Ruby and Azure

Disclaimer: All Suikoden elements belong to Konami

Ruby and Azure
Chapter 2: Initiative
by ArchFaith

Someone was kissing him.

Was it a dream? Were these cool lips that kissed him so smoothly—these soft hands that now reached up to caress his face—the gentle wisps of hair that lightly touched his forehead—was it only in his imaginings?

He did not wish to open his eyes, lest his premonition turn correct—the feelings would disappear, and he would be thrust out into the cold, angry world once again, with no gentle touch to steady him in the darkness.

But a slight emotion inside told him to open his eyes, to see what exactly was taking place outside the closed lids; to see what sort of opportunity lay before him.

Gently he brought up the shades of his visual window, straining to see in the darkness; even as he struggled, he still felt the gentle pressure of supple lips on his own, the quiet hunger that pervaded this kiss. What…who was this…?

He was only slightly surprised to see his companion’s pale skin and silvery hair pressed up against his face in the dim light. She noticed his eyes were half-open, their glazed pupils slowly focusing on her as continued to devour his mouth. Gently she eased away—little by little she applied less pressure, until finally her lips parted from his. He fought back the deep urge to pull her back again, to savor the feel of her soft mouth on his own.

She lightly pulled away, her red eyes resting on his now-opened eyelids. So, he had woken after all. It was what she wanted—and at the same time, what she didn’t want. What was she to say to him now, anyway? Surely he would ask why…and surely she would have to answer him.

He stared back at her—her steady red gaze, the slight quivering of her mouth, the slow rise and fall of her chest. So, he had been right after all. Something had happened this night. Of course he was a little surprised—he would never be able to tell exactly when Sierra was in one of those moods—but, on the inside, he felt good. So her feelings did extend to that realm—he had previously thought they stopped short.

“You’re good at kissing, old girl,” he whispered, smiling as he tentatively stretched out his fingers. Delicately he laid them against her faintly warmed cheek; she sighed and momentarily closed her eyes as his skin met hers.

“Of course I am. Eight hundred years worth of life amounts to something on this world, does it not?” she murmured back, her voice only half-incensed as he stroked her face.

He continued to smile playfully. “Well, now I see it does,” he answered, his fingers moving from her face to the strands of hair that lay on her shoulder. “Well…was there any particular reason…?”

So he asked, at least. She sighed; she had not prepared any sort of explanation for this type of position. “Well, as it was, when I awoke your face was very close to mine on the pillow; and I decided to see if perhaps, they felt the same as when I kissed you before—that night after we defeated Rean…”

He nodded, only half-believing. For once in her long lifetime, the great Sierra had been rendered speechless. It was a truly historical moment.

She could feel his disbelief. “Alright, alright,” she began, a scowl forming on her face once again. “Perhaps that is not the full reason. Perhaps…I do not know. I just wished to.”

He blinked as she continued to stare into his eyes. “I see,” he answered. His fingers had slowly withdrawn from her hair and his hand was now resting by his side. “Well, not all actions have clear reasons.”

She nodded, slowly feeling her own face turn to a light shade of pink. This was not good; vampires did not blush often because it required a great amount of blood to rush to their faces at once. And on the rare occasions when they did—it was a truly discomforting thing they had witnessed. “Yes, for once you are right,” she said, her voice faltering a little.

“Then…would you mind if I kissed you again?” he suddenly asked, his inflection sounding with an almost unperceivable hint of urgency. Nervous as he was—for Sierra was not a woman to be toyed with—it was just too good a prospect to let go. A chance like this might not come again for a long time.

Her eyebrows arched; her eyes opened wide as she maintained her steady gaze upon him. It wouldn’t hurt, she thought simply as she imagined the feel of his lips on hers once again. It might even be fun. But not more than that. Just a kiss.

“I would not mind,” she answered, letting her head back sink onto the pillow.

Slowly he lowered his head, quivering lips hovering over her own as he calmly pressed his mouth to hers. Ah…this was even better than before. Now they were both fully responding; they were both fully aware of what they were doing, and who they were doing it with. And they wanted it. Wanted it and needed it.

The primal rush had been awoken.

