Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Before the Fall ❯ Love Like Winter ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

One tremor, two tremors, and they proceeded to form the shivering of Raine’s body as she held out upon her balcony, breathing in the crisp air of the Garden’s winter breeze. She sighed as she took it all in; the scenery change had been abrupt.

The once bare trees were coated in icy frost and the emerald of the grass and other living things had been blanketed by the ivory of the snow that had fallen silently last night. She raised her indigo eyes to stare at the overcast skies still producing the flakes of ice lazily. She glared at the bundles of moisture, but lost her hate after a moment. It was useless.

She pursed her lips tightly and crossed her arms over her chest. She refused to admit aloud that Even was right. Winter was beautiful and the first snow glistened around her, offsetting all the earthly tones. The earth smelt fresh and crisp and the chilling air fogged her breath. It was almost enough to distract her from the fact that she was wearing too little not to be affected; almost.

Raine rubbed her arms briskly, but it did little than chafe her skin so she soon gave a sigh of defeat and turned her back to the frost-laden paradise in favor of her sliding doors. She pulled them aside and did the same to the scarlet curtains adorning the rod above her on the wall within the room.

Upon closing the balcony door behind her she felt the heat instantly encasing her body, irritating her slightly raw cheeks, but the comfort for the moment banished the pain. She turned to the door of her closet then, the dark wood glaring back at her as, hand reaching out, she touched the brass handle. Opening it her gaze swept through the clothes to find some appropriate for the weather.

The rustle of the cloth as her hands grabbed the edge of her long, sleeping shirt was the only sound that reached her ears, as she began to pull the gown-like shirt upward, her backed turned to the open door, which had been left like that since the previous night. She was ignorant to this minor detail, or what should have been a minor detail.

Raine was no fool, she knew that at this hour in the morning, at least going by her clock that the apprentices were presumably seated in the common hall enjoying their breakfast, so even if she had known her door was open she would in all likelihood done away with precautions other than keeping a wary eye upon the entrance just for safety’s sake. The odds were just too small to be a major caution. Small, but not impossible.

Only when she had turned her body around, an action that would bring her the convenience of simpler access to her clothing, did her mind register the open door. Yet, it was the strangest of ways, at least to her still sleep-fogged mind as she had awoken only fifteen minutes previously and the warm air was lulling her back into a sobered mindset. The door was closing itself, and her fingers stopped just as the footsteps entering her room did as well. She had heard the muffled noises from within the prison of pale sky fabric.

All her mind had to register were the words “intruder” and “male” before her hands released the folds of her shirt and they fell with a descent far slower than she wanted. She immediately sped the process up by sweeping her hands down the cloth. With that task finished she moved to the more important question.

Those footsteps were too heavy to be Even or Braig’s so that crossed out Ienzo as well. It was either Aeleus, Dilan, or Xehanort. Her eyes instantly rose from her hands to glare at the intruder.

Her cheeks, which were burning in predetermined fury, paled substantially in surprise. There before her stood Xehanort, eyes wider than normal, but otherwise unaffected.

Raine sniffed indignantly, “Thanks for just waltzing in unannounced.” Her tone was sarcastic and her mood proved tested by the obvious clenching of her fists.

Xehanort merely smirked, his eyes gleaming in unhidden amusement and mischief, “No, thank you for leaving the door open so carelessly.” His eyes swept her figure.

Her mouth pulled further into a frown from its previous straight position, but she did not speak of the action. The display he had demonstrated of throwing back her words warned her of such. Instead, she pretended to ignore the gesture, not even acknowledging she had witnessed it. As a result her grim expression appeared only a disproval of his words.

Xehanort grinned at her defiant and enraged disposition. He couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming her body, the tantalizing image of what lay beneath the long shirt still fresh in his mind; he had approved tremendously. Her current frown however sobered his demeanor slightly and he adverted his eyes around the room instead, awaiting her next words.

“Do you need something, Xehanort?”

He shook his head at her exasperated request. His eyes fixed upon the curtain behind her, observing its disturbed appearance. A small smile graced with pure, innocent humor graced his lips. “You had not appeared for breakfast, so I took upon myself to check up on you. It would be a shame and misfortune if you were to become ill.”

