of Jory's seed, found nothing, and sat on the opposite end. The game was on and he watched it without seeing it, listening to the seal of the refrigerator as it opened and closed, utensils clanging on ceramic dishes. When she appeared, she was smiling down at her bowl.

She approached him and held the spoon in her mouth as she patted his knee with one hand. Auron understood the hint and turned in his seat so his back was against the arm of the couch, one leg extended across the couch cushions. Raine sat close, leaning against his armor, the small of her back pleasantly pressed against his groin and Auron's arms automatically folded around her middle. He rested his face on her slightly wet hair, sniffing various exotic fruits from her shampoo.

"We don't have to watch this," she said.

"I don't know what else is on." Nor did he care.

She mentioned the names of a few shows which Auron had never heard before.

"I'll watch whatever you watch."

"Really?" She craned her neck to look back at him, setting her spoon in her bowl. Auron supposed Jory liked to control what they viewed together. She used the remote and changed it to something else, something light with a studio audience and settled more comfortably against him, tucking her feet underneath her. "Do you like chocolate ice cream?"

"I've never had it."

"You've never had ice cream?" she asked, a little incredulously. Instantly, she scooped a little on the end of the spoon and held it over her shoulder for him to try.

He was never in the habit of eating what he didn't know, but he didn't think twice about tasting it. It was cold and sweet and he felt it all the way down to his stomach. Auron nodded. "It's good, but I doubt it's nutritionally sound."

"You're right about that. Jory hates it when I eat this stuff. He says I'll get a fat ass."

"He's right," Auron said and felt her stiffen in his arms. He chuckled. "But it's your body to do with what you like."

"Funny you say that." She took a bite of ice cream, glancing back at him. "After you stopped me from doing what I wanted with my body earlier tonight."

He grinned on the back of her head as he thought of the close call in the bathroom stall. "It's different when you involve my body."

"You didn't want to be involved?"

"When the time is right, I hope you will involve me."

"I suppose a dirty toilet wasn't exactly the right time." She dropped her head back on his chest and he tilted his head to lean his cheek on her temple.

"Not for a _first_ time," he said.

She laughed and rotated at the hip to feed him some more chocolate ice cream. "I'm sorry I got carried away."

"Don't be," he said around the cold dessert. "We've both been treading a thin line."

The show kept her entertained, although she didn't find it half as funny as the off screen audience, giggling once and grunting a half-laugh another time. When she finished her treat, she disposed of her bowl on the coffee table and moved around on the couch. Auron scooted further down, situating more comfortably, the back of his neck on the couch arm. Raine lied on top of him, settling her belly on his groin and resting her cheek on his armor to watch her show.

When the program was over, she formed a fist on the chest of his armor and jabbed her chin into the niche created by her thumb and index finger. She met his eye, but her gaze steadied on his mouth after a while. Auron thought she might be working up the nerve to talk about Jory.

"Do you ever wonder about the people who enter your life?" she asked.

Auron found himself considering her question from several angles. "If you're asking whether I think of you—"

She was shaking her head. "I already know you think of me," she grinned. The glee drained out of her face as she went on. "I mean, when you think about other people, do you ever wonder about the place you hold in their life? Whether they will think fondly of you in the future or consider their lives changed because you were in it?"

Auron's eyebrows came together seriously, until he realized she was talking about Jory. He sighed and began spiraling one of her stray hairs around his finger. "Sometimes, although most of the people in my life are dead now. Either way, it's moot to think about."

"I suppose you're right. Sometimes I think about people that used to be in my life and wonder if I meant as much to them as they did to me."

"Raine, you know you'll always hold a special place—"

She winced. "Oh, I'm not fishing for your validation." She half smiled and pinched his chin, making his lips part a little. "I know when it's time for you to go home you won't forget me. And I won't ever forget you. I was just…thinking dumb things, I guess."

His finger sought another strand of her hair and curled it around his knuckle. "I think if people don't regard you with the same esteem you do them, it's probably a good thing they're out of your life."

She thought on this for a long time, saying nothing and when the next show came on, she turned to flatten her cheek against his armor. She slid her arms around him and for the first time since he returned to Zanarkand, he felt contented. The thread of nervous energy was gone, now that there was time. She didn't have homework to finish, or an early bedtime or friends to meet in the morning.

Whatever was on the holographic screen didn't interest him. He spent two shows with his hand up her shirt, lazily caressing her bare back, occasionally planting a kiss on the top of her hair. By then, her breathing had become slow and deep and Auron was careful not to move as he too began to drift off.

Auron was awakened very gently by Raine's lips. They hovered above his, barely touching, her exhales were his inhales, sharing the same air. Her soft eyes traveled all around his face and stopped on his eye and she blinked, slow and lazy, which he found very seductive.

"It's strange to watch you sleep," she whispered. "You look…dead."

His eye hardened on her.

Flinching, she sat back. "That came out wrong."

"I hope so. Otherwise we'd have to examine this desire to kiss corpses."

"In my defense, you'd make a very handsome corpse." She reached for the remote and turned off the game's recap. It was after midnight. Picking up her empty ice cream bowl, she slipped off his lap and headed for the kitchen. Auron swung his legs to the floor, stretched his arms and pushed up from the couch cushion.

In the kitchen, Raine was at the sink rinsing out her dish. Auron's attention was casually drawn to the refrigerator, covered in family photos, engagement announcements and baby pictures. His eye darted without recognition from print to print until he stopped at one and sidestepped towards it to examine it. A family snapshot of Raine at the park with Tidus and her mother. Tidus was considerably taller than his sister and mother and he stood in the middle, his arms around them, smiling broadly for the camera. Raine was grinning shyly and their mother was looking a little caught off-guard, like she had been pulled into the picture without her consent and her mouth was contorted as if in mid-sentence.

"There you are." Raine's finger pointed to a blemish of red in the background. It was him, sitting on a bench by the river, his elbows on his knees, staring bored at the water. "I notice you every time I open the refrigerator. It's like my eyes are drawn to the red."

"That was taken in G-West wasn't it?"

"At my family reunion," she nodded. "I don't even remember taking this picture; there were so many that day."

"I remember you brought me a plate of potato salad." He smirked at her.

"I remember finding it in the garbage later on."

Auron chuckled and they both looked back at the photo, as if pulling more memories from it. "I ate some of it," he said. "It was kind of you to think of me."

"I was thinking of you a lot that summer." Her eyes flicked to his and her cheeks stained bright pink.

"I'm getting the impression they were not innocent thoughts."

"Not exactly. Although I was only 14. My thoughts didn't go very far."

"I imagine not."

"Did you—"

Auron looked at her, but she was still staring at the photo, making no indication she was going to finish her sentence. "Did I what?"

"Nothing."

Auron faced her straight on. "Speak your mind."

Flushing, she avoided his eye, one hand absently straightening a group of fruit-shaped magnets. "Forget it. I think I already know your answer anyway."

He considered her with a keen eye and said, "No, I didn't think of you then with impure thoughts."

"That's what I thought." She faintly smiled. "You know, later on I would think about bringing you that potato salad and you would be so thankful for it, you'd kiss me."

"Potato salad doesn't usually have that effect on me. But I'll be sure to take the hint next time."

Lowering her eyes to his chest, she rapped her knuckles on his armor with two, muted thumps. "Does this armor ever come off?"

Angling his head at her he said, "Is that a hint?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're not very good with hints, are you?"

"Not especially. I'm better with direct orders."

For a moment, she looked at him appraisingly. Then she nodded upwardly, an assertive jerk, oddly masculine. "Take off your sunglasses."

Her instruction hit him in the groin. Slowly, he removed his eyewear, folded them neatly and held them.

"Give them to me."

Auron's eyebrow quirked, but he eventually handed them over to her. She straightened the ear pieces and slid them over her superior face and proceeded to stare at him through the impenetrable lenses. Auron's heart began to thrum, anticipating more directions, feeling the creep of helplessness, knowing she could easily read his eye. Now she was the reclusive one, attractively haughty, her mouth lying flat so he couldn't sense what she was thinking. He wasn't used to being in this compliant position but he was surprisingly turned on by it. His cock pressed on the buttons of his trousers.

She floated backwards, towards the sink, reaching back to turn off the light and leaned against the counter. The only light had to filter in from the living room and it made her seem hazy and dreamlike. "Come here."

He paused after every instruction, acting reluctant for her enjoyment. When he approached her, he saw her lips had parted and she was trying to subdue her breathing.

"Put your—" She sounded husky and cleared her throat a little. "Put your hand between my thighs."

Slowly, he placed his left hand on the counter beside her to brace him, as he had to lean slightly to reach her with his right hand. His face came close to hers as he bent. He stared as stoic as he could muster and her face hinted the same. His fingers slid gradually into the apex of her thighs, feeling her swollen sex even through her clothes, and she adjusted her stance slightly to allow room. Something tightened in her mouth when his hand remained still. If she wanted him to pleasure her, she would have to ask for it.

"Massage me."

His lips curled faintly into a smile as he rubbed her gently through her clothes, tracing the anatomy of her sex, eventually feeling her saps as they leaked through the fabric. Sucking in her bottom lip, she began to chew on the inside of it and he felt himself growing huge in his pants, straining to be touched. He wanted to slip his hand into her pants to penetrate her properly, but he would wait until he was asked to.

"Get on your knees," she whispered.

Although he was a little curious how far he could take her through her clothes, he obliged after a moment and dropped to his knees. She didn't tell him to stop touching her, but he did anyway, sensing a new directive was coming.

He heard the slug of her swallow before she said, "Pull down my pants."

With a pleased smile, he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her sportswear, deliberately tugging them down to her ankles, carefully coaxing her feet out of the garment and tossing them aside. Her mound was glistening in front of him and he had to hold back from burying his face in it before he was asked to. A long time went by before her next instruction and Auron wondered if he was only meant to look.

"Kiss me."

Her orders were vague, but he didn't waste time. He knew where she meant for him to kiss and he tightened his fingers around her thighs for balance as he nuzzled between them and sipped from her nether lips, as if taking communion. Raine let out a long, shaky sigh and when Auron managed a glance upwards, saw her head had dropped back, her chin aimed at the ceiling. Her hands didn't reach for him as they usually did and instead her arms were gracefully confident and majestic as they stretched out along the counter on either side of her. He knew it was partly for stabilization, but she was also being purposely distant, not looking at him, not touching him. Except for an occasional light sigh and the tremble of her legs to keep upright, she kept relatively still, showing him no eagerness, no appreciation. In this moment, he was truly servicing her as a replaceable second party, his rank to her no higher than a slave and whatever attention he would receive after depended solely on how well he could pleasure her. The debasement was vastly arousing.

Her orgasm came with no warning, her legs buckling and her sex pushing down on his face. Her cries were louder than usual, uninhibited now without the fear of being heard.

"Take me to the bedroom," she rasped before Auron had a chance to remove his face from between her legs.

He grabbed her around her knees, flipped her over his shoulder and rose to his feet, one arm clamping down the back of her thighs.

"Oh," she breathed somewhere behind him, her arms squeezing around his waist for dear life, her legs kicking uneasily. Her laugh was short and nervous.

Auron headed back for the living room, taking a sharp right into a short hallway of three doors. The first was a bathroom and the second was a small office.

"Auron, I said the bedroom," she whispered.

In his defense, the third room was a bedroom, just not hers. With the available light from the living room, he could just make out the shape of a footboard and a pale blue dust ruffle, but once he kicked shut the door, he was blind. Feeling his way to the bed, he dropped her down on the mattress with a clumsy bounce and crawled up on the quilt. The bed felt neatly made and there was a strong flowery scent, like perfume.

"Maybe I should have been more specific. I meant my room."

"This bed is bigger." As far as he could tell, it was at least a double wide.

"You don't like my bed?"

He was feeling around sightless, searching, and when he found her face, he was about to kiss her when he halted. "Are you uncomfortable being in this room?"

"I've never been in it before."

"Good," he said. "Because neither have I."

She yielded, softening, and he felt her grabbing at his cloak. Extending his body over hers, he remembered his armor at the last second and shifted his weight sideways so he was only partially on her. One hand braced her neck as he smashed her lips with his and the other groped her loose breasts through her thin shirt. Pleased when her tongue came to meet his first, he expressed it with a small moan, grinding his hips uncontrollably on her upper leg. He was already so worked up from her climax in the kitchen, he could feel he was about to come in his pants and the thought of it made him wrench away and roll on his back with a groan.

The bed shifted as Raine moved. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Why did you stop giving direction?" he asked coarsely. He found himself actually empathizing with Jory. Any man would be reduced to a fumbling, panting, humping mess with her.

"You stopped listening."

"Fair enough," he said with a great exhale. "But it appears I can't be left to my own devices."

"Then get out of bed."

He smirked at her, although it was too dark for her to see. His eye had adjusted somewhat and some light from the street was coming in through the window. He could see the outline of her shoulder as she propped up on one elbow. "What?"

"Go on," she flirted, shoving him on the shoulder and then turned on her knees, scuttling to the other side of the bed.

Half-smiling, he shook his head in bemusement as he shoved his fists into the mattress to get up. Raine clicked on both lamps on either side of the bed. The room was simple and clean, an old, wind-up clock on one nightstand, a commsphere on the other, a watercolor of forestry over the headboard, a full length mirror in the corner and on the dresser across from the bed, a collection of perfumes arranged on a dull, silver tray. Raine puffed up the pillows and leaned against them, her knees together and folded discreetly, despite she was naked from the waist down. She was still wearing his dark glasses and the way the light hit her white shirt made it see-through, but she was unaware of it.

"Lose the coat."

Her voice was intrepid, self-assured, and it made him stand up straight for some reason. Where had this Raine been hiding? Dark Raine. Strong Raine.

Separating his belt, he took off his cloak, casual. He did not do stripteases or funny little dances when he undressed and he wasn't going to start now. But he had to admit this was exhilarating. And the way Raine managed to keep her face emotionless behind his glasses made his adrenaline race. He started a pile nearby.

"Can you take off the collar, or is it attached?" she asked. She sounded severe, matter of fact, like she was looking to buy one like it.

"It's attached." The strength in his tone matched hers, but it was subtly softened by his good humor.

"How does the armor come off?" Her head tipped sideways to look. "Those buckles?"

"That's correct."

"Unbuckle them."

He worked the leather straps on his right without looking down, holding her gaze, looking at his own sunglasses, clenching his teeth to stifle his smile. When they were loosened, he dropped his arms to his sides to await further orders, noticing Raine had adjusted her position, her legs straight out in front of her, arms folded against her belly. His eye lingered on the blonde dune of fur peeking out from the hem of her shirt.

"Take it off."

He tugged the collar up to his ears first and then removed it sideways over his head. Handling it with both hands, he leaned it upright against the wall behind him and resumed his stance, resisting the urge to double check his chest for grey hairs. Raine was taking her time with the next directive and Auron was sure her eyes were moving around behind those glasses, getting her fill of chest hair and biceps. Her lips parted and her breasts heaved once from a deep inhale.

Her head tweaked as something dawned on her. "Do you wear underwear?"

Beyond his control, his lips curled into a sly smirk before splitting into a smile. "No, ma'am."

"I like ma'am. Now untie the drawstrings and unbutton yourself."

He untied the drawstrings and unbuttoned himself.

"Push them down."

Only his strong erection was holding his pants on now and when he pushed them down, his penis bobbed obscenely. But he stood at attention with an air of pride, feeling the agreeable tingle of her eyes on him.

Squirming, she furiously flushed all the way down her neck like an allergic rash.

Auron eyed her. "Are you okay with this?"

She smashed shut her eyes, smiling wobbly, and covered her face in embarrassment. "I…I've never seen a naked man before."

Auron blinked. "What about—"

"Jory?"

He didn't exactly count Jory as a man, but…yes. What about Jory?

"He's weird about being naked in other people's homes," she said, being very good about looking him in the eye as she spoke. "He usually just pulls out his—"

"I get it," he growled and bent down for his pants. His pride had deflated into shame. What was he doing exposing himself to a teenage girl?

"Wait. Please wait." She crawled forward to her knees.

Auron paused. "Raine, I can't be your first nude man."

"You already are."

"I can't be your first anything."

"Why?"

"I throw off the curve of your innocence."

She frowned and sat back on her feet, speechless. Auron glanced at her triangle of pale pubic hair as he reached for his pants again.

"Take off your pants and lie on the bed."

Auron vaguely smiled and shook his head, extending one leg back into his trousers. "Not this time, sweetheart." He added the pet name to soften the blow. Instead, he thought it softened his heart.

"_Auron. _Take. Off. Your. Pants." She pointed a finger to the quilt beside her. "_And lie on the bed._"

He raised an eyebrow at her. He could scarcely believe a teenage girl was speaking to him like this. And yet it was the main reason he adored her. He dropped his pants and stepped out of them. Why was it so hard to say no to her?

Kneeling up on the bed, Auron stretched an arm to entice her closer, but her face was still hardened on him. She indicated to the pillow. Auron rolled his eye and started to straighten his legs out on the bed.

"Wait."

Auron stopped and looked up at her. She was frowning down at his hip. Suddenly she reached around the back of him, bringing his tail out for both of them to see. The end was tied off with a faded, blue polka-dotted ribbon, and the slackened braid of his tail had been unraveling for years.

"You told me you lost my ribbon," she accused, but there was a thread of teasing in her hooded eyes. "Tsk, tsk, Auron. It's wrong to lie."

Repressing a smile, Auron lied back on the pillow. Scooting towards him, her knees almost touching his bare hip, she swept her gaze across him, objective, like a doctor about to perform an autopsy. Auron laid a hand on her thigh and she swirled a disapproving finger at it.

"You're done touching me. Hands behind your head."

Compressing his lips in humor, he folded his hands and placed them behind his head. Raine continued her examination.