The soft, light gestures rapidly evolved into forceful, almost violent motions as they continued to kiss, their tongues now brushing against each other as they explored the insides of the other’s mouth. His hands shot up to her squeeze her shoulders once more; she found her hands involuntarily snaking up his neck. Slowly his hands began making their way down the length of her body, down her hips, her waist, her thighs; she found herself pressed up against the hard muscles of his chest, and momentarily threw back her head, in obvious pleasure.

Just a kiss…

“H-hold on a minute,” she gasped, quickly batting his hands off her thigh, and setting her hiked-up skirt back into place. “Before anything happens, now…”

He cocked his head. Ah. Once they had stopped playing around, the full extent of what they were about to do suddenly became clear to him. He felt the horrible blush rising to his face once again, and did his best to try and calm it down. “If this isn’t what you want, then…”

She sighed. “No. No, it’s not that. Of course it is.” The words had just slipped out. She hadn’t meant to phrase it so…bluntly. But she had no time to disguise it. And so she must continue. “I would just like to have a moment to think, that is all.” Her eyes, which had been lowered before, now rose to meet his. “You are…a virgin?”

The crimson glow on his face, which had temporarily decreased, now deepened once again. “No,” he answered simply. “I’m not a complete novice, you know…”

She nodded. “Yes, I figured as much.” She blinked neutrally. “Nor am I.”

He looked to her quizzically. “You told me you were back when we were visiting at Rean’s mansion…? What about the ‘virgin’s intuition’ you were talking about?”

A thin smile formed upon her lips, the first he had seen her wear in a long time. “Alright, that was a small lie,” she admitted, slowly sitting up to pull her knees against her chest.

He smiled back, and propped himself on his arms as he too sat up, legs crossed. “I knew from the start anyway. Eight hundred years with a body like yours…who would be?”

They laughed together, the first time in their tempestuous relationship when they had been able to feel a moment of genuine amusement with the other. The faint smile was still upon her lips as he slowly edged closer to her, their hips touching as he turned to face her. “To tell you the truth…heh, you’ve probably already realized…this is embarrassing to admit…but I’m—“

“—nervous?” she answered. “Well, that was obvious. You were nervous from the first time I pointed out that there was only one bed.”

“Haha,” he answered, scratching his head. “You nailed it. But that’s just one thing. There’s another.”

“Oh?” she asked, suddenly interesting. “And what would that be?”

His firm eyes locked onto hers, blonde strands partially obscuring his vision. “That you’re a lot less irritable…and a lot more understanding…when we’re about to make love.”

The last sentence caught her off guard. Yes, yes…that was inevitably what they were going to do. How else could this conversation end? With them going back to sleep, forgetting anything had ever happened, waking up the next morning to argue and fight once more?

No.

She absently twirled a strand of her own hair between her fingers. “You assume I will agree to that, do you?” she answered, some of the old callousness returning.

He smiled gently. Even if she did try to seem indifferent and bored…she was consenting. “Well, do you?”

She stared into his eyes, her presence at once captivating and nerve-wracking as she leaned back onto the bed, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at him.

God. That smirk once again. Even though he knew she was only teasing, his blood almost boiled as leaned down close, letting his lips brush against her own as he placed his hands on her arms. The ancient emotions had been stirred up once again; the stage was set.

Even as she kissed him her hands tugged upon the light brown tunic he wore; she wanted it gone, that was certain. Ah, he did not wish to pull his lips away from hers; but of course, to achieve the greater desire, he must. Reluctantly he parted from her, and quickly slipped off the tunic which had been bidden to remain on earlier in the night. Quite a change of heart, he thought as she pulled him back down with her again.

She ran her fingers over his hard, smooth muscles, over the tanned lines and curves of his back. His hair was getting in her face again; she patiently pushed the blonde strands out of her eyes. They were both lying down now; she was on her back and he was partially on top of her, his arms wrapping around her slender body.

“Mmmm…wait…” she whispered, stroking his cheek as she gently pulled away. “Let me…remove…” He perceived her aim, and watched intently as she reached behind her back, for the closures on her white blouse. Instantly she unclasped them—she had a gift for doing small tasks such as that, it seemed—and gracefully slid the blouse off her shoulders, revealing her smooth white arms and breasts.

She was beautiful, inside and out.