Raine was never one to be sure what time she normally arrived at the breakfast table so the reply was simple enough, but she remained wary. “Thank you,” she said with a polite smile, “I’ll be coming down soon, but first you need to leave so I can get dressed. I’ll be sure to close my door so as not to welcome anymore awkward situations.”

“Of course,” Xehanort bowed, “and I apologize for my earlier behavior. Please think me not bold when I say you are a very radiant woman.” He turned on his heel and reopened the door only to close behind him as he retreated from the room. His last comment rang in Raine’s ears.

She swiftly crossed her room to stand at the door. Something akin to fear possessed her to lock it; she wanted only reassurance after observing the man’s plain admiration and unabashed behavior. She admitted she was at fault for leaving the door gaping, but had Xehanort no modesty?! Albeit bold, normally Raine would have been flattered by a man such as Xehanort calling her attractive, but there was something unnerving about it. He was too bold and it was some other underlying reason beyond her affections toward Even.

Xehanort had turned back to face the door of Raine’s room after he had left. Caught in the silence of the empty halls there was no muffling the sound of Raine tripping the lock. His mouth alighted in a glorious grin as he made the decision to leave and return to breakfast lest the other apprentices question his absence. They had been acting strange as of late and this intrigued Xehanort vaguely. His instincts told him they were being more cautious around him. He shook this pondering off to think about at a more appropriate time. His brain turned back to the woman behind the door as he shuffled down the hall, shoulders quaking in silent laughter. ‘Smart girl, but I wouldn’t harm her.’

He again took his place at the table for breakfast, a spot between Dilan and Ienzo on the left side. His face and temper revealed nothing of his morning escapade to anyone at the table, save one soul. Yet no question was posed; one cannot question without just cause and being ignorant to the reason behind Xehanort’s minor change in personality that one person said nothing. This, unbeknownst to him, allowed Xehanort to dive into a conversation with Aeleus across from him who was currently devouring a piece of toast blanketed in jelly in an orderly fashion.

Their conversation was rather casual, so no one adverted attention to it. King Ansem continued to eat his breakfast, supporting a chat with Braig in the process. Dilan was eating silently at the man’s side while Ienzo appeared to be falling asleep where he sat, sleep still fresh in his eyes as he tentatively sipped his trepid coffee. Even was reading an anatomy textbook confiscated from the library; his plate sat already absent of food to his right.

Raine entered this atmosphere with a slight look of agitation marring her features as her booted feet treaded carefully upon the carpet. Her eyes beheld every figure in the room. They stopped briefly upon Xehanort and held him longer. If one was to watch closely, it seemed that the rage in her eyes swelled ever so slightly. It disappeared just as quickly as it had come, however, and no one noted it. She came to the table and seated herself at Even's side. A plate was passed down to her. She smiled in gratitude before picking up her silverware.

She ate her food carefully, discreetly reading a few sentences at random from Even’s textbook. When she finished her meal she set the plate aside and leaned more conspicuously to read over Even’s shoulder. She wondered at her boldness in the action, but let it drop. It was far too late for regrets now.

Her breath, warm and soothing encased Even’s neck. He tried to keep his mind straight, tried to concentrate, but failed. He sighed, construing it into more of a cough. Admitting to himself the deep fondness he had towards the girl, now breathing so gently on his neck, and telling her so were two things. They were the total antithesis of one another. Was it his pride that held him back? Was it fear? His eyes narrowed for a moment on the page, scolding himself to halt the argument he was about have in his head.

He refused to start questioning his motives, especially at a time such as this. Her lovely warmth was unwinding him. He had to reign himself in before he lost composure. He was becoming hot, too much so. It was a pleasant discomfort, but he pushed that aside, his lips seaming together until they formed a bemused smirk.

“Do you find this so interesting that you feel the need to rudely read over my shoulder?”

His posed question was nonchalant, at least in the manner that a few eyes at the table rose to regard the pair. A waltz had begun, the quips were to begin. Even’s voice was the striking violin.

Raine’s head retreated from the contour of his neck. Her mouth fused in a smile to match his. He was suddenly left wanting. Even grieved for retreat of her body. He did not, however let her see the longing in his eyes. They remained on the book, the only place where his soul was safe from drowning. He only caught her movements from his peripheral as she slid from her chair to stand at his side. Well, so much for his previous wanting, she was even closer now!