She started with his torso, sliding both hands through his dark chest hair like she was analyzing the fiber count of an antique rug—until of course she found his nipples. It startled him how sensitive they were, but he fought to keep still and not succumb to the tickle. She stroked them gently with her thumbs until they puckered through the pelt of his chest and then moved on. Her hands came up to his face, rubbing his whiskers for a moment and then tugging on his earlobes as if to make sure they were the same size. She traced both his eyebrows with the pads of her thumbs and persisted down his face, touching every imperfection hitching her attention. His scar got no more, no less consideration than the birthmark freckle below his left sideburn. His hands were fixed behind his head and Raine's fingertips grazed the underside of his forearms, lingered a moment on the dry, wrinkled skin of his elbows jutting out on either side of his head. His biceps instinctively contracted when she outlined them and a ghost of a smile appeared on Raine's lips at his masculine reflex. It gave him chills when she raked her fingers on his scalp and she squinted as if to scrutinize his forehead where his hair was beginning to recede and turn white. Her tee-shirt came very close then, her breasts underneath almost touching his face, and he felt precious when he heard the unmistakable sound of her sniffing his hair.

She withdrew from him. "Open your mouth."

He opened his mouth slightly, anticipating her tongue, but her fingers spread his lips open wide and snared his tongue. Now he was feeling less than human, like a racing chocobo up for inspection, but his organ was still stiff as a rod. Resisting the temptation to nip her, he let her finish her assessment of his mouth and teeth.

Further down, Raine closely eyed his erection, the tip glistening with clear discharge as it pointed straight at the ceiling. She dabbed at it with one curious finger and Auron sipped air. His reaction to her touch was uninteresting to her as she experimented with his tackiness between her thumb and forefinger. She moved around on the bed, circling his penis, looking at it from where his legs were. She swatted the inside of his thigh.

"Spread your legs a little."

He spread his legs a little.

Nestling in between his thighs, his arousal was still the focus of her inspection. He felt a light tug as she combed through his curly nest of pubic hair, and he paid special attention to her face for any micro-emotion of distaste if she discovered any white hairs, but she regarded this as impassively as everything else.

With the back of her finger, she caressed the bloated vein bulging up the length of him and Auron's breath came out of his mouth ragged and rough. Despite her objectivity, Auron moaned a little when she carefully fished for his balls. She tested their weight in her hand, playing with them briefly before lifting them and hunching over in deep analysis of what was underneath.

Her findings were unclear as she straightened, frowning a little, rotating all the way around on her hands and knees to study his feet. Tensing, Auron watched how dangerously close she was to kicking his scrotum. All he could see was her ass and the hairy slit of her vagina between her milky thighs.

To clear his insidious thoughts, Auron pushed his cranium into his laced hands, forcing his eye to the textured ceiling and taming his erratic breaths. This was all more difficult than he expected. As a man who never removed his leather plate, not even for coitus, he anticipated a certain defenselessness that came with not being battle-ready. He wasn't ashamed of his body and he was difficult to embarrass, but it made him uneasy to be studied so meticulously, and in such ample lighting, too. Somehow, he thought it might be easier if it was dark. This was a new sort of humiliation, an indignity of exposure he was unaccustomed to. And yet, his chest and penis were throbbing to the same beat.

What was she doing down there, anyway? He managed a glance around the side of her body. She was picking the callous on the side of one of his heels and then moved her finger up to touch the course hairs coming out of his big toe. It made all his toes bend and scrunch together. She was looking satisfied with her examination and Auron prepared for what was next, and just in time, too. He was about to explode and he ached to have her hands on him to help with his release.

She patted his calf with an air of finality. "On your stomach."

Auron resisted a groan. She wasn't finished with her tortures. Flipping to his belly, he settled gingerly against the quilt, his erect penis pushing up against his stomach. He rested his blindside on the pillow and curled his arms underneath, feeling Raine exploring the back of his thighs with tentative strokes. It took effort to keep his hips still. The last thing he wanted was to spew ejaculate all over her aunt's bedding, although the pressure in his groin was proving more than he could handle.

As if finally working her nerve, Raine dove into his ass with sudden enthusiasm, her fingers spreading him apart. He started, lifting his head in alarm as he tried to get a glimpse of her over his shoulder. His ass felt naked now, exposed to cool air where air usually didn't go. He felt one of her fingers probe through his ass cheeks, the pad of one of her exploratory digits grazed overtop his sphincter and his rectum clenched involuntarily. The sensation went straight to his cock, pinioned between the quilt and his stomach. He ground his teeth together, his waist levitating off the bed to let his climax subside.

She went on, playing with him in this intrusive manner. Auron tossed a reproachful look over his shoulder, subduing a flash of rage. How could she not know what she was doing to him? Why was she being so wicked? He decided this must be his punishment for denying her earlier at the stadium. Sweet Yevon, any more of this and she was about to get her wish in a brutal way.

"Kneel up a little." Her command reached his ears, but she had forgotten to lace her voice with authority and instead sounded slightly distracted.

In any case, Auron was marginally relieved to bring in his legs a little to take the weight off his erection. Pointing down at the mattress, his penis wavered in mid-air. He felt Raine's hand skim between his thighs and outline his taint with inquisitive fingers, rubbing the skin from his testicles to the crack of his ass. The membrane was not especially sensitive there, but it became the very last of what Auron could reasonably stand.

Kneeling up, Auron swung an arm back to scoop Raine around her middle, flinging her down on the mattress. He heard her breath snag from the whiplash but he wasted no time, pouncing, straddling her hips to pin her down, and raising her shirt, bundling the garment to her chin. Her eyes had widened in fear and when he managed to snare her wrists, he could feel the resistance in her arms when he tried to place her hands where he wanted them.

"Don't fight me, sweetheart," he rumbled, forcing her hands to her own chest.

At first she was confused by what he meant for her to do, even after he had formed her hands around the sides of her breasts like cups. He drew his hands away, but she was uncertain and let her breasts drop. Auron had to reposition them, squeezing roughly, warningly, to signal to her he wanted her stay this way. Even then her grasp was timid and awkward, but when he walked forward on his knees and eased his angry, engorged genitalia between the undersides of her breasts, comprehension clicked behind her eyes. She pushed her breasts together, firmly enveloping him, and the red head of his cock peeped out the top of her cleavage. Auron fell forward, his hands forming craters in the mattress, pelvis moving in quick, hard thrusts.

"Auron," she gasped.

"What?" he snapped.

"When you come, come loud."

Grinning with mischief, he tucked his chin to look at her squirming underneath him and she rolled her head up to meet his eye. "Yes, ma'am," he grated.

It took only three solid plunges before he was spurting on her and he held nothing back, howling his pleasure with cathartic abandon, hips wildly bucking between her slick breasts. His spasms went on longer than what was typical for him, grunting with every little aftershock as it coursed up his writhing back. When he couldn't stand the sensitivity of it all, he dragged his depleted organ out from between her shiny breasts and clutched her throat with one hand so he could look at her.

Startled, she stared back at him and something in his face made her eyes slide away self-consciously. "You look cross. Do you hate me for touching you like that?"

He did hate her. He hated her for exposing him and making him feel at risk and softening his soul and he hated himself for letting her do all those things. He had grown up knowing love and hate were polar opposites but it took him until now to realize how the two emotions felt exactly the same.

Releasing his grip on her neck by a fraction, Auron stabbed his tongue between her lips and he was delighted by her instant responsiveness. It was a good enough answer for her and he had never been all that skilled in expressing himself in words anyway.

The shirt gathered under Raine's chin had collected most of his semen and the rest was drying on her skin in a thin gloss. His nose skimmed between her tender breasts on his way to her belly, where he planted a sleepy kiss before nuzzling her and dozing off.

He woke with a jolt, peeling his face from her sticky skin. Raine was smiling down at him, languid, complacent, the rope of tee-shirt still around her neck. "How long was I sleeping?"

"Twenty minutes."

Propping up on his forearm, he rubbed the side of his face, wondering if he had been talking again in his sleep and if it was the reason for her funny grin. He scowled at her, reaching up to pull the shirt off over her head. "Why are you still wearing this? It's stained."

"I didn't want to wake you." She tossed the shirt over to the floor on her side and Auron noticed something clutched in her other hand. His ribbon.

Auron felt for his tail at the back of his neck and drew it over his shoulder, the strands kinked from the braid that was no more. He was surprised at his stab of disappointment. "Why did you do that?"

"It was falling apart. Besides, it was my braid to take back."

Auron frowned but didn't say anything. It was just a braid. And a bad one at that. Why did he feel so nostalgic about it?

She cocked her head in mock-pity. "Oh, Auron. Turn around. You can have it back."

Rolling his eye, he sat with his back to her. She kneeled up behind him and he felt her tugging lightly as she separated his tail into three sections.

"How old was I when I last braided your hair? Seven? Eight?"

Auron shrugged, but he remembered exactly how old she was. "I think you were ten." She had been wearing dirty corduroys, a green hoodie with frayed laces and ballerina slippers too big for her feet. Now, she wasn't wearing anything.

"Why did you lie about the ribbon?"

"I'm not sure. I think to avoid a conversation."

"What kind of conversation?"

"One where you assume too much," he said and sensed she was smiling behind him.

"Corrupt stuff?"

"It was a good memory. I'd like it to stay that way." He added with a mutter, "I have very few good ones left."

She didn't say anything and continued to weave his tail. Her hands felt more deft and competent than last time and it made shivers tour his spine and scalp.

"Curious tonight, weren't you?" he said.

Scoffing, Raine said, "Is this the part where you tease me?"

Auron grinned. "You know my body better than I do now. I can't tease you for that."

"I enjoyed playing with you. It makes me feel bold. Fearless."

Letting her comment hang, Auron wondered if he was supposed to tell her it all made him feel quite pusillanimous? That she had plundered his dignity? Should he also mention the effect of it all was acutely stimulating?

"And I learned a lot," she said, as a side note.

"So did I." Fact.

"It excited me, too. Not just seeing your body, either. I mean, you're pleasing to look at, but the control I had over you…that you let me have over you…it gave me a thrill. Does that make me weird?"

He laughed and twisted his arms behind him to give her hips a squeeze. "It makes you human. Power is attractive. And it…." He hesitated. "It suits you."

She paused, and he wished he could see her face just then. "I wasn't sure it did. You looked really intense for a second after."

"I'm sorry if I scared you." He thought of how she briefly struggled when he had her pinned. While he didn't like the idea of her fighting him, there was an instant when he was sincerely aroused by it. "That was never my intension."

"I wasn't scared. I know you won't hurt me. Not without warning me first." She gave him a final tug as she tied his braid with the old ribbon. "Done."

Auron stretched back and drew it over his shoulder again for inspection. The braid was tidy and straight and he nodded his approval. "Should hold for another ten years. Thanks."

"I hope this memory is as good as the last."

"I'm sure I'll be holding onto this memory for a long time." He turned around, smirking. She had taken his glasses off and he noticed her body was covered in tiny bumps and her nipples were popped out. "You're cold. Come on. Under the blankets."

Peeling back the sheets, he urged Raine underneath and crawled under next to her, tugging her close. Her skin felt hot against his and he preferred it to the cold leather that normally divided them. Nestling her head under his chin, her legs curled around his. He kissed her hair.

Noticing her body was still thrumming with energy, he asked, "You're not tired? You're not typically up this late."

She shrugged. "I'm still a little wound up."

"I see. What do you suggest?"

Raine peered up at him and Auron had to tuck his chin to his chest to see her. Her lips twisted chastely.

"Hmph," Auron said. "I am open to commands."

"Actually," she said and hesitated. "I was hoping you could show me something…advanced."

"Like what?"

"Well." She looked away shyly. "If I knew of anything advanced, it wouldn't be advanced, now would it?"

"I guess not." He considered her for a moment, wondering what was wrong with what they were already doing. Unfortunately, that was too close to what Jory had said to her earlier: _Why can't we do what we usually do?_ And Auron was not about to follow Jory's example. "As you wish. Now on your back."

Raine's mouth opened in astonishment. "Really?"

"Quickly, before I change my mind."

Rolling over, she enthusiastically squirmed to get comfortable and Auron slowly rose to his knees, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He stared at her body, her shell pink nipples, the triangle of flaxen pubic hair, her hands moving nervously about, unsure where she should put them. Her eyes were hard with trepidation and when Auron touched her waist, she jerked sideways.

"Relax," Auron whispered. "You said I would warn you if I was about to hurt you."

"Will this hurt?"

"It might. But it will hurt more if you're tense."

Her eyes lowered uneasily and her whole body flushed pink, but she noticeably relaxed her limbs. When she was ready, she gave a reassuring nod. Auron hooked his hands around her knees, rising and parting them wide. Her pubic lips were pink, wet and gaping and her sex opened and closed like a little hungry mouth. It tested his willpower more than ever. He could feel himself beginning to extend again and she was still dripping, more than ready. And he suspected little, if any, resistance from her if he just slipped inside her. But this was her exercise and she was relinquishing control to him because she trusted him. He wouldn't betray that.

Latching his gaze on her nervous eyes, he dipped his pinky into her slick vagina. She was flooded with heat and he swirled his pinky to thoroughly coat it, watching the subtle flinches of her eyebrows as she tried to figure out what he was about to do.

Smirking, he dropped his hand between her legs and lightly patted her lower buttocks. "Lift up."

Her backside rose off the sheets a couple inches. Burying his pinky between her butt cheeks, he could feel they had naturally toughened from the raised position she was in and he kneaded her to remind her to loosen up. Rifling around for her wrinkled crater, his baby finger carefully penetrated her. Sharply inhaling, she threw her head back into her pillow and jerked her rump upwards. Her warm, taut sphincter constricted suddenly around his finger and he chuckled, caressing the side of her hip to ease her. Her eyes were smashed shut and her hands were clutching wads of sheets.

"Too advanced?" he inquired.

"Just give me a second," she said. She sounded pinched, restrained as if holding her breath.

Auron let Raine compose herself. Eventually, she allowed herself to breathe and her buttocks gradually lowered, the ring of muscle releasing its death grip on him. Her eyes opened and she looked at him through her lashes, but he doubted she was actually seeing him. Numbly, she nodded again.

Trying not to twist his wrist too much, he sunk further into her anus. He felt her muscles undulate tentatively as she acclimated around his pinky. Her rough breaths came sparingly.

Laying his free hand on her lower abdomen, he waited a few more seconds for her to adjust and then plunged his thumb back into her vagina. She was even wetter than before, feeling very hot and creamy inside and he spread the emulsion around her pubic lips and clitoris. A little moan escaped her as she arched blissfully off the bed. He whirled the pad of his thumb in lazy circles, struggling to keep up with the pace as she began pumping her hips. He groaned when his own pulsing organ reached full erection, eying her last open hole, still winking impatiently at him. Closing his eye, he fought for self-discipline and busied with his little punishments of her rectum.

And then, Raine was shifting around his deft hands. His pinky popped out of her and he opened his eye to find her sleepy face nearing his and he fastened his starving lips to hers. She lassoed her arms around his neck and their balmy tongues coiled in yearning. He ran his hands up and down her perspiring back, pulling her close, flattening her breasts against his chest.

"Did you climax?" he asked.

"No."

He recoiled with a hazy frown. "No?"

She shoved him back with both hands. "Lie on your side."

"What? Why?" His voice felt gritty, like he needed to clear his throat.

But she had already lifted the covers and dove head first underneath. Only her smooth legs and part of one curvy hip were in the open, the rest of her hidden under the sheets. Auron watched, baffled, as Raine's feet kicked the pillows and the quilt erupted as she wriggled to situate herself. Settling cautiously on his hip, he became wary. If this was some sort of game—

Auron groaned as Raine drew the puffy head of his penis into her eager mouth. His knees parted slightly as she rested the side of her head on his inner thigh. In front of him, her own knees were split to expose her sex, an invitation, and he didn't hesitate to drop his face between her legs and reciprocate. Chin braced on her clitoris, Auron's tongue flicked and twirled as he wound his arms around her hips. Managing to snake his hand between her thighs from behind, Auron dunked his finger into the warm pool of her vagina and then tickled the crinkly opening of her anus. Considering her jerky response last time, he wanted to give her fair warning of his intensions. Contrary to what some might think Auron did value the part of him crammed deep between her teeth.

Stabbing his freshly lubricated finger through the narrow ring of muscle, Auron couldn't help tensing when Raine's jaw tightened on him ever so slightly, a muffled moan making its way through the quilt to his ears. The vibration of her guttural sounds on his balls electrified his spine.

He was supposed to be showing her something novel, but this was relatively new to him and he marveled at the concept of ministering to anonymous genitals as they pumped urgently to their destination. Impersonal, yes, but effective. Without the added distraction of facial expressions or body language, he was entirely focused only on giving and receiving pleasure. Even the occasional throat noise seemed detached and unspecific. Because the give and take was equal, he was spared the nagging guilt of ignoring the others' gratification for the sake of his own. He felt delightfully subhuman, two amoebas writhing with mutualistic symbiosis, their greedy mouths leaching off each other. And despite the impartial nature of it, he felt utterly connected to her.

Easily driving back his own orgasm, Auron nursed on her clitoris, toying with the firm bit with his tongue and lips. For ease of control, he used his index finger to prod the secret tunnel of her rectum and sporadically plunged his thumb into her vagina, to fill up her remaining orifice, as they were all so greedy for attention. He struggled to keep her under control as the crash of her orgasm made her hips thrash wildly. Mashing his face down on her sex, Auron felt the spasmodic clench and release of her cavities on his fingers and the tremors of her stifled cries were maddening on his organ. Unable to hold back any longer, he crested, brutally exploding into her throat, hardly aware of the shocks and lurches of his body as he rolled along his climax.

Laying his cheek against the inside of her thigh, he caught his breath and removed his digits from her various canals. He was completely spent. Under the blanket, he felt the smack of Raine's lips as they ran over his softening head to keep the mess contained and he mechanically jerked from the sensitivity of it. She was also still recuperating, her breath humid on his crotch, and for a few long minutes they didn't move. There was a stretch of time Auron thought they would fall asleep this way, their noses tucked close to each other's genitals. But before too long, Auron was aching for the familiarity of her face and reached blindly between the sheets to persuade her back to the pillows.