Her arms instantly opened to him once again, and he grasped her tightly, the gentle crush of her breasts against his chest causing his mind to temporarily lose control. His fingers caressed her soft breasts, tickled her pink nipples; his lips moved from hers down to her cheek, her neck, her shoulder...she almost shuddered in his arms, reacting to the tingling feeling she felt all along her spine. She had forgotten quite what it felt like to make love.

He felt her automatically reach for the waistband of his grey leggings; her fingers closed around it and gently began pulling them down, her hands tracing the hard lines of his lower body as she succeeded in bringing the tight-fitting garment down over his butt. “Hmm…not bad, Nash,” she whispered, eyeing the engorged member that had been straining to free itself from the tight fabric. She let her hand teasingly brush against it, drawing a sharpened gasp from her companion as his warm breath tickled her neck.

“Even down there you’re a blonde.”

This was too much; he knew what was in store for him. Reparation for all the teasing he had bestowed upon her from the time they had first met. She really was evil.

As if in response to his thoughts, she smiled. Lightly she lay her fingers down upon the hard organ, her grip tightening as she stroked its length, aware of the response her action was eliciting from him.

“Ah,” he groaned, right next to her head, almost into her ear. “Don’t tease me like that, old girl…” His hands had wound their way up the span of her smooth stomach, and up to her breasts, fingers pinching her hardened nipples.

She grinned as her stroking only became more pronounced, his deep breathing fully audible as she let her fingers linger for just one moment before letting go.

The smile was still upon her lips as she stared into his half-closed eyes. “Come…let’s do this properly,” she whispered as she reached for the hiked-up skirt which was still half-draped across her lithe body.

He smiled wryly. “I was about to call the whole thing off,” he answered, his voice husky as he peeled the leggings off his body, his muscular tanned legs finally coming into view. Impatiently he shifted into a kneeling position on the bed as he waited for her to undress, the insane throbbing of his erection almost driving him to the edge as she slid the light blue skirt down her long, creamy legs. When would she be done?! This was taking too long…!

She immediately sensed his enthusiasm, the very same eagerness that nearly mirrored her own. Ah, she would have loved to keep teasing him, to keep leading him to the breaking point, to gently push him back again.

But at the moment, toying around was not her prerogative. She freely admitted to herself that she was just aroused as he was—more than he was, if that was even possible. It probably wasn’t. The boy was about ready to burst.

Then again, so was she.

The skirt was flung over the side of the bed as she lay back onto the pillow, mockingly demure as he eyed her exposed form. Her creamy thighs, the slight curve of her hips…his eyes quickly traveled to the delicate pink lips between her legs, betrayed in all its deep longing by the obvious wetness that engulfed them.

Her breathing was heavy as he knelt in front of her, his hands running up and down her smooth legs. His fingers reached her thighs, and he momentarily brushed against the fleshy mound; a shudder ran through her body suddenly, as if it was the first time it realized that something as pleasurable as making love was indeed possible.

He slowly withdrew his hands, causing her to open her tightly shut eyes. The look on his face was still wild, true; but besides the primal passion which had so engulfed him earlier, the expression he now wore was full of tension.

“What…what is it?” she asked breathlessly, propping herself up on her arms.

This was…different. From all the other times he had made love to a woman it had been different. Mostly they had just been brief girlfriends who had left shortly after a momentary relationship; girls that he had cared about, but not so much as to worry about them. Now…

He sighed; it was hard to think when he was so aroused. He forced the words to appear. She wouldn’t be doing this if she didn’t feel anything for you…or would she? His mind was too clouded to think properly.

He blinked and shut any thoughts not pertaining to sex out of his mind. “Are you ready, old girl?”

She stared into his azure eyes. Did she sense a flash of emotion there? Pain? Anger? No, something else…but she would determine this later. There were other, more immediate tasks at hand…“Yes,” she answered as she lowered her silvery head back down onto the pillow. She automatically held her arms out to him. “Come.”

The command was simple yet incredibly insistent.

Her legs were spread before him, the pink lips parting in readiness as he drew up in front of her, his hands squeezing her hips as his solid cock gently nudged her opening.

An involuntary gasp escaped her lips. Oh gods…! Inside her—he had to be—!