“No, actually, I was wondering what possessed you to read that.”

Her words confused him and finally, he relinquished the volume. Closing it gently, and mentally noting the page number he placed it atop the table. His brows rose in inquiry as he turned and stared at the woman before him, “I’ve read books more boring than this.”

Raine giggled slightly, reveling in a secret she apparently was the sole owner of, “How can you being reading on a day like this?”

He was silent. The smile remained on her face as she turned to speak to all the apprentices and Ansem the Wise who had, by that moment, raised their gazes to her.

“You all know it snowed, right?”

Aeleus grinned softly, “Yes. It is winter, after all.”

Raine’s smile thinned as surprise struck her. She hadn’t expected the mundane reply. For a moment she was left wordless.

“But…it always melted before. This is the first snow that's stayed.”

She cringed; her words sounded more like a whine than anything else when she finally spoke. She had to imagine she appeared a child trying to explain some twisted logic of their own making.

“That’s true,” Ienzo complimented her.

Raine frowned. She had expected at least one of them to declare they should go and enjoy the snow, but no one had said a phase even pertaining to the subject. None of them had moved. She sighed, both in annoyance that her plan was crumbling and in depression that no one looked like they were offering to go outside with her. She decided playing charades wasn’t going to accomplish anything. She slowly turned away and began walking towards the door.

“Well I’m going to go enjoy the newly fallen snow…Anyone want to accompany me?” There, if that wasn't direct enough-

Braig was up from his seat before the next second had passed. He smirked, finally an excuse to run around in the frosted water was presented to him. He'd been waiting all morning but he was against being the first to say anything.

“I’ll be happy to,” he bowed, “wouldn’t you like come as well, Dilan? The lady should have at least two of us with her, just in case.”Dilan’s eyes leered in satisfaction as he nodded. He stood up with much more composure than his companion and pushed his seat back in. This was all in show of course because he too was ready for some fun. “Milady, I would be honored to come as well.” He tipped his head.

Raine smiled, joyous that she would have company. Yet as she stared out into the royal hallway, the delight in her features broke. Her eyes bored into her skull to the right as she glanced back to where Even currently sat. ‘Probably took to reading that damn book again.’ She spat bitterly to herself. ‘Why can’t he see that I wanted him to be the one who would voluntarily accompany me? Why can’t he just act on his feelings like he did before?' She thought accusingly and then, 'Why couldn’t I have just asked?’ She tried to rid her mind of these questions before she gave herself a headache. One more made it through, nevertheless.

‘What’s he so afraid of?’

Dilan and Braig had caught up to her, she hadn’t moved from the doorway after all so it was no great feat. Dilan placed a hand on her shoulder in order to announce that he and Braig were ready to ship out. He only succeeded, however, in startling her.

Her body stiffened abruptly and she jerked immediately afterward. Unfortunately Braig had caught the remnants of distraught covering her features as she collected herself.

“Raine, you alright?”

The woman smiled at his concern hoping that it was just in question of her becoming lost in space, per se. Yet as he spoke her eyes found Even. And he was reading again. She fought back the tears that stung her eyes, the frown that wanted to arise, and the hot-fire words she wanted to scream at him in frustration. Her heart was sinking in her chest at his plain disregard for her.

Yet, he wasn’t disregarding her. He brought the book to his face and observed her from behind its depths. “Why,” he whispered to himself. ‘Why can’t I offer to go with her? What’s stopping me?’ And then he caught her gaze. Hurt and fury swirled in those indigo orbs. She was angry at him, and suddenly his pulse rocketed. Did she feel the same? But before he could make amends-play off like he was just toying with her-she turned on her heel.“I’m fine.” She reassured Braig and turned away, more hurt at Even’s actions than disgusted. He said he loved her. Those words had been eating away at her for days. Her heart was now a dam, and it was leaking. She wanted him to take the reigns. She wanted him to know she was scared too. Raine walked down the hallway, hearing the steps of her two escorts behind her. She paused just once, and that was to pull her crimson coat over her shoulders.