Her face was flushed, smiling and sated, and he ran a hand considerately over his sopping mouth before kissing her. Unlike Jory, Auron had no qualms about tasting himself, as long as it was on her lips. She broke away from his mouth suddenly, looking concerned, her hands comforting and reassuring as they explored his arms.

"You're shaking."

So he was. "Hmph" was all he said and rolled back to snap off the lamp behind him with an unsteady hand.

Raine turned off the light on her side and returned to his expecting arms. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Auron sighed, but in contentment not irritancy. "Maybe in three days," he murmured.

She was too tired to pester him about it. She was sleeping before he was, but not much longer.


	5. Day Four

**Day Four**

Auron slept for an extremely long time without disturbance until he was abruptly woken by a sharp mechanical chirp. Squinting from the late morning sun boring through a gap in the curtains, he searched his night-table for sunglasses and noticed it was almost noon.

Another loud chirp roused Raine. Next to him, the blankets bubbled as she stirred underneath. One arm shot out from under the quilt, feeling around for the blinking commsphere. With some difficulty, she managed to press the red ornament on the front of the gilded rim and the curved, teal lid slowly opened. She fumbled inside to detach the earpiece and it, along with her arm, disappeared under the covers. A second later, Auron heard a muffled, groggy, "'ellow?"

Pause.

"Oh. Hey. No. It's okay. I should get up anyway," Raine said. She flipped the blankets off and rolled naked out of bed, bending down to pick up her shirt.

For an instant, Auron thought it might be Jory. Maybe his plans had fallen through for the day and now he wanted to take Raine up on her offer and come over.

Raine clipped the device to her ear and worked at turning her shirt right side out. Then she made a face at something the caller said. "I forgot all about that. Sorry. I was up late last night," she said, her dancing eyes flicking to Auron. He was starting to think it wasn't Jory.

He tried to inquire with a raise of his eyebrows, but she had already turned to the mirror to run a hand through her hair, which did nothing for its appearance. Her damp hair had dried atrociously during the night and was sticking up in every direction. Reaching over Raine's side of the bed, Auron snatched his sunglasses and put them on. Indulging in a deep, arching stretch, Auron's mind was blissfully empty, undoubtedly another side effect of happiness.

Walking to his side of the bed, she struggled into her shirt without removing the earpiece. There was a blotch of his dried semen near the hem, like crusty milk, but she didn't seem to notice. "Can you hold on? Yeah. Yeah, one sec." She tapped the earpiece and kissed him with tightly closed lips to contain her morning malboro breath. "I was supposed to meet some friends at the plaza this afternoon."

"I'll get dressed and follow you."

"You'll do no such thing," she said, swatting his chest. "Give me a minute. I'll blow them off and spend the day with you."

Auron smirked at the idea.

"Do you need to shower?"

Blinking, he reflected on a hot shower. Like eating and sleeping, bathing was generally unnecessary, but he did enjoy it on occasion. After three years lurking in the bushes like a wild animal, waking up to a beautiful woman in a warm, full-sized bed did wonders for his sense of humanity and a shower would only add to it. "You're making me soft, Raine. How will I be expected to endure the junipers all night after this?"

"Maybe you won't," she said and bit her lip. "Use my shower downstairs. Aunt Naya gets pretty unreasonable over soap scum in her shower."

He nodded and she touched her earpiece, turning for the door. "Okay, I'm back. What? No. It's no one."

Rolling out of bed, Auron threw back the covers and inspected the fitted sheet for any traces of their pleasure from last night. Nothing caught his eye. He dug around his pile of clothes and shook out his trousers, stepping into them and zipping them halfway. The rest of his clothes he gathered in one arm, grabbing his armor by the armhole and kicking open the door. He could hear the murmur of Raine's conversation from the kitchen and when he stopped to check, saw she was hopping into her own running pants, the ones he had discarded to the floor last night. She froze when she saw him, the waistband of her sportswear stopped mid-thigh until she had collected her wits enough to finish dressing. She held up a finger to halt him and he waited as she hurried into the utility room at the back of the kitchen.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, I know," she was saying to her earpiece as she came out, sniffing a dry towel. She approached him, wrapping the towel around his neck. "It can't all be up to Lindsey. Everybody should have a chance."

"Thanks," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

She smiled, but it quickly faded as she retreated into herself, listening intently to her earpiece. With a cautious glance at Auron, she said, "I said it's no one."

_Sorry_, Auron mouthed and tried to look contrite, but he was a little annoyed she kept referring to him as "no one."

Shaking it off, he headed for the stairs, through the cramped basement and into the dark windowless bathroom opposite her bedroom. He felt along the wall for a light switch and activated it. Standing at the door, he was a little stunned at the condition of her bathroom. It was enough to jar him off his high of waking in a warm bed. He couldn't believe she could stand getting ready for school in such disarray. Auron kicked aside towels to make himself a path to the sink, but he was hard pressed to find a clear surface to put his clothes amidst cosmetics, hair accessories and an overturned package of sanitary napkins. The hamper was overflowing, and the garbage can was full of empty toilet paper rolls, used up bottles of shampoo and clumps of long blonde hair, as if pried off the bristles of a brush. When he pulled back the mildewed shower curtain, he understood Aunt Naya's need for a clean shower, as this one was scaly with thick soap scum.

But the water felt hot and once the curtain was closed, it didn't much matter what the rest of the bathroom looked like. He leaned his hands against the wall of the shower and let the water pelt his face.

After, Auron dressed completely in his pants, armor and cloak and hung his towel neatly on the rack next to the shower. Upstairs, Raine was sitting on the couch, clicking through channels with the remote, her bare feet propped on the edge of the coffee table. Her hair was drawn back into an untidy bun. A bowl of cereal was in her lap and she was waving around a milky spoon as she talked into her earpiece about the politics of cheerleading. Auron wondered if she was still talking to Lane, or if someone else had called while he was downstairs. Auron sunk into the cushion at the opposite end, laying an arm on the back of the couch, watching about a nanosecond of each show as Raine skimmed through them.

"Katie nails the move more than Lindsey, why shouldn't she get a chance? I know, right? I guess nobody said it was supposed to be fair."

Normally a tolerant man, Auron was buzzing with impatience. Her folks would be home later this afternoon and Auron already had such little precious time with her.

Finishing her cereal, she got to her feet, the spoon scraping noisily around the edge of the bowl. "I know, but the coach made Lindsey head cheerleader so she could deal with these kinds of things," Raine said.

Auron had to tuck his feet so she could sidle by him on her way to the kitchen. There was some sort of talk show on the holographic screen, but he was sure it would be changed again the moment she returned. No wonder Jory liked control of the remote. Auron heard Raine's voice over the run of water as she rinsed her dish. Auron understood Raine's life was busier than his, although the importance of her daily events seemed inconsequential, considering Raine might very well be the next Summoner to defeat Sin and he was her acting guardian.

He also comprehended she had a finite amount of time to balance school, cheerleading and friends. Up until three days ago, she didn't have to fit him in at all and she still wasn't obligated to. It seemed reasonable that Auron could simply junction into Jory's old slot, but Jory wasn't completely out of her life yet and Auron wanted to spend more time with Raine than Jory seemed to.

Returning, Raine started to pass him to sit, her face absorbed, withdrawn, as she listened to Lane on the other end. Auron grabbed her capriciously, without hesitation, clapping his hands on her hips and yanking her down in his lap. She gasped, her arms flying out to catch herself and before she could process what was happening, she was wriggling in protest. It irritated him and he handled her roughly because of it, his fingers digging into the side of her thigh and the back of her neck so he could put his mouth on her.

It excited him when she struggled, but she was already beginning to relax now that she knew his intensions, as lecherous as they were. Her conversation with Lane hadn't missed a beat and he scooped her up by the knees to a more comfortable position and ambushed her neck with severe kisses.

"Lindsey knows the top of the pyramid is where everyone is looking—"

"Not me," Auron muttered on her skin, already chafing pink from his scratchy stubble.

Raine grinned absently, her hand coming up to seal his mouth, listening closely to her earpiece. "Nobody," she said.

Auron whipped his head to shake her and even though she was able to keep her hand glued to his face, the wrestle energized him. He managed to pin both her hands into one of his and hold them against her abdomen and he began nipping the skin in the crook of her shoulder. Raine shrugged in surprise, simulating a gasp. Her eyes burned into his as some desperate message, but he took no notice and let his lips travel all around her throat.

But no matter what he did, Raine's dialogue was not to be thwarted. "No, you're right. Lindsey shouldn't get all the attention."

How ironic for Raine to say, since it seemed Lindsey _was_ getting all the attention, even now. And Auron tried to take it back, his free hand roaming the inside of her thigh at first, and then skipping up to her right breast, kneading her harshly through her shirt. She was still not wearing a bra and the watery way she jiggled in his hand made him hot. His emerging erection felt remarkable when she adjusted in his lap.

"I know, I know. Someone should really stand up to Lindsey, but it can't be me." She met his gaze for a moment, looking a bit nervous. He stopped groping, but left his hand on her. "Because of what's going on between Lindsey and me."

She was being purposely vague. Auron wasn't supposed to know about the love triangle between Raine, Lindsey and Jory and, clearly, she wasn't ready for him to learn about it just yet. He pretended not to notice the strain in her discussion and drifted back to her neck. He resumed his seductions, slowly at first, trying to elicit some change in her expression. Irked when he didn't receive it, he seized her ruthlessly between her legs. She made no sound, but he had finally harnessed her consideration.

She turned toward him on her hip, her thigh pressing pleasantly on his groin. "Actually," she said into the earpiece, "I'm thinking about breaking up with Jory."

Auron halted and looked at her, his startle hidden behind his glasses.

"He says it's over with him and Lindsey, but I'm not sure I believe him."

"Good girl,"he murmured around a smirk.

"Besides, I think I'm interested in someone else…"

Auron raised his brows in mock surprise.

"He's a little older…you wouldn't know him."

"Much older," Auron muttered, grabbing behind her neck and kissing her. How much longer was she going to talk to this Lane?

Raine averted her face to liberate her lips. "Nobody!"

Gritting his teeth together, Auron snapped off the earpiece, aiming the microphone to his mouth. "This is Nobody. A.k.a. No One. Raine can't talk right now. She's about to become very busy."

Meanwhile, the color was draining from Raine's face and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Auron frowned at the device, but he wasn't sure which button disabled it, so he threw it across the room and it bounced on the carpet.

Raine watched it fly and then swung her head back to him, shocked. "What has gotten into you?" she admonished, but her mouth was gaped incredulously.

He clutched her shoulders and flung her sideways. What _had_ gotten into him? She had ignored him before. In fact, he had encouraged her to ignore him, when she was first getting used to his vigilance. But now she was evoking strange, predatory emotions in him—anger, jealousy, lust.

Raine had landed on her side and Auron scrambled up on his knees to flip her face down on the cushions. She gave out a little cry and it provoked his cock. Although she was minimally squirming, he held her down with one hand and used the other to wrench down her pants, peeling down one side first then the other, stopping when they were at her knees to crudely fondle her creamy ass cheeks. He knew he was being rough, but it was exhilarating to hold her down, to watch her ass wriggle as she tried to escape. His penis was tight in his trousers. Probing around her ass crack for her wrinkled anus, he jammed his finger inside with immense difficulty.

Raine's head flew up and her scream ripped his heart out, but the exit of his finger seemed to make it worse as she whined pitifully.

Feeling sick, Auron's forehead touched the small of her back as he planted a flurry of apologetic kisses on her ass. A verbal warning and a generous tip was usually enough to ease his conscience for being a brutal lover, but he would never forgive himself for getting so carried away with Raine. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry."

"Auron?" She sounded very meek and uncertain, but Auron saw her hands had come together at her lower back, tightly laced together. He leaned sideways a little to look at her face, which was peering over her left shoulder, one eyebrow raised, a flirty little smile playing on her lips.

Comprehension dawning, Auron mischievously grinned. "You like it rough," he muttered and clasped his hands on hers to restrain her in the way she was hinting. The amount of trust she was showing simultaneously warmed his heart and hardened his cock.

He slipped his hand between her thighs and his finger slid into her vagina. Inside was like hot custard. Removing his slick finger, he shoved it into her rectum with only little strain. Raine answered with a loud, disgraceful mewl and all the available blood rushed to the tip of his penis. Her discomfort seemed marginal and as her butt came off the cushions an inch, Auron sensed she was pushing into his finger, relishing in the punishment. Gradually, he pressed his finger further, his knuckle buried between the crack of her buttocks, paying close attention to her body language for signs of distress. Suddenly, he reached an invisible limit. Her sphincter pinched him, her body seizing in pain and Auron dragged out of her. Her body collapsed to the couch, her pants quick and moaning.

A sinister urge came over him then. Drawing back his hand, he swatted her across both ass cheeks. Her whole body undulated in surprise, her gasp followed by perfect silence as she held her breath. Again, he smacked her, striking with the back of his hand this time. Both buttocks were flushed pink. Auron paused, expecting some response from her, but she was only waiting, the side of her face resting on the upholstery.

Hurried, Auron yanked on the waist band of her pants again, twisting them down her legs. She made a sudden movement like she was resisting, but he realized she was trying to aid him as he untangled the running pants from her feet one-handedly. He separated her underwear from the wad with a brisk shake. Releasing her hands for a moment, he stretched the undergarment, winding it like a rope, securing her hands together, tight enough to keep her hands tethered, but not enough so that she couldn't escape if she really wanted to.

Now, he had both hands free and he slid them slowly down her pink ass, firmly squeezing and kneading her. Raine's breath was picking up again and she was trying to sneak looks at him through the corner of her eye. Auron curled his fingers under her hip bones and slid her up to her knees like a step ladder, her body held up by the side of her face and her knees only, her hands still tied behind her back. He gave her a few more reassuring caresses and then slapped her again, this time downwards on one ass cheek, the sound sharp on her flesh. The side of her ass flashed bright pink and her breathing caught and became erratic. Auron faintly smiled, arrogant, smug, before connecting another swift whack on her other cheek.

He couldn't say he'd never struck a woman before. Yunalesca came to mind first, a half-assed plan that also halved his vision. There were several feminine fiends as well, but he could say with all honesty he had never hit a human woman, especially not one tied up and defenseless. He certainly never expected this sort of arousal. He was only using a fraction of his full strength and he felt no desire to inflict anything more than a biting sting. It merely pleased him to watch the palm-shaped blaze of blood coming to the surface of her skin, but what really awakened him was Raine's carnal shudder as she absorbed each assault with resilient devotion.

The couch wasn't quite wide enough and Auron put a foot on the floor to brace himself as he backed up and grabbed her ass with both hands again. With his thumbs, he opened her and licked her crinkled crater to let her know what was what coming. She responded with a brief clench and a quick inhale and when she relaxed, Auron dove in with his tongue, thrusting it through the tight loop of muscle, licking her anal walls. She tasted faintly bitter.

Although she was twisting with enthusiasm, Auron could tell she struggled to keep her position, her knees quivering, her hands fighting against her binds for the first time. Face still buried in her backside, Auron slipped a hand between her legs, rubbing her swollen, saturated pubic lips, and she convulsed at the touch. Her low moans were muffled in the cushions and sounded vaguely primal right before her highpoint. Her hips relaxed, moving in sweeping, fluid motions. It was the quickest he had ever brought her to orgasm.

Still manipulating her clitoris, Auron kneeled up, using one hand to free himself from his breeches, anticipating the milky fluids inside her enveloping him. But he did manage to keep some of his control. Gripping onto her waist with both hands, he thrust his bloated organ through her inner thighs, but did not enter her, sliding his shaft effortlessly from the juices of her climax. His hips smacked against hers and his swinging balls lashed at the back of her thighs. She was trembling from the strain of holding herself up, her muscles weakened by orgasm and he could tell it was taking her great effort to lock her position so he could finish.

"Just a little longer, sweetheart," he husked.

"Yes, sir," she whimpered.

_Sir._ The word sent him spurting out of control. She had never called him that before and she didn't know it was his formal title back in Spira. Yet she said it earnestly with a reverence he hadn't detected from her since she was a child. She was Brainy Rainy again, prepubescent, wearing a tight, lavender nightgown, ill-fitting from her most recent growth spurt. In his mind, she was also holding a stuffed moogle in the crook of her elbow, the pink powder puff dangling on its spring, and only Auron knew she still slept with it, despite she was nearing the age where stuffed animals were becoming puerile. This vile image, paired with the realization he had just spanked her, sent him reeling into a blinding, disorienting orgasm that seemed unending.

Auron wasn't sure at what point Raine began screaming to the rhythm of a second climax, most likely driven by the friction of his shaft gliding against her pubic lips. Her knees gave out and she sprawled onto the couch, but he continued to ride out his pleasure, pumping into the couch cushions between her thighs, which were now slick with his cloudy ejaculate.

Even while he released the strip of underwear from around her hands, he was still craving her, their clever ministrations unable to satiate his desire to have her completely. Her freed hands simply flopped to her sides, energy spent. Lightly chuckling, Auron tucked himself back into his pants and buttoned up, and then sat on the edge of the couch next to her. As he coaxed life back into her, rubbing her spine under her shirt, he was sure he had just overwritten all previous memories of Jory on this couch. She rested on her other cheek to look at him, drowsy and complete.

He shook his head in puzzlement. "Sir?"

"It just slipped out," she said and the way she shyly covered her face with her fingers drove him insane.

"Hmph."

"What?"

"If we try that again, you might want to think about a safe-word."

She smiled. "Like what?"

"I don't know," he said. "Moogle."

"Moogle? Why moogle?"

Auron shrugged. "When do your custodians return?"

Glancing past him to the clock, she said, "Maybe about four? Why?"