A tremor of pleasure passed over his body as he eased inside her, the tight warmth engulfing his member in soothing, passionate heat. He pushed up to the hilt; his breathing almost faltered as she tightened around him, his cock throbbing with insane pressure as he roughly thrust into her.

“Ah!” she whispered, breathing heavy as his legs rubbed against hers, their bodies connected now, at the source. Slowly he stretched out his body to lie against hers—the soft crush of her breasts against the muscles on his chest, her arms closing around his shoulders, pulling him nearer…his half-closed eyes meeting hers…

He smoothed back the hair that had fallen into her eyes, his own straining to keep open as he again pushed into her. His arms somehow found their way around her, and pulled her into a tight embrace, his cheek brushing against hers as he continued the regular thrusting of his cock into her, the intense sensation sending waves up and down his spine. She felt so good inside—he could hardly retain logic as he slid in and out of her, the warm channel welcoming him back at every call. He groaned into her ear as he drove inside her once again, his arms tightening around her shoulders. She was so wet inside…

She felt his mouth gently kiss her cheek, and she moved to give him a full kiss on his lips as she felt the hard member fill her once more before drawing back once again. Her legs were almost shaking with pleasure as he pushed against the warm, tight walls, pressing all the way in before he pulled out again. She hadn’t felt like this in ages, not for centuries. She hadn’t allowed herself to experience another’s body since…well, it was best not to think of those times. Besides, this new lover was exceptionally versatile when it came to delicate situations…

He smiled faintly, the deep azure of his eyes visible behind half-closed lids. “Not thinking of anyone else, are you?” he asked, his voice raspy, as she squinted up at him.

She smiled back. “You cannot blame me if I was,” she answered mockingly. “After all, you’re quite average when it comes to this…”

Even though she was only teasing—even though he knew she was obviously enjoying this experience immensely—he decided to give her a taste of her own medicine. Not good at this, not good at that…well, in this case she was wrong. He was extremely good at making love to a woman, and if she was unwilling to admit it, well…

He slowly withdrew from her, letting his cock slide out until only the tip touched her entrance. There he paused.

She raised her head to give him a question glance. She barely had time to open her mouth before he roughly slammed back into her again, pressing in as deeply as he could possibly go. She winced, the agonizing pleasure rushing through her body as he filled her once again. If he kept it up, then surely both of them would not last much longer…

The playful moonlight filtered in through the half-curtained window, forming triangles on her ankle, his shoulder, her half-closed eyes. Already she could feel the deep ecstasy welling inside her, trying to force its way out into the surface. The swift, fluid motions of his member inside her were quickly increasing in speed—he wanted her to enjoy this, that was certain. Enjoy it and remember it.

She looked up at him, and from the expression on his face she could reason it would not be long either. Catching her eye, he gave her a half-smile. “Come closer,” she whispered, her arms reaching around his back. “Against me.”

Definitely not things she would say in a normal situation, he thought, wondering if this same mildness would come to extend to their outside relationship as well. She was almost tender as he slowly lowered his body to lie against hers, all the while continuing the quick, rhythmic motions of their lovemaking. Her arms encircled him as he laid his head next to hers, his mouth against her now-warm cheek.

He was going faster—her legs were trembling as she bit her lip in torture. “Nash…” she almost growled, her hoarse voice sounding into his ear. “I…”

Her tight lips were beginning to contract around his cock, sending electric currents down his spine. “I know,” he answered, his arms grasping her tightly, a light kiss landing on her lips. “I…oh gods,” he murmured into her ear as he felt her legs begin to spasm beneath his own.

The world seemed to fall away, to sink into the deep darkness of eternity as she struggled to hold it back, keep it inside her for just a few more moments. Just a while longer…just a second…but no, she could not, no longer—!

In an instant she felt the enormous explosion rip through her body, the warm waves engulfing her as she threw her head back in ecstasy, her frenzied body struggling against his as she moaned deeply, her breasts pushing against his chest as she pulled him closer, her legs automatically wrapped around his waist.