Even had placed his eyes back on the words in the text, but he'd felt the gazes of Braig and Dilan before they too left. He cursed at himself. He had done it again; he was always doing the wrong thing when it came to Raine. Snapping at her when unnecessary, ignoring her when he was the only one she wished attention from; it seemed he couldn’t do the right thing! ‘Damn it! Can’t the woman tell I’m scared…I don’t deserve her. I’m a murderer, a mislead lackey who blinded himself with reassurances that were mere fancy. What would she think of me? How could anyone but those involved understand my motives?’ Yet even as he asked himself these questions the answers gnawed at his mind, reprimanding him for his denial.

If it is love she will understand…

Resignation finally coated his features. He placed the book down again, not bothering to even give it a second thought. That was his own decision, but the next occurring event could have just as easily attributed.

His turquoise eyes caught movements. In front of him and to his left Xehanort was standing as well. He turned to Ansem the Wise. “Master Ansem, I believe I will join in on the activities as well.” That was his farewell, but as he turned his eyes caught Even’s from the side. He smirked. It was a blatant challenge and Even found himself placing his hands in his lap where they curled into tight fists. His knuckles were becoming white from the tension and his mind was made up long before Ienzo, now fully awake cast him a stare of warning. He stood up, his feet moving of their own accord. He had to change into thicker clothing if he was heading out into that winter land.
Raising her gloved hands, Raine observed as the flakes of ice melted upon impact with the ebony material. Barely anything could be seen in the white desert land beyond her and the two men who had offered to join her. She merely walked around in the compact frost, watching as Dilan and Braig made a game of throwing spheres of the snow at one another.

Braig hissed in pain as one made contact with his head, “I think there was rock in that one! Watch what you put in those, Dilan!”

Dilan shrugged, his smirk concealed by his navy scarf, “Sorry.” He snickered. He narrowly escaped the snowball thrown swiftly at him.

Braig was laughing. Raine closed her eyes enjoying the laughter. These two, grown men, were acting like little children who had snuck out from their homes to play in the dusty snow. That was the real reason why they had joined her; to play. When she opened her eyes again she was, without delay, hit with a snowball in her chest.

“Sorry, Raine, I was trying to hit Braig!”

She waved it off; it hadn’t hurt. Braig’s loud laughter echoed in her ears, “Yeah, Dilan can’t aim!” Raine watched Dilan glare at the older man before balling another snowball, his intent clear. She rolled her eyes and turned around. Her grin disappeared.

Another figure was approaching the scene. So distinguishing was his figure, Raine didn’t even have to guess. Xehanort smiled gracefully at her as he stopped at her side. She returned the gesture, but his earlier transgressions were still fresh in her mind. He noticed the nervousness she radiated and he placed a hand on her shoulder nearest him.

“Once again, I apologize for my behavior earlier. I was far too bold.” He repeated.

Still cautious, she relaxed a bit. She nodded, “You’re forgiven.” This seemed to satisfy him and he removed his hand. In the process he grazed her cheek and a frown settled upon his lips.

“Your cheeks are frozen!” Before she could protest against him, he had removed his black scarf and placed it around her neck, tightening it just right. He smiled kindly, “There you have it.” His thumb caressed her cheek lightly as he made to thread his fingers into her hair and remove it from the onyx material’s bind.

She pulled away from his hands before he would be given the chance to run his fingers through her hair. “Thanks,” she said hurriedly, fingering the cloth, “but what about you?”

Xehanort shook his head. A ball of ice then whizzed past his ear.

“Hey, Xehanort,” Braig called, “why don’t you and the lady team up against Dilan and I? Ya know, just an old fashioned snowball fight?”

Xehanort turned to Raine. She smirked, “Sure!” She turned to Xehanort for agreement. He smiled softly and affirmed the words with a nod of his head.

“Don’t leave us out then!”

This new voice belonged to the youngest apprentice. Ienzo ran past Raine and Xehanort.

“I’m on Braig and Dilan’s team!” He announced enthusiastically and the other two men assented to his arrival.

“Then I suppose that means I’m with Raine and Xehanort.”

Raine’s heart sped up involuntarily at the sound of Even’s voice. She whipped around, forgetting her anger towards him. ‘At least he actually came.’ She grinned at him as he neared her.