"Get dressed."

"Where are we going?"

Auron paused. "It's a surprise."

In truth, Auron needed to get her in public. His defense to her was weakening and five hours alone with her without some form of civic supervision would be disastrous to her penetrable places. However, the spark of excitement in her face made him feel guilty and he figured he'd better get cracking on an idea before they were ready to leave the house.

From another part of the house, an obnoxious buzzer sounded and Auron looked up. "What's that?"

"The sheets are done. I should make the bed before I forget."

"You washed the linens?"

"Of course. It smelled like sex in there," she said, sitting up gingerly.

Auron stopped her. "I'll make the bed. You get dressed."

"I have to shower, too. After last night and this morning, there isn't a part of me that's not covered in your semen."

"I beg to differ," Auron muttered darkly. "Keep talking like that and I'll make sure you know what _that's_ like."

He glanced at her. She was swallowing, her eyes glittering.

"Okay, let me get the sheets for you." She pulled on her running pants to cover up, lifting her hips off the cushions to get them all the way up.

He followed her to the kitchen, into the small utility room where she'd gotten him a clean towel from earlier. She pulled open one of the machina boxes inside and removed an arm-sized wad of pale blue sheets. They were still warm and smelled of fabric softener.

"You sure you know how to make a bed?" she asked dubiously.

"Just go shower."

He watched her run down the stairs and he went to her aunt and uncle's room, where the quilt was piled at the foot of the bed, all four pillows crumpled and slept in. Downstairs, Auron heard the water running in Raine's bathroom and he began to make the bed. After, Auron found a cloth in one of the kitchen drawers and soaked it in warm water and wrung it out in the sink. He wiped at a few suspicious spots in the couch upholstery and then found a hamper for soiled rags in the utility room. He settled in her uncle's chair and watched the program that was on for about twenty minutes, but afterward couldn't remember a single thing he just watched.

He was stunned how much he enjoyed spanking her, but he was certain it would not be as gratifying if he had actually spanked her as a child as a way of correcting behavior, for him and for her. He knew he should feel more disgraced about the thoughts that ultimately brought him to orgasm, Raine, prepubescent, clutching a stuffed moogle. But he couldn't commit to the shame. He knew himself. And he knew her. He could reflect on her that way now because he was thinking it for the first time.

He fought the impulse to go downstairs, where she was certain to be in some stage of undress, but after 45 minutes, decided he would check on her progress, only to hurry her along. He found her in her room, mostly undressed, as he expected. Auron leaned on the frame of the door to watch as she held up two different shirts typical of Zanarkand trends, apparently torn between the two. She was in just a white bra, a flowery skirt and a pair of tall fashion boots.

She saw him in the mirror and turned around. "Which one?"

"Neither." He entered the room to grab his katana and gauntlet, rather fond of what she was currently wearing.

She simpered and started to put one back in the closet, but then stopped. "Is this a date?"

Auron hesitated, leery of declaring a state of courtship with her. "It is what it is."

She considered him for a minute and changed her mind about the outfits, choosing the one she almost put away. Auron couldn't be sure what the difference was. She appeared almost ready. Her hair was loosely curled, and she had applied make-up, no more, no less than usual. As he watched her, he felt the familiar stirring of longing in him and he took a step back.

"I'll be outside."

The neighborhood was bustling with normal weekend activity: yard work, kids on bikes, mothers walking strollers. Auron sauntered over to the chair swing on the porch, sitting in the shade, absently pushing off with one boot to rock himself. It was bright today. No clouds. From the sidewalk, normal people doing normal things waved at him out of neighborly politeness. And he responded with a courteous nod to seem sociable, but would they be so quick to engage him if they knew what salacious things he was doing to the girl who lived there?

It confused him the way Raine was so shy in one moment and in the next she was absolutely fearless. It was difficult to find his limit with her and to trust that she could stand up to him if he was going too far. She had asked him to give her a second last night; it was apparently all she needed to catch up to him. In a way, she had outgrown Jory and Auron was pleased she was rethinking him as a mate, but was Auron really an upgrade for her? It was too late to turn back now. He had to ride this out to see.

He found himself faintly smiling at the secrets in his head. He would be hard pressed to find someone in this neighborhood without secrets of their own. Even Raine's uncle and aunt started out very scandalously, although Auron couldn't remember if Raine had told him when they commenced a relationship, only that Uncle Cetan had been her age when her Aunt Naya was 35. Auron supposed they might not have begun courtship until years later. Auron wondered if that was significant and decided it wasn't. Fifteen years difference was fifteen years difference. As long as they were both consenting adults, it didn't matter. So far, Raine was only consenting, but she would be of adult status in two days. Technical detail. Auron knew it wouldn't change very much. He already loved her.

Auron grunted a laugh to himself. It was strange to admit. And terrifying. How quickly things could change in a matter of days, and yet he felt like it was always supposed to be this way. Something had been written in the stars for them, but what? And how long would it last?

When Raine came out, Auron stood. He was so used to seeing her in her cheerleading uniform and he often forgot what she was like in regular clothes. There was something self-assured about the clothes she wore, nothing flashy or too expensive, although he found his eye drawn to the knee-high boots and the inch or two of bare leg between them and her skirt. She straightened the strap of her small purse on her shoulder and for a moment they just stood by the door, something giddy and awkward passing between them before Auron made a gesture to the steps.

The sun felt warm, the overall temperature of the day agreeable. Auron led the way down the sidewalk toward the train station.

"So what's my surprise?" she asked.

Auron cursed inside. He'd completely forgotten to think about that. Not that he had many options. Auron had no money and he didn't think it was very appropriate to come up with a plan that she would have to use her allowance to pay for. "You'll see," he said.

"So secretive," she said. After a minute, she said, "You passed inspection."

"For what?"

"The bed. But you made it up too perfectly. I had to roll around on it a little."

His eye squinted at her. "Why do you tease me?"

The train platform by the school was busy this time of day, people off to the beach or the park to enjoy their day off. Auron considered bringing her to the park or beach. Each was free, but they would be crowded today and she had been to those places plenty of times. There weren't many places in Zanarkand she hadn't been or that she didn't already know better than him. Except…

Auron smirked and knew where to take her. He stopped at the train schedule to see how long it would be for the next train heading into G-West and the wait was only about 10 minutes. When the next train came, Raine started to get on with the crowd, but Auron stopped her.

"This isn't our train?" she asked.

"I'll let you know."

Most of the platform emptied out with that train and it pulled away with a steady roar. A few benches cleared and Raine wandered over to one and Auron sat next to her to wait, leaving a wide gap in between them. It was habit for him to stand or sit a little further from her than he wanted. Even after the last few days of exploring each other, they assumed their usual roles in public, keeping their distance as acquaintances.

The next train had the G-West light on and Auron patted her shoulder.

"This one?" she asked.

He nodded and they went to stand by the line to wait for the train to come to a complete stop. There wasn't much in G-West, so the car was mostly empty. He let Raine pick where to sit and she sat by the window. Auron sat by her with the typical space in between and when they started moving, she gave his cloak a wary look.

"Aren't you hot in that?"

"No," he said and then grinned when he realized she was alluding to that day when she pleasured him under his cloak. Now it was their inside joke. "Well. Maybe a little warm."

She smiled and turned back to the window. C-South slipped away, residential houses replaced with city buildings and when they got off the train at their stop, he could feel the excitement radiating off her in the springy way she walked. He wished she wasn't so happy. He wasn't even sure if she would like where he was taking her.

He led her through the street walk and when they reached the road leading out of the city to Mount Gagazet, he saw her sneaking looks at him.

"Are you taking me to Gagazet?" she whispered.

It was hard not to walk close together with the narrow sidewalks and Auron ended up walking about half a step in front of her. He smirked at her. "I think you forget the view Gagazet has to offer." Although now that he thought of it, taking her someplace secluded defeated the purpose of leaving the house.

Their feet crunched in the cobblestone as they left the city and as they strolled up the dirt road, Auron recognized the overlook where Jory often took Raine in his sleek machina vehicle. Raine wandered over to the edge of the grass to take in the view of downtown Zanarkand. Auron stood a few feet away, watching her, not the view. She glanced back at him. "You're right, it is a pretty view."

"This isn't it."

Her eyebrows wrinkled, perplexed, and she turned all the way around to face him. "Where are we going?"

He put his hand out. When she took it, their fingers naturally laced. In the woods they were away from Zanarkand, its norms, its arbitrary rules and its judgments. They headed further up the road, now just two parallel grooves in the long grass. Eventually the mountain became incompatible for vehicles, the road too narrow, the incline too sharp and the rocks too plentiful. Auron veered off into the woods, along a path that didn't exist in Spira. This trail had been worn down by Zanarkand hikers.

"How did you know this was here?" Raine asked.

Auron's hand tightened to steady her. Her boots weren't the best for tracking in the woods, but at least they had a wide heel. "I found it the first time I was up here."

"And when you say 'the first time,' you mean…"

Auron half-smiled and gazed down at her. "I mean the first time you were up here."

She nodded, ducking under a low branch. "With Jory?"

"I did some exploring to give you privacy. I could always see you, though." He twisted around and pointed downhill. Already they had climbed higher up the mountain and the dirt clearing where they used to park was still in perfect view.

Darting her eyes up timidly, there was a flush on her cheeks and it wasn't from their exercise. "It turns me on knowing you were watching us."

"I would much rather have been in the vehicle with you," he said, helping her climb between two closely rooted trees.

"That makes two of us." She leaned against the tree, but didn't let go of his hand. "Be honest, Auron. How crazy did it make you?"

"I thought he was hurting you. That's what made me open the back door that night."

"That's the only reason?"

"Believe me, I was not upset your activities were thwarted that night. But I knew there would be other nights. And I knew I couldn't stop you. I…" He stopped. "C_an't_ stop you."

Her face flew up. "Jory and I are _done_." She rolled her eyes and looked away. She folded her arms reproachfully. "Okay, as soon as I tell him."

"I know," he chuckled. For a moment, Auron thought she might tell him about last night with Jory. He got the sense it was bothering her. She valued monogamy. And now, she was choosing him. He squeezed her hand. "Come on. It's not much farther."

He led her along the path to a clearing at the edge of the woods.

"I hear the ocean," Raine said.

"You're about to see it, too."

At the top of Mount Gagazet, the long weeds swayed like a grassy sea as they stepped into a panoramic view of the choppy, white-capped ocean. Raine stepped slowly in front of him to take in the sight.

"It's beautiful." She grinned back at him. "Thanks for showing me this. I thought I had seen all of Zanarkand." She approached the side of the cliff and Auron jogged over to take her arm. "I'm not going to jump."

"I know. But the wind gets strong by the edge. Get on your knees if you want to see over the side."

She kneeled and boldly crawled over to look straight down to the crashing ocean below. Auron's muscles were tense while she was so close. Auron released the clip on his sash and removed his cloak. It whipped violently in the wind. He reached down for Raine's hand and lured her away from the edge. A dozen feet back, he spread his cloak on the grass and pulled her down next to him. She landed off-kilter, giggling uncertainly, and when she situated herself, she looked at him sideways, edgy.

"What?" he asked.

"You're—" she stopped and shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm what?"

She looked troubled. "Very romantic. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"You're the first," Auron laughed. "Why do you say it like it's bad?"

"I'm just not used to it. Especially with you. I thought you were safe."

He cocked his brow sardonically. "Safe?"

"Forget it. Bad choice of word."

"I won't forget. Explain."

She turned away, sheepish, and sighed. "Okay. You remember my mom's funeral, don't you?"

"Of course."

"I was 14. Tidus was 16. Everyone at the funeral knew who we were. We were the kids. The orphans. Every single person gave me these pity-looks that I abhorred. And then you came and I knew that I could talk to you without being afraid that you would try to comfort me."

"You didn't seem like you needed it."

"Well, that's debatable." She stared away, at the ocean. "I guess I thought I would be safe from any random acts of romance with you."

Auron glowered. "Why don't you let people care about you?"

She didn't react. Kept her gaze on the water. From the tension that followed, Auron sensed he had touched a raw nerve and let the subject go, following her lead and taking in the view. The breeze was warm and he aimed his face to it to keep his hair off his face. He didn't realize Raine had started to cry until he heard her quietly sniff and he looked over in time to see her dabbing her eye with her thumb. At first he pretended not to notice, but that didn't feel right and instead, he removed his sunglasses and handed them over.

"I think you need these more than I do right now."

"Thanks," she muttered, slipped them on. Now she was hidden. After a minute, she glanced up at him. "You know, up until a few days ago, I thought you were celibate."

He snorted. "So did I."

Through his sunglasses, she shot him a wary look. "What's that mean?"

He vacillated, choosing his words. "It's been a very long time. I assumed I was…done. But the stars had other ideas." He slipped a hand around her hip and slid her closer. There was a long moment when she didn't say anything and Auron wondered if he had just invited her to ask about his sexual past. It surprised him she hadn't already inquired. Not that he would be especially divulging.

"The stars? You mean, like fate?"

"Something like that."

She tipped her head dubiously. "Really?"

"How would you explain this, then?"

"This?" She shook her head and looked out at the sea with a twist of her lips. The wind blew her hair into her face and she brushed it away. "That sounds like birthday talk to me."

"Everything is birthday talk at this point."

"I suppose." She sighed. "I don't know. I see it as a purely chemical thing."

"Chemical," he said blandly, but immediately he thought of last night, linked to each other like sexual parasites. "I see now why you're so distrustful of romance."

"Well think about it. We're both unrelated, both in our child-bearing years…"

Auron raised an eyebrow.

"So maybe at opposite spectrums of those years," she said, bumping him teasingly with her shoulder. "It's nothing celestial. It's instinct."

"Hmph," he grunted. "Be still my heart."

She winced. "Sometimes I forget you were raised in a monastery. It explains your sense of spirituality."

"I also find I have more control over my instincts."

"And you have no control over destiny," she said and nodded. "I think I'm starting to get it. You can't control yourself around me, so you attribute it to something you couldn't possibly regulate. Like fate."

"How enlightening for someone who doesn't believe in heavenly influence."

After a long glance at the sea, Raine flopped on her back against his coat and aimed his sunglasses at the sky. Her arms stretched over her head, her fingers touching the long weeds. "I hear about the weather balloons they send into the sky but are never retrieved. Telescopes that can see horizon to horizon suddenly get jammed when they're pointed at the sky. We have a sun, a moon and at night a sky full of stars and yet we know nothing about them. But there is more out there, isn't there? Other worlds, like the one you're from. And Sin. He exists everywhere; here and in your world."

Auron watched the ocean as she spoke to be sure his face gave nothing away. He should know better than to bring up the heavens in a world that was lacking one, and to such a clever girl, no less. He was a visitor here, inserted into a thousand-year-old simulation. But around Raine, it was easy to forget about Spira. Forget that Zanarkand really was a dream. How ironic Raine needed to be able to examine, observe and measure something to know it was real and yet everything around her, including herself, was nonexistent. Suddenly, he was filled with elation, a quake of excitement for the future, when it was time to take her to Spira. He couldn't wait to show her what was beyond the borders of her sky, to let her in on the secret that everyone in Zanarkand was trying to figure out.

"Auron?" she whispered.

He faced her to show she had his attention.

Raine had picked a few long strands of grass and was using them to trace designs on the back of his armor. The sunglasses targeted him for a moment and then focused back on the invisible artwork. "I think I love you."

Auron shifted towards her on his hip, grimly staring at her.

With her easel out of reach, her paint brush of weeds became useless and she gave them up to the wind. Under the pressure of his stony expression, she broke into a strained smile and shook her hand at him, like she was waving goodbye. "Don't say it, okay?"

Auron's frown deepened.

"It's not that crush I had on you when I was a girl. It's different."

He nodded in concern to evince his understanding.

"Sometimes when I think of you," she began, "it's hard for me to breathe. I'm sweaty. I'm nervous. And I know it's mostly hormones and chemicals making me feel this way and some sort of fight or flight reaction that makes me short of breath, but I've never felt this before. It's miserable, really."

Auron stayed silent and waited for her to finish.

Sniffing, she arrested another tear and her face broke into a grin. She grappled with his face, covering both his eyes, as if he could see out of both. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"So serious. You look grumpy."

He pulled her hand from his face, folded it into a fist and kissed her knuckles. He had known her for twelve years. For at least ten of them, his love for her was pure and familial, but it would stand to reason once she became a suitable age his love would shift and change to something else. "If anyone has ever felt the way you do, they have never had the courage to tell me. I take that seriously. And I'm relieved you are as miserable as I am."

Her finger swiped under the rim of the sunglasses. "I guess misery loves company."

"Precisely," he said with a keen nod.

Softly gasping, her cheeks flushed red. After a minute, she turned on her knees and got to her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'll be right back."

His guardian instincts kicked in. "_Where_?"

"The woods, okay? I have to pee," she said and tromped through the high weeds.

He smirked and settled back on his coat, examining the sky. Somewhere beyond the stratosphere was Spira, the clouds and sun and moon just a reflection of a memory, a dream. And no influential stars to guide him. Maybe Raine was right. Maybe the only thing guiding him was his baser instincts and he couldn't think of anything more chaotic and messy and utterly befuddling. How could Raine live like that, to think of everything as random and accidental without any sort of divine blueprint?

It bothered him she thought he was safe. Auron could feel a deep shift happening in him and he knew when things started to click back in place, he was going to need her help sorting it out. He liked doting on her. But she was resistant to it. He realized she had just as many emotional roadblocks as he did and she was going to have to break through them just as he was.

When he heard the uproar of cracking leaves and snapping tree limbs, followed by Raine's high screech, Auron was in his feet in a second, sprinting downhill to the edge of the woods. He stopped short at a drop off and peered through a hole of dead foliage. Raine was lying six feet down on a bed of black rock, stiffly testing the function of her limbs.