The look on her face…he had tried to contain himself, but the expression she wore—the sounds she was making—ah, he truly belonged to her now…

With one final thrust he exploded inside her, the warm fluid burning into her as he gasped, his eyes snapping shut as again he pushed into her, the seed flowing from the tip of his cock down through the passionate wetness, swirling down through her body and into her womb. She gasped as the hot semen entered her, her sounds mixing with the intense groans that involuntarily escaped his lips as he pressed into her once more, emptying himself as the tingling fluid flowed into her. Her lips—where…he had to have her lips…

Without warning he gently took her face in his hands and kissed her, his mouth moving passionately against hers as she immediately responded, her hands grasping the back of his neck as he nearly collapsed against her, his cock still throbbing inside the slink entrance.

Slowly they both came back down to the physical world—gently they guided each other back down from paradise, as the soothing warmth of a passionate tryst surrounded them. He waited then until the pulsing stopped, then carefully withdrew from her, his lips momentarily leaving hers; she placidly embraced him, her breathing now even as he shifted his body next to hers.

He softly kissed her cheek as he laid his head down next to her own, on the pillow they shared. Her exhausted eyes looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak—but no words appeared. What…what could she say to him now? So much had happened in the space of only an hour—only the day before, he had been her clumsy companion, the little mortal boy, the insolent spy who knew nothing of the world…

Now…now what were they…?

He looked back at her, his glance satisfied as he soothingly patted her shoulder. She was trying to say something to him, trying to impart some words—scorn or tenderness, he could not tell. She sighed, and gave up. There was nothing she could say.

He too wanted to say something, anything—but what? Some mundane expression? A compliment? An old, tired joke? No…somehow he could not find a way to alleviate the mixed feelings of affection and awkwardness that was now beginning to permeate the atmosphere. Now that their little affair was ended—now that the logic had returned to their heated minds—both realized that now, from this very moment, their relationship could not be exactly as it used to be.

Frustrated, she finally forced the words to emerge. “We should return to bed,” she said simply, looking over at him.

He nodded. “Yeah.” She slowly sat up, in an attempt to pull the kicked-off blanket back onto the bed. He touched her shoulder. “It’s alright. I’ll do it.”

She lay back as he gathered the warm quilt and bundled it around them, tucking it against her neck as he lay back down next to her. She noted they were in the same position as before—his head was so close to hers that if she but moved an inch she would kiss him. She mused upon the thought as she suddenly felt his lips mildly press against hers.

It was just a simple kiss—nothing more. He looked down at her with calm eyes—she blinked.

They would discuss this tomorrow. This memory could not be ruined.

Slowly she let her body relax, let her mind bask in the faint glow of ardent fury that still remained. He watched her clandestinely as she sighed herself into a deep slumber; momentarily he took a glance at the curtained window. The shimmering moonlight seemed to almost wink at him.

-

She cracked open a ruby eye.

The sunlight nearly blinded her. Who had opened the windows? The curtains were neatly pulled back—what carelessness!

Eyes still glazed from sleep, she groped around the bed, expecting to find Nash sleeping peacefully next to her; she would shake him and tell him to shut the damn window…

Mmmm, but he wasn’t there. The sheets felt unbearably cold as her fingers danced over their surface. Sighing, she rubbed the sand out of her eyes and stretched. The ruby pupils grew smaller as she quickly scanned the small room. Still the same—table, chairs, bed…his green cloak and undervest still lay draped over one chair. Yet Nash himself was nowhere to be seen.

Where the devil was he? They could have departed hours ago; judging from the strong sunlight it was already mid-morning…

She sat up and pulled the blanket up to cover her nude body. The vivid memory of the night before still lingered in her mind as she slipped over the side of the bed and rapidly located her discarded skirt and blouse, which lay in a heap on the floor. Damned fool; he hadn’t even thought to fold them up for her…

She slipped on her skirt, and finished buttoning the closures on her blouse when the door to the room quietly creaked open. The blonde Harmonian appeared in the doorway, donning his familiar leggings and tunic—items that, the previous night, had been so willingly shed…she threw the thought out of her head as he entered the room.

He immediately noticed her and, frowning, shut the door behind him. In one hand he carried a scarred white pitcher—no doubt containing cold water. The very thing that he had promised to retrieve for her the night before.

“Morning, old girl,” he greeted, attempting to smile. He raked his free hand through his hair and set the pitcher down on the side table, next to the large bowl. “I went down early to get you some water…thought you might want to wash up.”

She raised her eyebrows as the red blush began to appear on his cheeks. Of all times to be embarrassed! He tried to laugh it off. “Had a good sleep?”