“I’m not too late to join am I?” He asked.

Raine shook her head, noticing Xehanort tense slightly beside her. Even either took no notice of it or completely ignored him. He halted once he was at her side. He sighed, catching her eyes for a moment. Was it just her or did he seem regretful? She didn’t have time to wonder when a snowball hit her head. The war begun.

Lord Ansem and Aeleus soon joined the snow battle as well. Aeleus claimed Xehanort’s team as his. Ansem happily took a position on Braig’s- he ended up being more agile than any of them expected and actually landed quite a few hits within the first few minutes of joining the game. Ice went flying, no score was kept, no rules were set in place. It was a freedom, separated from science and the logical. For once imagination reigned supreme.

All the apprentices and even their master seemed to enjoy the unspoken free day from the labs, or so appearances said. Raine wondered if this sort of fight was a normal winter occurrence between them. She laughed around a mouthful of snow before spitting it out.

Braig and Dilan found each other amid the melee and a silent exchange went between them and with a nod both turned and ran in opposite directions to come and flank poor Even who was just now feeling victorious for nailing Ienzo. Apparently no one felt bad about aiming for the face.

The orbs of snow were hard to follow. This set the scene for disaster. Ienzo had already fallen, but no serious injuries had been sustained, and no one expected any to happen. Yet, the reality that such could arise was made known about fifteen minutes after Ienzo’s spill.

Chaos, this was what the game was comprised of, but none seemed to mind. Even and Xehanort were running, aiming at the same person. Both of them were trying to target Ansem, but they came upon a rather slippery patch of earth, most likely where the stone paths through the gardens were located. Xehanort lost his footing and being so near to Even as he reached out to steady himself he latched onto the smaller man.

Even sputtered, not having enough time to snidely screech at him before his balance was also compromised. Both men then went tumbling. The others, noticing the duo’s disappearance, were forced to stop their game when a stomach-turning crack broke the air and Even’s voice rose in a pain-laden yelp.

Raine had not even registered what had happened before she was standing before the scene. Even was groaning laboriously as he clutched his left arm below the elbow. Xehanort was laying on the ground beside him.

Raine’s voice wouldn’t work. She just stared at the two men in shock.

“Even,” Ansem asked, standing beside Raine. Actually everyone was present then. “Are you alright?” His answer was a soft moan. “My arm.”

He gritted his teeth. Aeleus leaned over and picked the man up in his arms. Dilan had moved to do the very same thing, but the other had beaten him to it. “He probably broke it.” He replied swiftly, carrying him away. The others followed suit and Raine turned to Xehanort making sure he was alright as well. He stood up and watched the retreating figures before turning his gaze to Raine, whose face was drawn in worry.

“Sorry.”

Raine said nothing, she gave a quick nod of her head and sped off. Not caring for the moment that his words didn’t seem remorseful nor that his scarf came loose around her neck and flew off into the wind.

Xehanort watched the cloth float before it landed in the spoiled snow. He slowly walked to it and picked it up, running his fingers over the cloth as he watched Raine disappear from view. When her figure could no longer be seen he clutched the material firmly in his palm, his face unreadable, but his amber eyes burning intensely in some torrid emotion.
The morphine was just beginning to work when Raine began to wrap his arm. She did so carefully, her mind on edge and more awake than she ever thought possible.

It had been about half an hour since Braig had run in, given her the syringe of the pain drug, and then darted back out to retrieve the bandages which Aeleus had volunteered to assist with. At first she just stared down at the needle tapping the air bubbles out and squirting out just a little for extra measure and looking at Even periodically. ‘Do I just give him the whole thing?’ He then groaned in pain again. She gave him the whole needle full, believing that was the better choice. She had been advised to wait till the medication kicked in before setting his arm. She had insisted upon being the one to do it after assuring them that she knew how to do it and had even set her dog's bone once back when she was at her own home.

It was while she was tying the last of the bandage when she noticed that during this course of events everyone had come into Even’s room to visit him except Xehanort. Raine placed her hands at her side as she recalled his apology. Short, simple, it should have been acceptable. It was plain that the incident was an accident, but Xehanort didn’t seem to hold much regret. She concentrated on not balling her fists as realization donned on her.