"Stay put," he called down, skidding in the mud as he circled around the brush. Most of it had been ripped away to reveal the stone walls of a cave. The entrance was rather steep and he dropped down to Raine's side. "Are you hurt?"

Straightening his sunglasses on her face, she said, "Not badly."

"Can you stand?"

"I think so." She gave the cave a once-over. "Where are we?"

"Mount Gagazet is full of caves."

She made a face. "How do you know? I've never heard of caves in Gagazet."

"Try getting up." He took her hand firmly and braced an arm around her back.

"I'm okay, just a little startled." She took off his sunglasses and handed them back to him. "Come on, let's check it out."

Auron snaked his arm around her stomach and roped her back. "I don't think so."

"Why not? I've never been in a cave before."

"Trust me, they can be dangerous. You don't enter a strange cave without provisions."

"Stop it," she said, rolling her eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Auron laughed heartily, the cave throwing it back with a sinister edge that lasted forever. It was refreshing how remarkably ordinary she found him sometimes. "Let me go back for my sword at least."

"You do that," she said, a twinkle of anticipation in her eye.

Auron checked his sunglasses for damage and put them on. He hesitated on his way out. "Wait for me."

"I will," she said, but the anxious way she was looking into the darkness suggested otherwise.

"Raine," he said. His voice was authoritatively deep. "I don't want to come back and find you're down there already."

"Yes, sir," she hissed over her shoulder.

"Sir" struck him straight in the groin. Glaring, he strode over to her, like he was going to hug her from behind, but grabbed her between her legs, her skirt gathering in his hands as he cupped her sex with possessive vigor, nearly lifting her off her feet. His other hand air-tight around her mouth, he pressed the back of her head to his shoulder, flattening her spine on the front of his armor. Shocked, she gasped against his palm, her breath hitching in her throat.

"Watch yourself," he muttered, low and hard. He released her with a touch of caution, afraid he might have scared her, and stepped back.

Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes on fire with a wicked look.

_So messy_, he thought and loped up the hill. He found the wind had tossed his coat into the weeds, along with Raine's purse. He slipped an arm in one sleeve, left the other loose at his back and cinched the sash around his waist. Snatching his scabbard, he arranged the strap on his shoulder on the way back to the cave entrance.

He stopped in his tracks when he found Raine gone.

"Dammit," he muttered and ran a few feet into the cave. "Raine!"

"What?"

Auron spun around. She was behind him, brushing dead leaves off her dress.

"I still had to pee," she said coyly. "You're lucky. I almost emptied my bladder when you grabbed me."

He handed her the purse. "Found this."

"Thanks." She pulled the strap over her head and arranged the bag at her hip, like an adventure satchel. "Can we go, now?"

"Stay behind me."

The cave was a steep descent, the uneven walls narrow, the ceiling low and there was the sound of trickling water all around them. The light faded the further they went and Auron was sure the cave would only be a darkened dead end. Because of the way Mount Gagazet had been carved, it was likely none of the caves would lead anywhere. But Auron did like the feel of Raine's hands as they tentatively tugged the back of his cloak.

Noticing the rise in humidity the further down they went, Auron could feel the moisture on the walls as his elbows brushed against them. Ahead, Auron sensed a sharp bend in the path and rounded the corner carefully. There was almost no light at this point in the cave, but as he turned, the hallway flooded with cool, filtered light. Auron put a hand back to Raine's hip to halt her as he realized they were coming up on a large, lit cavern.

"What is it?" Raine whispered.

"There's a room up here."

"Let's see."

"Slowly."

Auron inched forward. He could see the room was all stone with high ceilings and lively with sunlight. The air was warm and moist. When he approached the mouth of the room, Raine sharply inhaled and pushed by him.

"What is this?" she asked. Her voice echoed slightly, but the mugginess absorbed most of the sound.

"A hot spring," Auron said, stunned. Walking in gradually, he examined the steaming pool in the center of the room, which didn't look very deep.

Raine eagerly approached each of the three windows, holes in the wall that looked out at the ocean. She recoiled from the spray of the surf as it splashed up into one window and Auron followed the path of the water with his eye as it flowed through an eroded, shallow trench in the stone floor, leading from the window straight into the misty spring. The whole room resounded with the roar of the sea. "You knew this was here?"

"No," he said. He left it at that. Hot springs were common in Mount Gagazet, but he didn't realize there were any so close to Zanarkand.

Boots clomping on the stone, Raine circled the spring, running back to the first window. She placed her elbows on the rock sill to lift herself up, but it was too high. She glanced back at him sheepishly. "Lift me up?"

Angling his sword on the wall, his own boots sounded heavy and deliberate as he approached her. He laced his fingers and bent over in front of her to give her a boost and she set her hands on his shoulders for balance. But when she raised a boot off the floor, she waffled.

"I have a better idea."

Auron let her move him sideways, facing away from the window.

"Squat down. Brace your back on the wall."

He did as he was told and Raine removed her boots, dropping them to a mound on the floor. Stepping between his knees, she positioned a sure foot into the crook of his thigh and hip, climbing up on him as skillfully as if this was a practiced cheer routine. She didn't seem to notice when her loins and his nose bumped together clumsily and he screwed his mouth deviously, his hands drifting up the back of her legs.

"Auron this is amazing. You should see this view."

"My view's better," he mumbled, but he wasn't sure she heard him over the boom of the ocean. Her knee came up and jabbed onto his shoulder and the cool fabric of her skirt stretched over his face. He pushed the garment up to expose her rounded thighs, but his eye went straight to her shiny, deep violet underwear and he caressed the lacy trim. "Are these new?"

Her weight was shifting as she peered down at him. "I bought them at the plaza."

"You shouldn't waste your money." The silky fabric looked expensive.

"I thought you would like them."

"It is what's underneath that impresses me."

"They make me feel good."

"_I_ can make you feel good." He curled a glove finger through the crotch of the panties and slowly tugged. Her scent made his head swim with delirium.

She crawled down, straightening her skirt. "Don't rip them. I had to use a month's allowance to buy them."

"They're very—" He stopped. He was about to say "grown up." "They're very pretty."

Padding barefoot to the pool, Raine dunked a toe and hissed, but she sat angled on the rocks and carefully submerged her leg mid-way up her calf.

While she tested the water, Auron braced his hands on his knees to stand and wandered up to one of the windows to gaze out it for a moment. Raine was half naked when he turned back around. She had already tied her hair up in a loose bun and her shirt was draped over her boots and she was fiddling with the zipper on her skirt's waistband. Auron propped against the wall to watch and Raine grinned at his impudence.

"I hope I'm not the only one getting in," she said.

"You're not. I'm just taking in the view."

Completely nude, she sat carefully, finding the least jagged rock to sit on and her feet and legs disappeared under the surface. Biting her lip from the heat, she eased in gradually, finding other rocks to stand on until she was able to endure it enough to touch the bottom. The water came up to her belly button and she tested different rocks to find one high enough to sit on.

While she got comfortable, Auron began to disrobe, piling his coat next to her clothes and releasing the buckles on his armor. He could feel her watching him undress and the thrill of it made him anxious and when he turned to face her, her eyes lingered idly on his organ. His balls weighed heavily from the balminess of the room and when he crouched by the edge of the pool to get in, they almost touched the slate floor. His new braid slipped forward and he arranged it back over his shoulder as he got into the pool. Becoming aware of herself, Raine's eyes met his and then suddenly lowered to the water. She was already flushed from the heat and her face changed ruby red. Someday she would be able to look at him without blushing, but he hoped it wasn't for a while. She made him feel virile and already he could feel the blood hastening to his pelvis.

The water was exquisitely hot and his bones seemed to melt when he found a flat rock to sit on. The pool made him hot and sweaty. He hunched down until water went into his mouth and he spit it out. It had the taste of minerals. His eye closed soporifically, the back of his head connecting with a particularly jagged part of a rock and he adjusted in his seat to find a more comfortable spot to lean against. There was never time to sit in a hot spring on either one of his pilgrimages, or at least, Auron never made time. He recalled requests from his less-focused party members, but Auron had ignored them. Hot springs were usually far from the pilgrimage path and exploring for one usually did nothing but kill time.

Hearing the light splash of Raine's movements, Auron smiled when her hand found his knee. He reached for her. Her arms were noticeably trembling during her slow-moving vault into his lap.

"Is this okay?"

He opened his eye. The damp air was already making her hair limp and full of fly-aways and the moisture was smudging her eyeliner, giving her a dark, sexy look. Apparently, all it took to make a black mage out of a white mage was a little steam.

"Of course," he said. His vocal cords were already gritty from arousal. "Wait."

Pushing his buoyant erection down between his legs, he pulled her against him. Her breasts sealed on his chest and he could feel the tickle of her pubic hair on his abdomen. She kissed him light, soft, and pulled back to pierce him with a sultry look. Gently scratching his wet whiskers, her gaze floated around his face, focusing on whatever it was that snagged her attention, a wrinkle or freckle or some other sort of imperfection. Lightly traveling up the side of his face, her fingers sent chills up his spine, despite the near-boiling pool temperature. More than likely she was now scrutinizing the gray patches in his hair and he shifted his head uncomfortably, but there was no place to move. And when she removed his sunglasses, there was no place to hide, either.

Depositing his eyewear above him to a ledge in the rocks, Raine's attention was snared by the ugly scar fusing shut his right eye. By now, he was used to her touching and looking at it, but that was last night, when her examination of him had been cold and sterile. It was different this time, her fond caresses and tender gazes suggested she loved his scar as much as she loved him. To have the vulgar parts adored as much as the rest of him was bizarre, as if he did not feel worthy enough to be valued as a whole. Frowning, he averted his face uneasily to take focus off his dead eye, but her attentions were insistent. Maybe it was the water in the air or the extreme heat pressing in on him, but it felt like her excessive scrutiny was suffocating him and he needed to catch his breath.

Shaking his head to dodge her meddling fingers, he was panting, fraught and desperate for fresh air. "Sweetheart, please," he wheezed. "Moogle."

Pushing back from the wall, Raine slipped to the edge of his lap. The suction of water changing current made his weightless penis bob aggressively between his thighs. Her expression wavered between wounded and concern. "I thought that safe-word was for me."

"It was."

"Is it too hot in here?"

"A little," he admitted. He fished around underwater for her hand and laid it on his left cheek. "Stick to this side where I can see you."

"Okay," she said, but the burden in her hardened eyes told him she wasn't fooled. She fidgeted self-consciously, confidence thrown.

Her anxiety always charmed him and he grinned wolfishly, tugging her against him. Floating up in the way, his swollen organ was pinched between his belly and her pubic bone and he moaned. He kissed her, open mouthed, searching for her tongue. When he found it, he could taste the cherry of her candy and revved up the intensity, their heads tilting, correcting to find some invisible fit, like two puzzle pieces connecting. His arms wrapped tightly around her, his hand curling around the back of her sweaty neck and the loose strands of her hairstyle tickled his face. Pumping urgently, her hips nudged against his shaft until it couldn't get any harder and he had to squeeze her ass with both hands to slow her down.

Raine lifted her face to breathe and Auron's mouth leached onto her neck. To prevent bruises, he did not linger very long in the same spot, making his way down to her breasts, which were underwater. Somehow, she managed to lift out of the water a little to make them accessible and Auron noticed a line dissecting her horizontally along her clavicles. Everything below it was lobster red, including her shiny wet breasts. Latching onto one nipple, Auron felt her feverish skin on his lips and tongue and the volume of her moans corresponded with the strengths of his sucking.

"Auron," she rasped to the ceiling.

He groaned against her breast.

"I think," she started and then Auron felt the sighing heave of her chest when his teeth grazed the delicate skin of her areola. "I think I'm ready."

Releasing her breast, he swallowed and grabbed her by the neck. He forced her face down to look at him and he struggled to focus on her through the fog of his arousal. Her eyes were glazed and her lips were redder than he had ever seen. "Think?" he growled. "Or know?"

"Know. I _know_ I'm ready." To prove herself, her eyes momentarily blazed with lucidity.

"Okay, sweetheart. I believe you." He raised his chin to kiss her quickly, sealing the deal, a lover's handshake. "Come here."

Hands on her ass again, he lifted her easily in the weightlessness of the pool. He could see the muscles in her arms tensing and relaxing and he searched for her hands. He realized Raine had found little crevices in the stone wall behind him to grip onto. The bent position of her knees as she straddled him suggested her feet were braced into similar niches underwater. She was like a monkey scaling the wall at his back.

"Sweet Yevon," he murmured and he could feel a libidinous sneer curling his lips as he realized this was going to be fun.

Lining up the head of his cock to the opening of her pubic area, Auron was slightly disappointed she wasn't as slick as she usually was, with the scalding water washing away the nectars just as fast as she could produce them. Feeling his approach, Raine came down with an impatient plummet and it was Auron's turn to grimace at her lack of lubrication as his penis folded down on itself.

"Patience," he grated.

"Sorry," she groaned and reset to her hovering position above him.

Grasping himself, Auron pointed his tip to her pubic mouth and pushed up with his feet on the floor. Carefully, he entered her, just the head, pumping shallow, and when he'd worked up a creamy lather, seized Raine around her hips and guided her down around him, gradually, just a little at a time. He could feel her narrow walls squeezing him with unbroken pressure and all at once, it got very tight very fast and Raine's gasp was one of pain as she jerked.

"You okay?" he asked.

Her eyes were smashed shut as she gulped and nodded. "Just give me a minute. You're—" With her eyes closed, she bit her lip as she choked a cry in her throat. "You're a little bigger than what I'm used to."

Auron smirked. "Flattery will get you nowhere," he said, although truthfully, it elated him he was stretching her to a new contour, a shape all his own.

Her face split into a smile. "Let's try again."

It took another couple rounds of false starts and slow drilling before Auron was rewarded with a satisfying range of motion that didn't make her squeak or mewl in discomfort. The deliberacy was maddening and it tested his restraint not to gather her up and ram her against the hot spring walls with selfish abandon. Soon, Raine's instincts began to take over as her thrusts accelerated, lowering just enough to meet him at her fill line, and as the water began to slosh from their pace, Auron could feel the slow build of his orgasm.

Raine was moaning to a rhythm, but unfortunately, Auron didn't think it was leading to climax. Her cries were high and clipped, provoked by the pound of Auron's anvil, every new dent working to change her internal tempering. Auron forced himself to become still, his hands gripping the sides of the rock he sat on so as not to disturb the tempo she was setting for herself. He watched her through his lashes as her hands and feet were latched to the wall behind him, touching him only with her sex, her pulsing walls propelling around his piston. The hot water fluctuated to her beat, little waves crashing the sides of the pool walls, spraying the ledges. For his own peace of mind, he again became just an appendage, present for the sake of her desire, blending into the scenery as a phallic shaped rock. If he merely let her use him for her own pleasure, he could never be accused of taking advantage of her. The thought seemed to launch his excitement and he began groaning to the time of her movements as she plunged down on him.

It dawned on him she was using him to his full potential now, their hips slapping together underwater, and Raine's moans had deepened into sensual, lascivious sounds as she found her lane to orgasm. Auron was only vaguely aware of the water licking up into his face as the pool bubbled and boiled to her energy, the constant churn of water deafening as it reverberated on the high ceilings. He knew she had climaxed when the cadence of her lovemaking suddenly changed, her hips moving in long gyrates, her whole body quivering in a trance of ecstasy. Suspended in her orgasm, Auron held on, waiting for the crash as she teetered over the edge. She came down on rollers, thrashing in the water, and Auron knew his timing was perfect as he jetted into her, the throb and pulse of his orgasm only adding to hers as they pumped together, their cries drowned out by the rush of the surf on the other side of the cavern walls.

Panting, Raine attached her wet forehead to his, releasing her monkey hold on the stone wall and floating down onto his lap. At first, Auron could only manage quick pecks on her lips between breaths, but then he took a great inhale and kissed her properly before releasing his lungs and exhaling. Raine slapped a hand to one of the rocks at the edge of the pool, too weak with exhaustion to pull herself out of the hot spring.

"Too hot," she puffed.

Auron noticed the upper half of her body was drenched in sweat, the lower half flushed blood red. To help Raine crawl over the side, he stood on feeble legs, warm water rushing off his body. She collapsed on the stone floor, shiny and glossy from the water running off her red skin and Auron clambered out, feeling frantic as he realized Raine was being boiled alive in the hot spring. But by the time Auron scuttled forward on his knees to examine her for blisters, Raine was already giggling breathlessly. He collapsed in relief to the cool, uneven stone floor, his hand feeling around for hers. When he found it, she clasped it tightly. Her cheek was mushed on the granite floor but she still managed to smile brightly at him. He grinned back, kissing her fingers.

When they had regained some of their strength and their body temperatures had regulated back to normal, Auron rolled to his back and Raine sat up on her hip. It occurred to Auron there was something empty about the silence and he only now realized it should have been filled with his own amorous declaration for her. But as Raine struggled for steadiness on her weary legs and circled the pool to her clothes, Auron sensed the moment had passed. He was hoping they would have time for another round before it was time to take her home, but from the stiff way she was bending for her clothes, Auron decided not to push his luck.

"You sore?" he asked, standing up. The soles of his feet plashed in little puddles on the floor and he fished for his pants in the heap.

Her eyes were smiling when she looked up at him, fastening the clips on her bra. "A little, but that's to be expected."

"A few more times, you should be adapted."

She grinned. "Should be a good time."

Auron nodded in agreement and smirked. "Should be."

Raine pulled the elastic from her hair, releasing it from its bun and ran her fingers through it until it moved normally around her shoulders. She opened her purse and put the band inside. "Come to lunch with me? I'm starving."

"Of course."

On the way out of the cave, Raine peeked up at him. "I've never come like that before."

"In a hot spring?"

She was already flushed but she rolled her eyes awkwardly. "During intercourse. I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't even sure it was possible. I think I came close once before, but…" She shrugged.