She blinked. “As good a sleep as might have been expected,” she replied neutrally, going over to the pitcher and pouring the water into the bowl.

He watched as the clear liquid splashed down into the basin. “Well, that’s good.”

She dipped her hands into the water and splashed it over her face—ah, her face. Something was different about her skin today—perhaps it was just the sunlight reflecting on it, but it seemed more natural, more human-like today. Instead of her usual ghostly tint, her skin appeared to radiate a healthy pink hue. She could almost pass for a young mortal girl.

She noticed his questioning glance. “What are you staring at?”

“Your skin...”

“Hm? What do you mean?” she crossed the room to look at the small cracked mirror that hung against the wall. Her eyebrows flew up at she gazed upon her visage in the glass. She looked…alive. Her face, hands, probably even her legs—all now displayed a pinkish trace.

“Curious,” she murmured as Nash continued to watch, his hands on his hips as she turned away from the mirror. “Well…it is nothing out of the ordinary, I suppose.” She returned to the bowl and once again dipped her hands in it. “My skin was probably the same color as we made love last night…”

She froze. My skin was probably the same color as we made love last night…?! What in the world had she just said?! The phrase had slipped out—it was not deliberate! Ah, beloved awkwardness—her only comfort was the fact they could not have possibly continued on without it.

He noted her slip of the tongue, and her immediate reaction. Should he ignore it? Perhaps they could on like nothing ever happened—they could leave this place and pretend they were just restless, arguing traveling companions, just as before. Yet, at the same time, he knew they could not.

She was silently drying her hands on a length of fabric when he spoke. “Sierra…listen. About last night…”

The words died on the wind. He did not know what to tell her; she wasn’t even facing him. A sigh escaped his lips; what strange things love wrought in the wake of pleasure.

She turned to glance at him. Oh, there was no use acting like she usually did anymore! She didn’t feel like calling him names or putting him down; she didn’t feel like ordering him around or telling him how weak he was. No matter how she tried to put the events out of her mind, they remained. She could not pretend that nothing had happened; the atmosphere was too charged.

He eagerly awaited her words. What “wisdom” would she impart? The fact that she had forgotten all that happened between them? The fact that she had only been using him—that she felt no emotion whatsoever towards him?

“It is awkward for me to say this,” she began. “But know, Nash Latkje…that everything I did last night…I meant.” She sighed as he gently grasped her hands between his, massaging her palm with his fingers as she continued. “Very well, then. I will admit it—I have a certain fondness for you, boy. And I decided to act upon it last night because—well, it was the perfect opportunity to test your affection.” She lowered her gaze. “There is no simple way to say this, is there?”

He shook his head. “You’re doing a good job, old girl. Don’t think I could have done better.” He gave her a soft smile. “You and I are both fools.”

“Yes,” she agreed, laying her head on his shoulder. “We are.” He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, and held her; it seemed a long while they stayed in that position, eyes closed, his hands smoothing her silver hair.

Finally he spoke. “Would it be fair to call us lovers, Sierra?”

It was a short while before she responded. “Yes; yes, I think so,” she answered, opening her eyes. “But don’t think for a second that I’m going to allow your moronic attitude to slip past me now.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Well, then maybe you should speed it up.”

She immediately pushed him away. “Oh for heavens sake! Hurry up and get dressed! We should have set out hours ago!”

“Well, we would have if you hadn’t slept in so late, you old hag! Oh, but I guess I was just too much for you to handle, huh?”

She gave him a wicked little smile. “Just wait and see, boy. You’ll be so exhausted tomorrow you won’t be able to move.”

He smirked. “I guess that’s because I’ll be dead.”

-

The door closed. The blankets lay strewn on the mattress; the chairs were pulled out; and there was still some water left in the old white bowl. The curtains were neatly pulled back, and the sweet sunshine filtered in through the open pane.

Just an ordinary room.

The End

End notes: Well, hope you enjoyed my first lemon as much as I enjoyed writing it! Nash x Sierra is my favorite video game couple, and since there were no N/S lemons out there (in English, anyway) I decided to write the very first. Got a comment? Feedback’s appreciated!!

If you’d like to check out any of my other stories, they can be found at:
www.fanfiction.net/~archfaith