Xehanort was fond of her too. His actions and words to her were evidence enough. He wasn’t hesitating like Even was, but there was something unsettling about the ordeal. Something unsettling about Xehanort.

Raine gazed down at Even’s face which was more relaxed as he smiled at her. She smiled back, forgetting that Aeleus was observing the whole scene.

He had stayed to make sure Raine set the bone right. He would have left, but seeing the worry and affection alight on Raine’s features every time she stared at Even, he was intrigued. She truly held affection for the man that transcended mere friendship. The silence encompassing the room spoke volumes more than any words could, at least concerning Raine as she tightly held Even’s free hand.

“Even,” she said softly. She noted he looked a little dazed so she took it slow. “Can you sit up for me?”

Even did so, albeit a little clumsily with Raine’s assistance. Even stared about the room and at the doorway as Raine tied another bandage around his arm in order to immobilize the limb enough to where it would heal properly and without interruption. His eyes caught upon Charlemagne. Aeleus’ cat just waltzed by the doorway unhurriedly. Even grinned insanely, the expression staying as Raine helped him lower himself back on the bed.

And this was Even's train of thought: just a few nights ago Even had entered Raine’s room and saved her kitten from falling. He remembered that when he had entered he was imagining the woman undressed. He chuckled and as Raine was pulling away he spoke.

“Raine,” he said. Once he saw he had her full attention he smiled wider, "You know... I bet you look really good naked,” he chuckled, “secretly I've been wanting to find out for sure for a while now.”

Raine’s face flushed a deep scarlet and she pulled away from the bed. Aeleus was at her side within seconds. He gazed down at the girl, “How much of that morphine did you give him?”

“I-I-I didn’t know what the right amount was so…I gave him the whole syringe full.”

Aeleus’ eyes widened, “The normal dose is only about half.”“Well-”

“No, Braig and I are at fault we should have told you. You can’t be blamed. Braig and I however will be the ones to give him morphine from now on, though.”

Raine nodded. Aeleus took her hand, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave until the overdose wears off, however. There’s no way of knowing if he might say anything else more inappropriate.”

Aeleus took no protest from her and she soon was standing outside of the door, which was now close. She walked away, hearing Even laugh nervously. “Oops.”

She checked back periodically to see if Even had recovered from her mistake yet, but it was always negative. She confined herself to her room, reading a book she had borrowed from him previously to occupy her mind. She didn’t want to talk to anyone else, especially Xehanort. Her hands clasped the book in her hands tighter whenever the man invaded her thoughts.

Night settled on the world and Raine had changed into another long night shirt. It was a simple white one and she had just completed putting it on and brushing her hair when there came a soft knock at her locked door.

“Who is it?”

Aeleus’ warm voice answered her. “I just wanted to tell you Even’s recovered, but he seems to be asleep now. Braig just gave him the normal dosage so he should be fine come morning.”Raine sprinted to the door and flung it open, witnessing an empty space. She turned her head and watched as Aeleus walked to his room. “Thank you,” she muttered. She stepped from her doorway, and negligent to the fact that her feet were bare she padded down the hall to Even’s room.

Her hand turned the knob and she entered, her steps only a whisper of sound. She came to the bedside and for a few moments watched Even’s face in the relaxing hold of sleep. She smiled and with barely a second of hesitation touched his cheek gingerly.

His face crunched slightly, but he leaned into her hand finally. She couldn’t make out his mumblings, yet they didn’t seem distressed. It was the complete opposite; he sounded quite content. He was now just in his jeans and his thrown-on long sleeve shirt. His jacket had been the first thing dealt with after he was brought inside and his medication had begun to work.

“I’m just going to lay here for a few minutes.”

Her hushed words didn’t disturb him and she carefully crawled into the bed to lay beside him. She turned and watched him, satisfied for just the moment to be there, uninterrupted. She moved a little closer to his body heat and closed her eyes. She just wanted to listen to his deep breaths, revel in the silent night and the chance to be near him for a minute longer. What she didn’t expect to happen was to be lulled to sleep by the man beside her. One moment she heard his breathing beside her, the next she knew nothing at all for a what seemed like a long while. She had had intentions of leaving...