He knew what she meant and why she didn't finish. Jory couldn't bring her orgasm through penetration and Auron couldn't really hold that against him. It was a skill to be honed. Unfortunately Jory was an underachiever. Auron wondered if Jory had _ever_ brought Raine to climax, using other tactics, and it made Auron angry to think about the way he left her last night.

Hiking their way down the path to the mountain road, they followed it back into the city and stopped at a street vendor. Raine offered to buy him something, but he declined. She bought a hot dog and slathered it with mustard and relish, and they sat at a sidewalk table while she ate it.

The vapor from the hot springs had relaxed the curls in her hair and her eyes were still smudgy from her ruined makeup. Eating the hot dog, she watched the sidewalk traffic, oblivious to the mustard on the side of her mouth and it was at that moment, Auron realized he never wanted to be away from her. He was happiest being with her, mustard and all.

She smiled when she noticed him looking at her. "What?"

Auron gestured to the side of his mouth and Raine rolled her eyes in embarrassment as she picked up her napkin and wiped both sides of her face for good measure.

"I must be a wreck."

He smirked and nodded. "You are."

"Hey!" She crumpled her napkin and threw it at him. Auron batted it away. She wolfed the rest of her hot dog, picked up her trash and got up to throw it away. "Walk me home? My aunt and uncle are probably back and I have some chemistry homework. If you want, you can take a nap on my bed while I finish it."

They walked the short distance to the street corner and Raine pushed the button and they waited for the light to change. Raine tugged on the free sleeve next to him. "You know the rules of crossing the street," she said. "I have to hold someone's hand."

Lips twisting to stifle a grin, Auron shrugged out of his cloak. "Smart ass."

He was about to lace his hand with hers when someone behind them said, "Raine?"

Raine turned around. Coming up behind them, a few of Raine's friends were glaring, very confused and very offended. Auron faced them, but stayed back. There were four of them. All were carrying an assortment of glossy shopping bags with braided handles, dressed impeccably as if they were store mannequins come to life. Lindsey wasn't among them, but the others were vaguely familiar and he was sure one of them had walked with Raine to and from school on various occasions.

"What are you guys doing here?" Raine asked, stepping forward to talk to them. She kept apprehensively shifting her weight and Auron realized it was to hide the mud that had gotten on her boots. There was debris from the woods on her skirt and she quickly brushed it off. He hated she became someone else around her friends. "I thought you were going to the plaza in C-South?"

"Lane said there were some sales at the plaza here," one of the brunettes said. She gestured to the blonde highlighted girl with a perfect ponytail on her left before looking Auron up and down, her stare settling on the sword at his side.

"What's up with the goth look, Raine?" asked the second brunette. Her polite smile tried to insinuate a compliment, but her tone was conceited and it made Raine fidget with her hair. Auron wanted to put an arm around her to make her stop, but he didn't dare in front of her friends.

"Is this your dad?" asked Lane, smiling radiantly. A couple of the other girls tensed, the two brunettes on either side of her simultaneously nudged her ribs. Either the girl didn't know Jecht was dead, or she had honestly forgotten.

"Uh, no," Raine said and glanced up at him nervously. Auron let the sides of his mouth lift up in a faint smile, hoping it would relax her. He couldn't tell her what to introduce him as to her friends. "This is…."

_Nobody. A.K.A No one._

"My friend," Raine finished, but seemed dissatisfied with her own word choice.

The fourth girl in the back with a smooth, chestnut bob visibly leaned forward to Lane and whispered something in her ear. Auron thought it was rude and discourteous.

Lane looked afraid and said, "Is this the guy? The older guy?"

"I was just kidding around," Raine said. "There's nobody else."

"But on the phone—"

"It was a joke, Lane," Raine said firmly.

"But I listened for like 5 minutes…" Lane drifted off, looking puzzled, glancing at the others for help.

"I have to go, guys. Auron's walking me home," Raine said, pulling away. The light for the crosswalk had changed and she waved goodbye to them as they stepped off the adjacent curb.

When they reached the opposite corner, Auron muttered, "I hate your friends."

"They're not all bad."

"They're worse as a group."

"Agreed. Does it bother you I don't tell them about you?"

Auron hesitated. "I don't mind being a nobody to them, as long as I am not a nobody to you."

She smiled crookedly at him and peeked over her shoulder to check that her friends were gone. A moment later, her hand scooped his, their fingers twining, and they glanced at each other in amusement. He had expected oppressive gazes the moment they touched, but it was actually quite easy to hold her hand in public. She looked older than she was anyway and most people were too busy worrying about themselves to care about him holding hands with a 17 year old.

When Auron looked back down at her, Raine was staring at the sidewalk. Her hand came up to wipe her cheek. Auron squeezed her hand and the embrace seemed to break her as her face fell into her free hand. Auron scowled both ways down the sidewalk and veered her down a narrow alleyway, pushing her against the wall of a building.

"Tell me."

She shook her head. "It's nothing," she whimpered.

"You'll tell me now."

Her bleary eyes found his, but she instantly shed fresh tears. "Please don't be angry with me."

Auron's face toughened with fury. He grabbed her chin so she couldn't look away and spoke with utter clarity. "You looked me in the eye and assured me you _knew _you were ready."

With a sad gasp, she shook her head and yanked beseeching on the lapels of his cloak. "I was—I am! I don't regret a second of it!"

He sighed. "Is it your friends?"

She shook her head.

He brushed her hair behind her shoulder with his glove. "Is it me?"

Looking up, her bloodshot eyes were torn. "It's me. Something I did."

"And you want me to know what it is?"

She nodded.

He already knew what it was, but he sensed she needed to voice it out loud. "We'll wait until you can say it."

Sniffing, her face leaked fluids from every crevice. Auron swung his unattached sleeve around and offered it to her. She patted her eyes and pinched her nose.

"Last night," she began and inhaled sharply, not quite a hiccup, more like a dry heave, "before you came back from the stadium, Jory came in so we could talk. I was going to break up with him, but then one thing led to another—"

Auron waved his gauntlet at her. "I know."

"No, you don't know!" She grabbed his lapels and pressed her face on his armor. "We had sex on the couch."

Kissing her hair, he said, "I know."

"He told me he loved me, but I think he was just saying it so I would let him."

"_Raine_. I know."

She lifted her head. "How do you know?"

Auron stared.

Her flushed face managed to turn white. "You watched?"

"I _saw_." Somehow, there was a subtle difference in the semantics.

"I've been agonizing about this all day and you knew?"

He grinned. "I thought it turned you on when I watched."

She looked horrified. "That was before. _Before._ When you didn't have a right to care who I was with. Now you have a right and you don't even look mad. And you _always_ look mad."

"I was unaware of this right. And I'm not mad because I saw how unsatisfied you were afterward."

"So I can have all the bad sex I want and you won't be mad?" she asked petulantly.

He twisted his lips in mock thought. "That's right."

"Auron, I did something bad. I should be punished."

Her honesty touched him, but he was entertaining himself a little too much with this conversation and he raised a sardonic brow. "That can be arranged."

"No," she said, exasperated. "If you don't get mad, it means you don't care."

Dimming, he affected mild offense. "I care."

"But you didn't get mad," she said, eyes sadly imploring.

"If I promise to be furious with you next time, can we drop this?"

She rolled her eyes and appraised him for a moment. Finally, she threw up her hands. "Fine." She shot him an evil look to smother the smile threatening at the corners of her lips. "But you'd better be irate."

"So irate," he agreed. He squeezed her, kissing the crook of her warm neck, and he could feel her soften against him.

On the train ride back to C-South, their touches were idle, their kisses random and lingering, but they forced distance once they arrived at the station in her neighborhood. Strolling beside him on the sidewalk to her house, Raine clutched the spaghetti strap of her purse with both hands, her face in the breeze as she faintly smiled. She looked content, relaxed. She looked in love. Seeing her like that, Auron felt cheerful.

They parted at the alleyway with a covert peck. He felt exposed stowing into her yard during the day, as if the sun was a spotlight in a prison yard he couldn't escape. Usually on the weekend, Cetan was busy raking leaves or tinkering in the shed and Auron had to find other places to go where he could still see the house. Skirting the house, Auron held back his katana as he bent at the waist to run under the elevated deck and slipped noiselessly into Raine's bedroom.

He closed the windows, propped his sword in the corner and unstrapped his gauntlet. Quite acquainted with her room now, he realized he missed it, like a home he hadn't been to in an age. Sitting at the edge of her unmade bed, he kicked off his boots, tossed his glasses on her nightstand and flopped on his back. The blankets felt cool and after Auron crushed the pillows to fit his head the way he liked, he reached absently to still the clicking beads hanging on her headboard.

It wasn't long before he heard Raine banging down the stairs. She burst into the room and jumped on the bed, upsetting the beads he had just quieted, and he had to be quick to catch her, jutting out a knee to block his groin. She peppered his face with kisses and then leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed her book bag.

"Do you want to help me with chemistry?" she asked.

"I don't believe our chemistry needs help."

Raine snickered and opened her text book. From the bed stand, she handed him the remote. "Do you want to watch a show? This might take me a while."

"I don't want you to be disturbed."

To give her more room, he scooted back until his back touched the wall. For a moment, he watched her start her homework, and then closed his eye to doze. Normally, Auron's dreams were broken and dark, spiraled with death and Sin, but tonight he dreamed of Raine, wearing just the knee-high boots from today and nothing else. She wouldn't let him touch her at first and she sat on his lap, kissing his chest, torturing him by licking his nipples and then blowing on them. At last when she allowed him to touch her, her condition was that he could only touch the parts of her that were pink, and just as he was about to lay a finger on her lips, he woke up.

The room's lighting was different, artificial, from the bedside lamp and the tiny screen over her dresser. The Duggles' game was on mute. The window was dark. Stretching on his back, Auron's arm automatically curled around Raine's hip as she wrote in the notebook on her lap. She smiled down at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Hey, sleepy head."

"How long was I sleeping?"

"Couple hours," she said, consulting the textbook lying open in front of her.

With muzzy effort, Auron was grasping at the finer details of his quickly fading dream, the channel of arousal wide open as he felt the distinctive stir between thighs right before an erection. The urge to shove her books to the floor and lie on top of her came suddenly, but he repelled the thought and focused on the game, absently playing with the blonde strands on her back. The feeling didn't subside and soon he was rubbing her neck and shoulders one-handedly in attempt to disrupt her concentration, but stopped when he realized he was being juvenile. Dedication to her coursework was admirable to Auron.

Sitting up, Auron scooted around her workspace and managed to keep the frustration out of his voice when he said, "I'm going to get some air."

"I'm sorry. Balancing reactions is taking me longer than I thought."

He pulled over his boots to put them on and tied them quickly. "At least you don't save it all for the last minute." He gathered all his items: sunglasses from the night table, katana from the corner, gauntlet from the floor and leaned over Raine, expecting a proper goodbye. But she was too busy with her studies to look up and Auron compromised by kissing the top of her head. "Give me a wave when you're finished."

Crawling out to the lawn, Auron shut the window and stole across the grass to his hollow in the junipers, the crisp air sifting the sleep out of his head.

He was continually impressed with her. Focus like hers was hard to come by, especially in someone so young, when in the short run, there were more attractive ways to spend time. Even after everything these last few days, he was pleased she could still see the great picture of her life. He wasn't completely sure where he fit in, but she was reserving a slot for him in the midst of high school politics, the challenge of higher education and parental restrictions. It seemed a delicate and intricate dance, with a high risk of misstep. But Raine was a good dancer. And Auron always did like challenge.

Perfectly aware his brain was too muddled and dizzy to actually think about Raine objectively, Auron still couldn't help wondering if they might be suited for something long term. Raine would be 18 in two days, out of high school in a couple months and in college before the year was over. Not to mention she was mature for her age. Always had been. He had been careful not to burden her sexually, although it seemed the more control he handed over to her, the more liberal she became to try new things. Was it possible they could emerge at the other end of this with virtually no consequences? Was there any genuine damage being done? Auron's conscience insisted there was, but it couldn't be measured. Did that mean the harm was imaginary, or was Auron just too close to see it?

While his thoughts circled, he became increasingly aware of distant shouting. But it was the darting of shadows in Raine's room that finally harnessed Auron's attention. Uncle Cetan was now obstructing most of the window between the two black flaps of her curtains, his arms raised on some task. Raine came into view for just a moment, her face pink with rage, before Cetan shook his finger at her in reprimand. His muffled yelling filtered incoherently through the glass. Raine shrieked something in retort and passed the window again, running through the door of her room and reappearing upstairs.

Auron sidestepped to a place where the junipers grew thicker, his heart hammering, legs aching as the adrenaline blasted through his veins. Raine's usually drab home life had swiftly escalated into a drama worthy of any stage, and the performance captivated Auron all too well.

For the first time, Auron noticed Aunt Naya pacing the kitchen, holding a commsphere in front of her, head bowed in serious conversation to it. Raine approached Aunt Naya with disgraceful pleading gestures. Aunt Naya struggled to ignore her in order to finish her commsphere dialogue.

Downstairs, Cetan finished his repair at Raine's window and gave a final tug on the curtains, blocking Auron's view of the bedroom completely. Auron had the unmistakable feeling his cover was about to be blown and shot out of the trees, around the fence of the garbage enclosure by the alley where his getaway would be quick and stealthy if it came to that. He was looking into the dining room from another angle now as Cetan appeared from the stairs, setting a metal-gray utility box on the kitchen table.

Raine was tugging on his arm desperately, but Cetan jerked violently out of her clutches while Naya observed the argument with pinched lips and folded arms. Auron took a step forward, his boot crunching the gravel, and froze. Raine's custodians had never been abusive towards her, but it would only take one strike in the heat of the moment for Auron to personally remove her from the situation. But as much as Auron was willing it to happen, he knew her aunt and uncle would never cross that line. There had been a time Auron thought he was a superior guardian to them, but whatever was unfolding now, and Auron had a pretty good idea what it was, they were acting appropriately. They were angry. It meant they cared.

Finally, Raine's arms flew scornfully into the air and she ran down the stairs, leaving her aunt and uncle to bicker alone, for at least fifteen more minutes, until Cetan put his arms around his trembling wife.

Auron watched for Raine's curtain to open, but it didn't. Even from the alley, Auron could feel the tension evaporating as the household calmed, and although it didn't seem like Cetan was coming to look for him, Auron kept by the trash enclosures for his own peace of mind. A little later, the kitchen light blinked off and they retired to the living room to watch a show or two before bed.

He wished Raine would open her curtains and give him a sign. How had they found out? Did Auron not make the bed well enough? Were there still traces of him in the house? Everything he owned was still on his person, so he could not have left anything behind. Auron refused to fret about it. Perhaps this was the scare he needed to straighten his priorities.

It was passed eleven when all the upstairs lights flicked off, her folks departing to bed. Auron expected the curtain to open then, but Raine's light was out, too and it stayed out until well after midnight. By this time, Auron thought she was long sleeping, but Auron saw the light leaking around the borders of the curtain. Shortly after, the window coverings separated and Raine was standing there, searching the yard.

Auron jogged over without a sound and kneeled at the window, but when he pushed on the glass, it didn't budge. Raine was in her typical tank top and underwear sleepwear, leaning a hip against the window sill, looking at Auron almost apologetically as she reached for the window locks. She tilted a padlock into his view, which was attached somehow to the center window framing. Auron frowned at her inquisitively and she hurried to her desk, where she began frantically writing on some stationary. Returning, she pressed the paper to the window.

LANE TOLD HER MOM.

Raine flipped the paper over for the rest of the message.

HER MOM CALLED MY AUNT.

Auron was able to fill in the gaps on his own. Lane must have inferred something scandalous between them this afternoon in G-West and consulted her mother for advice. Concerned, Lane's mother decided to alert Raine's aunt of the situation. Auron evinced something stern in his face to show Raine his regret and she responded with a dejected "Oh, well" shrug, crumpling the note with both hands and tossing it in the trash. She found his gaze through the window. Her eyes were uneasy and slightly drowsy, but tear-free. After a few minutes of staring at each other in the glass, she motioned to the bed with her thumb, almost in defeat, signaling she was going to sleep.

Auron nodded and shifted to leave. He waffled and then patted his armor in the relative area of his heart. This sparked a small smile from her and she returned the gesture. She blew out all the candles but one and crawled into bed. He couldn't see her sleeping from his spot in the junipers, but the candle seemed to keep him company during the night. He didn't realize how lonely he could be now that he was banished to the outdoors. There was no comfort in the ruts in the ground where he usually stood and the faded part in the fence where he often leaned. Steeling, Auron reminded himself how indulgent it had all been. He had gotten a taste of a life he enjoyed and now he could scarcely let it go.


	6. Day Five

Daylight came with excruciating deliberacy.

Auron had stationed himself inside the trash enclosures as the mist of the morning lifted and the early sun quashed the chill. He couldn't see the house very well unless he positioned his eye over one of the several knots in the wooden fence and even then it was a very narrow view. Leaning on the fence wall, Auron waited in resignation for the rest of the neighborhood to start its day. Auron heard the rhythm of sprinklers, the occasional yip of a dog as it was let out for its morning relief, and the breathless conversations of early joggers.

The morning dragged for Auron. By noontime, he was restless and agitated in the prison cell of the trash enclosure. He didn't have any idea when he would see Raine again and the fact she hadn't yet come outside to find him meant she had been confined to the indoors. It was worse than waiting for her outside of the school yard. At least there was the hope her physical education class would be outdoors or there was the prospect of meeting in the storage shed during lunch, but ultimately he knew when the last bell run, she would be there. So much had changed in just a few days and he was feeling the stress of it.

Although, it was not so long ago she didn't even know he was watching her. Then, it was easier to sit motionless for hours on end. It occurred to him he had been sleepwalking, with only brief moments of consciousness when he'd follow her to school, home or to the stadium. And it had been sufficient. Time slipped by easily, blending together. Until of course it began to break up with their little meetings, as she became more aware of his heedful presence. Now it was intolerable to be ignored by her. Torturous. How he had done it for so many years without complaint?

As the sun traveled higher in the sky over the trash enclosure, the neighborhood droned with the jangled motors of machina grass cutters, interrupted by frequent shrieks of laughter from the local children playing social games.

And finally, Auron heard it, the shucking of Raine's patio door as it opened and closed on its rollers. Hunching around a knothole, Auron brightened at the sight of Raine in her brother's Abe's jersey and old shorts, her hair in a kinked ponytail. Her uncle followed her out and Auron's heart sunk. Why was he there? Was he forcing Raine to give up Auron's hiding spots? But then Auron noted Cetan's finger curled carelessly around his cup handle, carefully sipping a hot morning beverage, casually pulling out a chair from the patio table and sitting. Meanwhile, Raine headed down the deck steps and opened the door to the shed with a creak of the hinges. She disappeared inside.

Angling his face against the fence, Auron trained an eye on Uncle Cetan relaxing in the shade, taking in the view of the backyard. It was unusual for him to sit outside. The lightly rusted outdoor furniture was generally unused and the deck wasted space unless they had friends over for a cookout. Raine came out of the shed with a rake and started on the far side of the yard, gathering up leaves and grass clippings into neat little piles while her uncle supervised like a warden as she carried out her sentence. Her manual labor was because of Auron and it was hard to swallow, but it was better than watching the wind blow.

Uncle Cetan did not find her even half as interesting as Auron did and went back inside often to refill his cup, probably watching a few minutes of the game before coming back out to check her progress.

It took a few hours of industrious raking to work her way across the yard and then another half hour to pack up all the trimmings into garbage bags. She was dragging four bags across the grass when Auron realized she was coming into the trash enclosure and Auron stood by the door, waiting for the release of the latch and the slow squeak of the hinges.

Auron surprised her from behind, covering her mouth to keep her scream from alerting the neighborhood. Raine's back straightened as he grabbed her, but her fright was short lived and she ripped his hand off her face and spun in his arms to kiss him.

"I missed you last night," she whispered breathlessly on his lips.

Not as much as he did. "Your guardians are aware of my comings and goings?"

"Not exactly."

"But you're being punished because of me."

She searched his eye. "Lane's mom mentioned your name. Lane must have told her mom about meeting you in G-West. Lane knows it was you on my commsphere headset yesterday, but she can't prove it, so I told my aunt and uncle another boy from school spent the night."

Auron frowned. "Which boy?"

"I didn't give them a name. They believe me. And as far as they know, you took me out for a hotdog yesterday. That's it. You can't do any wrong in their eyes anyway."

"Neither could you, until now."

She sighed. "I'm getting off easy. If I finish the whole yard today, I can still go out with my friends for my birthday. Unfortunately, the lock is still on my window. It's to keep me in, not to keep you out, just so you know."

"It doesn't make me feel better."

"It would make my grounding a lot easier if you could come visit me. I can't leave the house, even if I finish my chores. I won't see you until school tomorrow."

"I'll walk you."

She smiled on his mouth. "Okay. I have to go."

Auron nodded quickly and helped her toss the heavy bags in the trash cans.

"Bye. Bye. Bye," she said, between three goodbye kisses, attempting to slip out the door each time.

The front yard didn't take her half as long. Auron snuck out of the enclosure and circled around the block, becoming sedentary on a bench along the cross street where he could see her, reluctantly returning friendly waves to every passerby. Raine finished in the late afternoon, tossing away the rest of the clippings, putting away her rake, and the prison door clanked shut when she went inside.

Auron sighed on the bench and checked the sky for the time. The idea of standing in the trash enclosure or hiding in the junipers exhausted him. She was safe in her aunt and uncle's home, and with her window locked, nothing and no one was getting in or out. Auron left the bench and headed for the train platform.

It felt a little strange to leave C-South without her. He had never left her behind before and felt an irrational tug of regret as the train pulled away from the station. Absolutely fluttering with anxiety, Auron became preoccupied with absurd thoughts of C-South becoming overrun with an angry swarm of Sinspawn. He almost turned back when he had to get off in A-West for a connecting train. Fortifying himself, he boarded his ride, and once in E-North he consulted a faded street map.

E-North was an old part of Zanarkand with no sidewalks, just very narrow, one-way streets. Auron was constantly weaving through people, sidling against the rounded buildings whenever a vehicle eased by, politely declining offers from vendors as they sold dried herbs, fresh fruit or handmade jewelry. Lost Marbles, it was called, the collectible store the old man at the stadium had told him about, and Auron passed it twice, until he realized it was an underground store. He had to take a set of brick steps and follow the blue neon arrow to the vintage, windowless door. It was wooden and curved at the top and the door handle was antique, the gilded escutcheon around the keyhole was ornate but grimy, and Auron had to press a lever with his thumb in order to open it.

Just inside was a small entryway the size of a closet with dark walls and a screen of beads directly in front of him. Beyond that, the room seemed alive with candle light. Auron recognized the thick smell of candles from Raine's room, only it was magnified here. Parting the strings of beads with his gauntlet, Auron walked inside and looked around for the shop keep.

The store front was tiny and cramped, with stone floors, low ceilings and old shelves everywhere, overflowing with random items: mismatched dishes, clocks, jewelry boxes, and vases, slews of miniature Aeons carved out of wood or marble, and other trinkets. Amateur artwork was displayed on all the available wall space, each one labeled with a discolored price tag. Auron released the beads and they clicked together like the beads on Raine's bed. As he approached the heavy, darkly stained counter, jars of candy and stacks of cellophane-wrapped fudge tempted patrons with impulse purchases. A silver servant bell was sitting on the counter with a handwritten sign: Ring Bell For Service.

With an internal sigh, Auron lifted the bell's handle and gave it a jerk to signal his presence. In a moment, a petite woman came out from a darkened room in the back, plowing through another wall of beads. She had a small, rounded face, and short, spiky dark hair, almost black, gathered up in five or six tufts with glittery bands and it looked like her hair grew in sprouts. She wore a long dress, low-cut and off the shoulder with puffy blue sleeves and her make-up was heavy and dark. Her big eyes lingered on the ruined side of his face a few seconds less than Raine's friends, but with slightly more indifference. While working in a place like this, she had probably seen pretty much everything.

"Can I help you?" she asked and her voice was lower than Auron expected for her size.

"I'm looking for something specific as a gift."

"Well I've got a lot of gifts here."

"I'm looking for a poster."

"Of?"

"The Zanarkand Abes."

Her eyes narrowed dubiously. "I think you'll have better luck at the stadium downtown. I don't have that kind of mass-made merchandise."

"I talked to the vendor there. He sent me here."

She propped her forearms on the countertop and leaned forward to accentuate her deep cleavage. "You're talking autographed posters, then?"

"Do you have any Jecht posters?"

"Old school fan, are you?"

"It's for someone else."

With a doubtful grimace, she said, "They're pretty rare, but I've had a few here before. Let me check the back."

She disappeared through the beaded curtain and Auron waited. His head was beginning to hurt from the intensely spicy smell of candles and incense and the way the light flickered from occasional drafts was dizzying.

The shop keep returned with a crate of poster tubes, all different lengths and it was an effort for her to lift it onto the high counter.

"It's not going to find itself," she said, hoisting onto a high-back stool. She selected a random tube and popped off the end, tipping it sideways until a rolled up poster came shooting out into her hand. Unrolling it, she turned it for Auron to see. It was a team photo from several years ago.

Auron shook his head and picked out his own tube. They inspected the pictures together. The shop owner found one of Jecht, but it was ripped in the corner and stained with watermarks and it wasn't autographed. Auron wasn't specifically looking for autographed ones, especially since he knew those would run a higher price and money was one thing he didn't have a lot of. But he had hoped to find something in good condition.

"So who are you buying for? Your son?"

Auron was about to unroll a poster he had selected and stopped for a millisecond. "No."

"Daughter, then?"

"Not _my_ daughter."

"Well I guess every girl's a daughter to someone. Whose daughter is it?"

Resting his eye on the poster he had unveiled, he gave a short nod of approval and flipped the poster around to show the shop keeper.

"You found another! Autographed, even," she said. Her large eyes were bright with money symbols in them. Then she blinked in comprehension. "It's for Jecht's daughter?"

"Yes."

"Huh. Didn't even know he had a daughter. The son I knew about, the center that died at the stadium, but not a daughter." She gave a careless shrug as if to say: "Learn something new every day."

When they had checked each poster, there were two Jecht posters, the ripped one and the one that was autographed, and one team photo from Jecht's era. There was even one of Tidus, but Auron knew Raine had it already.

"The autographed one will make a better gift, especially since it's her father," the woman said, setting the crate to the floor. "I'm sure we can settle on a price."

"Actually, I was hoping we could discuss a trade."

Her eye glinted in interest. "What sort of trade?"

Auron detected something unwholesome in her tone, but ignored it. "I don't have many belongings."

"Well, we don't have to trade material things," she said and added with a wink, "I trade favors, too."

Auron considered her, not her offer, but her as a person. She too was someone's daughter and he absently wondered if her father knew how she conducted business.

Noticing his stony look, the shop keeper cooled slightly. "Jecht's daughter…is she your girl?"

"She's not mine," Auron admitted.

The shop keeper melted suggestively against the counter again, elbows on the workspace, pushing her chest out slightly.

"But I'm hers," he added softly.

It took a moment for his comment to register, but when it did, she scoffed. "And they say chivalry's dead," she muttered, eyeing the hilt of his katana over his shoulder. She straightened, gesturing callously to the three posters and Auron knew his refusal of her first bid was going to make her drive a hard bargain. "That sword will get you all three Jecht posters, plus another of your choosing." Her voice was hard, all business now.

Peering at her over the tops of his sunglasses, he said, "My sword is worth three-fourths of your entire inventory."

"I can give you cash for the difference," she said with an apathetic shrug of her bare shoulders.

Auron leaned his sword against the counter, taking a moment to deliberate, reluctantly unclasping the sash of his great cloak while the female storekeeper looked on with sharp interest.

After finalizing a trade, Auron tucked Raine's gift into a deep inner pocket of his cloak and left the store. It was getting dark as storm clouds began to move in and it was sprinkling; fat, gentle droplets slowly dotted the concrete train platform. Auron had to wait at the station for twenty minutes in the drizzle before he could board a train that would get him back to C-South.

The rain was steady in C-South, the street lamps were all on and he heard faint rumbles of thunder. He turned down the dark alley to enter Raine's back yard, and he could tell something was wrong. Her window was slightly open.

Upstairs, Raine's folks were sitting in front of the holographic monitor, which meant they had already eaten dinner and Aunt Naya had long finished the dishes and cleaned up. Auron knelt by Raine's room and pushed the window open further, but she wasn't inside. Dropping down into the room, he examined the lock. Cetan had installed a padlock bar to the window frame, but the padlock was gone. Auron checked the hall to bathroom, but the light was off. Hurdling back over the window sill, Auron circled the perimeter of the house, checking windows to see if Raine was in another part of the house, but all the windows were black, except for the one in the living room. He ducked into the junipers looking for her and then checked the trash enclosure, but she wasn't anywhere.

Dashing down the alleyway to the street, Auron began searching with a wider radius, stopping at all the places in the vicinity he had used as hiding places, whether Raine knew about them or not. He circled the entire block, and when he didn't find her, he crossed the street and hunted the next set of blocks. The rain had become relentless, the white noise roar deafening, and he felt the squish of his boots as he ran through the deluge, his breathing becoming labored. Cold water funneled into his collar and ran under his armor, chilling him, and his cloak was soaked through and heavy.

He found her nearly five blocks from her house. Auron skidded on the sidewalk when he saw her. He could barely make her out through the sheets of rain. Sprinting down the avenue, Auron's katana bumped the back of his legs, rain beating his face and beading on his glasses. Raine sat in the dark on a bench by the street, her sneakers on the seat and her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around her shins. She was drenched and trembling. Auron strode over angrily, feeling the rage of her disappearance bubbling to the surface. She looked up at him as he approached and he started to scold her.

"_Where_—"

But his yells were obscured by a sudden crack of thunder as it opened the sky. On the bench, Raine jumped to her feet and vaulted into Auron's arms, and he staggered backwards a couple steps. Her long legs twined around his waist, ankles locking at his back, and her slender arms hugged him securely around his neck. When she burrowed her face in his collar, Auron realized she was crying.

"Sweetheart," he whispered, his fury swiftly dissolving. He squeezed his arms around her as she shook uncontrollably with every new sob.

"Where were you?" she cried. "I looked all over the neighborhood!"

"I was only gone a few hours," he reasoned.

"You're never gone! _Never_! You're always somewhere. I was yelling for you, begging you to come out and you never came. You can't leave me like that! My father left me and he _never_ came back!"

"I'm sorry" was all he could think of to say. He had never even fathomed she still thought of her father that way or that his vanishing had affected her so severely. She was normally so hardhearted towards him. Considering how she shut down yesterday on the Gagazet cliff-side, how she told Auron she thought he was "safe," Auron wondered if her father was the reason she didn't let people care about her. Sweet Yevon, and he thought he was fucked up.

Auron moved to kiss the side of her face, but she raised her head, burning a ferocious look straight through the lenses of his sunglasses.

"Who were you with?" she spat.

His eyelashes were heavy with water as he blinked. "Nobody." But he became distracted as he speculated she could smell the candles and incense on him from the Lost Marbles shop.

She softened, trying to pull answers from him with piteous looks. "Then where were you?"

Auron sighed and carried her over to the bench. He dropped his shoulder slightly to remove his katana, lifting it by the strap of the scabbard and propping it on the back of the bench. He sat down and pulled her against his armor, letting her settle on his lap. The poster tube was digging into his armpit and he was relieved to know the outside of it was waterproof. "I was getting your birthday present."

Her mouth opened, her face frozen and stunned, as she pondered this, unresponsive to the rain as it continued to barrage her face. Finally, her face caved-in with fresh sobs, hiding the humiliation of her jealousy in the shoulder of his great coat. Auron chuckled and hugged her again.

With an excessive sniff, Raine face lifted, her eyes sadly lowered, and she began to play with the buckles on his collar. They were both beyond wet by now. Her skin was textured with goose bumps and her hair was plastered to her face. "So, um," she said, "what did you get me?"

Auron grinned. Raine grinned back and bent forward, kissing him, her tongue darting into his mouth. His gauntlet came up to cradle the back of her neck and her hands gripped his armor with white knuckles, her fingers curling inside the arm holes of his cuirass. He broke away breathlessly, drawing her away.

"Let's go back to the house. Before I'm arrested for twelve counts of indecency."

Raine climbed off his lap and Auron grabbed his sword. He reached for her hand as they jogged together across the street, splashing through a torrent of rainwater.

They used the back alley to get to her house and slipped down into her room. Auron closed the window while Raine hurried to her dresser and quickly peeled off all her wet clothes, down to her sodden undergarments. Auron stopped to watch, partly aroused, but mostly inquisitive about what she was doing. She seemed to be undressing for a purpose other than his pleasure. When she was done, she shoved her wet arms into the sleeves of her white robe, cinching the ropes tight. Then she kneeled to dig through her basket of dirty clothes until she found an old towel. She twisted her hair into it, piling it turban-style on her head.

"Be right back."

She rushed out, probably to investigate the whereabouts of her custodians and to let them know she was going to bed. How clever of her to disguise her wet hair in a towel, as if she'd just showered.

Depositing his things in their usual places around the room, katana and gauntlet in the corner by the closet, sunglasses pitched to the night stand, Auron remembered her gift in his cloak. For the second time tonight, he took off his great coat. Then he looked for an inconspicuous spot to put it. He ended up hanging it on the hilt of his katana.

His clothes had been dripping rainwater in dark droplets all over her carpet and as he swung his head to examine her floor, he found her room had been thoroughly neatened, dusted and vacuumed. He had been too frantic to notice his first time through, but it was definitely a surprise to see to see her bed made. She did a pretty good job, too. She sheets had all been snuggly tucked under her mattress. Her walls were tidy, too, just a few posters that had made the cut. He happened to notice her "Luv Sux" pillow was gone, although he was now beginning to realize the honesty of the memo. Love, as the pillow so concisely declared, did suck.

Raine returned, closing her door tightly, leaning against it a second to watch him. She was smothering a smile like she was thinking of a private joke.

Auron unlocked the buckles of his armor. "I was starting to wonder if I was in the right room."

"Yeah, well," she said. "I got bored today. And I thought it might give me extra points with my aunt and uncle."

"Is that why they unlocked your window?"

"Well, they gave me a whole list of reasons. I'm 18 tomorrow, I'm graduating as valedictorian, this is my first offense, and I've always proved to be responsible before."

"Those are all good reasons."

"I guess. I think the main reason my uncle took the lock off was because that window is my only fire exit."

Auron laughed almost too loudly. He let his mirth out with a smile that took a long time to fade.

She tugged the towel off her head, wet blonde strands falling around her shoulders and she tossed the towel to him. He could feel the heaviness of his hair and how it was glued down against his scalp, freezing water still dripping from the ends to the back of his neck. He ran the towel over his head few times and shook out the excess. It was a relief to unlace his boots and set them under the bedside table and to get out of his saturated trousers. Raine placed them near a heat register to help them dry faster. Naked, Auron sat on her made bed and Raine bent to the side lamp and turned it off. The room became black, except for a random flicker of lightning.

He felt her nudge between his knees and her lips touched his face, searching for his mouth. Something desperate developed in their kiss as Raine clutched at the sides of his face and Auron's hands found their way to the knot in her robe, fumbling to release it. He opened the front and yanked her arms out of the sleeves. His hands grappled with the elastic of her underwear, pulling them down unceremoniously and he could hear the faint click of her bra clips as she freed herself. There was no time for coy games anymore. They could be separated at any moment and this realization dictated urgency in them, especially Auron, who generally let Raine have control. Now he was taking over.

His hands traveled around her nudeness, coaxing her into the bed. He didn't want to waste time. He missed her. She was mostly unavailable to him because of her school responsibilities, her cheering schedule, and the demands of her folks. Auron intuited it might be a very long time before Raine was trusted to have the house again and he realized what a rare treat the weekend had been, how it had fooled them into thinking nothing could ever come between them. What a mistake that had been. Even when he thought he knew, he didn't really know when he was going to see her next. Now that he had her, he wasn't going to spoil a moment.

Sliding under the covers with her, Auron pressed his bare chest against her soft breasts, wriggling his hips between her spreading thighs. He didn't waste his breath asking permission or verifying compliance. At this point he trusted if she wanted him to stop, she would tell him.

She opened her mouth to him and he folded his tongue around hers, kissing her slow and exaggerated. Usually a quick and violent lover, Auron subdued himself, feeling his passion thrum ceaselessly inside him. He could feel her hands grazing over his ribs, her legs coiling around his like snakes. Her hips bumped up against his erection as a needy request, but he didn't comply, not yet.

His mouth traveled to her chin and down her neck, which she elongated to expose to him. He traced the muscles of her throat with the tip of his tongue and the wind sounded ragged between her teeth. As he continued downward, kissing her breasts, his tongue playing with the hard nubs of her nipples, Raine arched off the bed, forcing her breasts further into his mouth. Her legs were still trapping around his thighs, her sex pumping against him, her desire elevating, and his loins began to thud in anticipation for her.

To affirm her readiness, Auron slid a hand to the apex of her thighs and prodded her with his strong middle finger, drawing out her juices. She propelled uncontrollably, her pace wilder the closer to her clitoris he approached. A low moan escaped her throat when he touched the bloated kernel. When he was satisfied with her moisture, he positioned himself and kissed her as he entered her, managing only halfway. She moaned on his lips and Auron angled differently, working further inside her with shallow thrusts until he was filling her. Auron licked her lips, forcing himself to pay attention to his technique even as he continued to piston her, slow, sliding out to the tip of his cock and driving deep with deliberateness that allowed him to draw out his pleasure, and hers too if her parted lips and closed eyes were any indication. He took his time, sealing every inch of her, bumping the mouth of her uterus, and when the tightness was almost unbearable, retreated gradually.

"You feel so good sweetheart," he mumbled.

She mewled something in reply.

During sporadic flashes of lightning, Auron found himself mesmerized by the sight of her paradise, the shape of her head as it rocked against her pillow, jostled by his slow drive, and then her sudden remoteness as she withdrew into herself to climax. Auron's hand crept over her mouth, fastening it, reducing her moans to jerky breaths through her nostrils. She was still shuddering underneath him when Auron seized, electrified, spine bending backwards as his jaw clenched to lock his hollers in this throat.

Replacing his hand with his mouth, Auron kissed with his teeth, tugging on her lips gently, letting them spring back to shape on release. He was about to nuzzle down and bite her again, but paused, knowing he was extremely overdue, knowing he wanted to make it official what exactly was happening here. "I love you, Raine," he growled and quickly snared her bottom lip to curb her reaction.

He felt the strain of her lip as she tried to smile. "I love you, too, daddy."

Auron started, feeling as if the bed had fallen ten feet, his muscles freezing into a position that looked like he was about to get up. His softened penis slid out of her, dragging cold discharge across her inner thigh. He stared into the featureless shadow of her face, wishing for a bit of lightning so he could see what expression she might be giving. Was she joking? Was she trying to get a reaction out of him?

He felt her trying to sit up and he moved back slightly to give her room, still waiting for her to speak. She propped up on her elbows and he still searched the inkblot of her erased face for a clue as to how to proceed. The blood was pulsing in his head and he felt like the darkness was closing in on him.

"I—I'm—" she stammered, but did not continue.

And there it was, Auron realized with a sinking of nausea deep in his belly. That elusive consequence. Granted, it hadn't even occurred to him how deep and wounding her complications with Jecht actually ran, but there it was, out in the open now for them to deal with.

"Someone's coming," Raine whispered urgently, bucking out from underneath him, shoving him out of bed.

He had not heard approaching foot treads, but there was no time for second guessing. Groping in the dark, he collected his things from memory while Raine soundlessly threw open the window, letting in sobering cool air. It had stopped raining at least and the yard was veiled in dense fog. Auron tossed his boots and his sword into the fog and heard the whisper of their impact in the grass. He scooped up his cloak and Raine threw the rest of his damp clothes in his arms and he hopped up on the window sill, rolling naked into the wet lawn. The windows clicked. The curtains rattled shut.

Auron fumbled with his items, kicking his boots towards the house, but out of the way of the window. He shook out his waterlogged trousers and hopped into them, and they clung to him, wet and cold. Although her room remained dark he heard the unmistakable rhythm of casual dialogue, her aunt or uncle making some excuse to come down and check on her, like unannounced visits from a parole officer. She might have been free, but it would take some time for her custodians to trust her again.

Rightly so. Neither of them had been acting very responsible.

Finally dressed, Auron darted across the grass in his squelchy boots to the cluster of junipers. His legs were shaking, his chest still drumming from the close call, ill-timed as it turned out, so they couldn't quickly address the matter of Raine's gaffe. Auron believed if she had the opportunity to laugh it off or excuse it as a slip of the mind, it would have been easier to sweep under the rug. But they had waited a second or two too long and the profoundness of it all had time to slither into their consciousness and coil mindfully, perceptively, around their senses.

Auron dreaded the moment Raine would come to the window and invite him back inside. He was still so confused. Upstairs, the holographic screen was off and there was only a lamp on, which was turned off by Aunt Naya on the way to her bedroom. But Auron didn't want to go back and face what was awaiting him, and when Raine didn't come for him, Auron suspected she was also having equal difficulty coming to grips with her new enlightenment.

_So messy._

Sitting in the dirt, Auron leaned against the fence, his legs splayed out in front of him, the back of his head settling in the small space between two planks. The fog swirled and thickened, encapsulating and isolating him, and he stared into it like he was looking through the smog in his head, fighting to unscramble his thoughts. He had been in the middle of some internal transition, a conversion, but now it was stopped mid-shift and he had the uncanny feeling of incompleteness. Every conclusion he came to was not one he was ready to accept.

It was another long night, but Auron had retreated into autopilot, the murky vapor whirling around him until dawn, when the approaching sun burned off the remaining mist. Only then was he able to think clearly.


	7. Day Six

**Day Six**

Auron didn't realize until morning that he had left his sunglasses in Raine's room. He waited at the end of the block for her to come out of her house. He had promised to walk her, but he had to admit he was a little relieved when her friends came parading up the walk to meet her. She was wearing her cheerleading uniform, but carried with her an extra tote with spare clothes for after school. Auron was touched she had on his glasses.

Today, Auron followed very far behind. Her friends knew him now, especially the one named Lane, and he thought it best to lay low. By the time he reached the school, it was already quietly in-session and he parked himself on the concrete bench across the road from the main entrance. Raine did not make a single appearance the entire day. Gym must have been indoors. And there must have been some academic meeting during lunch, because he didn't even see her eating with her friends. Fraught with heartache and the misery of loneliness, Auron managed to keep stoic as he counted the bells throughout the day.

When the last bell rang, Auron waited for the sidewalks to clear before heading over to the field on the west side. The cheerleaders were in their huddle while Lindsey waved her clipboard and made her announcements. He was not blind to the nudges and secret glances between some of the girls as he came into view, but Raine had asked him to observe her practices and he would do so until she asked him to stop. Perhaps if Jecht had been there to watch her practices, she wouldn't have needed to ask Auron. Auron realized in doing this, he was not only permitting his surrogacy of Jecht, but perpetuating Raine's confusion. But where did it stop? Where was the line? Unless she requested it, he refused to omit himself completely from her life. And even if she did request it, he wasn't so sure he could.

Auron slid into the bench, resting his gauntlet informally on the backrest. While the team rehearsed some of their older routines, Auron noticed a girl strolling around the school perimeter, dragging her fingers across the chain links of the fence. She looked to be Raine's age and she wore thick glasses. She spotted a bench a little further off from Auron and sat. At first, her eyes were glued to the cheerleaders, but she placed her book bag next to her on the seat and removed a book, opening it to a place she had bookmarked. The hardcover was only able to hold part of her interest, though, as the cheerleaders cycled through their routines.

And then Auron realized he recognized her. She was the girl sitting alone on the train; the one Raine had stopped to talk to the other day. He thought it was interesting she was here, since he'd never seen her here before, but Auron paid no more attention.

Lindsey was shouting names. Raine was one of them, but Auron wasn't sure what was happening. The cheerleaders were bustling around, finding their place, and Lindsey was counting down to a rhythm. Auron realized they were constructing another human pyramid and their practice had paid off as they skillfully erected the second level. But he couldn't see Raine anywhere. Glancing over at the girl with the book, Auron could see she was rapt by their performance, her mouth gaping in awe.

Then he saw Raine in the back, climbing up on the thighs and shoulders of her teammates, rising smoothly to the center and Auron realized she was at the top, raising her arms with a choreographed flourish. On Auron's right, the girl was vigorously clapping, pausing once to push up her glasses, her face bright without the slightest care she was the only one applauding.

With a swell of pride, Auron grinned behind his collar. He swallowed a lump in the back of his throat as a wretched sensation came over him. It occurred to Auron she might not need him anymore.

The pyramid had marked the end of practice. Auron remained on his bench to wait and so did the girl with the glasses, hunched over, concentrating on her book.

When Raine came out of the main entrance, she was easy to spot, holding a large arrangement of purple balloons. The entire group was heading his way and for a horrible instant, Auron thought he would soon be surrounded by Raine and her friends, but they encircled the girl with the glasses instead. Auron frowned, again unsure of what was happening.

The girl put away her book, nodding and smiling as Raine introduced everyone. The girl was drowning in brown: bulky brown sweater, long brown skirt and brown tights. She seemed quite out of place amongst Raine's friends, who had all changed into their bright designer clothes. It occurred to Auron Raine had invited the girl to her birthday festivities and it looked like they were getting ready to leave.

Auron figured what they had to talk about could wait until tonight, after she had enjoyed her birthday. But his blood coursed rapidly when she forked off from the rest of her friends and headed his way.

"What's the occasion?" he quipped, indicating the swarm of balloons bobbing and whipping in the breeze.

She smirked, narrowing her eyes in mock reproach at the prospect he had forgotten her birthday. She had changed into a long green tunic, black leggings and black flats. In addition to the balloons, she was carrying a small bouquet of yellow carnations wrapped in cellophane and wearing a shiny lavender sash that read: BIRTHDAY GIRL in hot pink glitter, as well as a plastic tiara with fake jewels and more glitter, which had gotten in her hair. She looked beautiful and happy, despite the underlining apprehension in her face.

"Top of the pyramid," Auron commented. "Was it everything you thought it would be?"

Tying the balloons to the back of the bench, she grinned. "I'm still trembling at the rush. I suggested we alternate turns for the top position and Lindsey was outvoted."

"Proud of you," he said, and again thought of Jecht. Every girl should have a father who was proud of them. "Somebody once told me everyone deserves to be at the top of the pyramid if they want to."

"She sounds incredibly smart and pretty," Raine said with complete certainty, plopping down next to him, placing her flowers on the seat next to her. "But I heard in other worlds, the pyramid is a symbol for ascension."

Auron smothered a smile. "Do you feel ascended?"

"I don't know." She flushed, shrugged and mumbled, "Maybe."

At the next bench, her friends were making small talk with their new addition, trying not to be obvious when they looked over. Auron gave an upward nod. "We have an audience."

Raine turned around and every girl jerked their faces away, even the shy one with the glasses.

"Sorry about that," Raine said.

"Who's the other girl?"

"Who? Myrah?"

"Is that her name?"

"She's in my advanced language class. Turns out we're both going into journalism at the U next year. She's nice." She nodded. "You'd like her."

"Hmph."

Sighing wobbly, Raine said, "I had practiced all day what I might say to you."

"Which was?"

"Just a horribly unfunny joke where I call you dad, followed by a very steamy kiss, just to see what kind of reaction I could get from my friends."

"I'm glad you reconsidered."

"Word got out about what Lane said to her mother. It's been damage control all day for me, but I don't think it's fooling anyone. I think my friends know me better than I think."

"I think Lane meant well."

"I do too." She looked up nervously. "Look, I don't know what happened last night. It slipped out."

"Like sir?"

"Yeah, like sir." She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, but it took a moment for her to talk. "Jecht used to call me sweetheart."

"He did?"

Raine's face was contemptuous, grave. "I mean, he used to call every woman under 25 'sweetheart' when mom wasn't around, so it didn't mean anything to me."

"I'm sorry if I—"

She was already waving off his apology. "I love it when you call me sweetheart. I think I just got a little…confused. They say a girl's first crush is her father. But I didn't really have a father. I had you." She looked up, tentative, scared. "I hope…I mean…this doesn't change anything, does it?"

Auron sighed deeply, wearily, and rubbed his dead eye with his glove.

"Is this…is this going to hurt?"

He nodded despondently. "For both of us."

Flinching, she stared at her flats as they swung a few inches above the ground. "I suppose it does change everything."

"Let's give it some time. See how you feel when you start college."

She looked at him suddenly, pained, wounded. "Do you still love me?"

"Raine—"

"It's a simple yes or no."

He yielded. "Of course I do. I'm aware of your feelings and I'm greatly affected by them."

Seeing the conversation for what it was, Raine closed her eyes, taking a long moment to compose herself, but it wasn't working. She giggled nervously to distract him from the tears emerging. "I already broke up with someone today. Don't make me do it twice. Not on my birthday."

Giving her friends a critical look, Auron buried a hand in her hair and rubbed her neck. Raine leaned into his hand a little.

"You ended it with Jory?" he asked.

She nodded. "It was easy, compared to this."

"I can't say I'm not glad it's over with him. He was not worth your time."

"Really," she said dully. "Is anyone worth my time in your opinion?"

"That's for you to decide, not me."

"I doubt I'll find anyone who can take orders as well as you."

Auron smirked. "I urge you to try. I see how the boys here look at you. Some of them might even meet my approval."

"Really?"

Auron darkened. "No."

Rolling her eyes, she fought a grin. "It does turn me on when you watch. You'll still be watching, won't you?"

Auron slanted his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Raine. I'll still be everywhere you are."

"Well, I won't do that to you. Besides, I think I'd like to be single for a while."

Thank Yevon. "I think that's wise," Auron said.

Through her lashes, she gazed arrogantly at him. "It won't last, you know. This break-up."

"Probably not," Auron grinned.

"Wait a second." She folded her arms, suddenly guarded. "Didn't you get me a present?"

"I did."

"When do I get it?"

He exhaled thoughtfully, looking at her furtively from the corner of his eye, as if mulling over if she deserved one or not. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out the poster tube.

She bit her bottom lip to evince her excitement and snatched it, popping off the end and removing the poster. She tucked the tube under her arm and unrolled it. It was an underwater action shot, a freeze frame of the Jecht Shot, his leg extended to kick the ball into the goal. Auron was able to negotiate for the signed one and when Raine noticed the autograph at the bottom, she gasped.

"Oh, Auron. It's perfect."

Auron was leaned sideways to make sure it was in the same condition it was when he last saw it and couldn't resist what he said next. "In case you're ever confused which one of us is your father."

She pressed her lips together, softly hitting him in the head with the empty poster tube. Auron ducked and snickered.

"I can't believe you found this."

"There were more. I can bring you there if you want. You might need a summer job though if you want to purchase them."

Something dawned on her and she sat up straight. "How did you afford this?"

"The store owner was kind enough to arrange a trade."

Her eyes passed curiously over him, taking stock of his things. "What did you trade?"

Auron squeezed her neck again, and didn't relinquish.

Her gaze hovered on his shoulder guard. "Auron, where are your medals?"

He shook his head dismissively. "Trinkets. They held no value to me."

With glossy eyes, she stared at him with knitted brows. Lowering her voice, she said, "I want to kiss you."

Auron considered, moving just his eye to examine her loitering friends.

Raine was putting away her gift carefully. "Not a cheek kiss, either. I want to kiss you until your toes curl."

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"I do play dirty. In fact, I still have the keys to the storage shed. What do you think? For old times sake?"

"Old times? It was three days ago," Auron said, holding back a grin.

"Well. I want to thank you properly."

Auron's eye lingered on hers a moment longer, seriously thinking on it, imagining her bouncing enthusiastically in his lap as he let her call him daddy to her heart's content. "Tempting offer," he said, leisurely shrugging his arm out of his sleeve. "But I think a hug will be thanks enough."

They faced each other and Raine's arms bound around his neck as his hands splayed across her back. He leaned his cheek on the side of her head. The hug was long and heartfelt and he could feel the gentle sucking of her kisses on his jaw. Auron groaned lightly, but didn't pull away. "Can we at least make it until after your graduation?"

"I'm not making any promises," she said against the whiskers on his neck.

"You should go. Your friends are waiting."

She eased out of his arms and started to gather her things.

"I think you have something of mine."

"Oh," she smiled. She began rifling through the pockets of her bag. "I was hoping you would let me keep them. To remember you by."

"Not this time, sweetheart." He cleared his throat and added, "I still need them."

She found his sunglasses, handed them over with a worried look. "You're not going to clam up on me, are you? You might not realize it, but you're more open when you don't wear these."

Auron held them, but didn't put them on.

"Raine!" shouted one of her friends. "Train's coming!"

Twisting around to look at her friends, Raine sighed with a groan and jumped up to untie her balloons. "I gotta go. I'll see you around, right?"

Auron nodded. Hesitated. Patted the armor of his heart with his gauntlet. Already, he could feel the wall around it rebuilding.

She touched her heart in return and ran back to join her friends, the balloons thrashing behind her as they rushed to catch the train, screeching to a stop. Auron rose to follow, unfolding his glasses and sliding them on. Now he was hidden.


End file.
