Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Kisses: Arc and Yucie ❯ A Wish Fulfilled ( Chapter 8 )

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

Title: “A Wish Fulfilled”
Author: Wish Wielder
Pairing: Arc/Yucie
Fandom: Puchi Puri Yucie
Theme: #29 (the sound of waves)
Disclaimer: “Puchi Puri Yucie” and all respective properties are © Gainax/Yucie Committee. Meg “tN!!” D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own “Puchi Puri Yucie.”

“A Wish Fulfilled”

Arc leaned back against the door frame, an impatient look on his face. He glanced at the stairs, wondering when Yucie would make her appearance, and sighed. What was taking her? He had been early, yes, but not that early. Didn’t they agree they wanted to leave before mid-morning? He closed his eyes, again sighing. Girls really did take forever.
“Mr. Arc, are you sure you don’t want anything to drink while you wait?” Cube asked as he looked up from the table. Arc shook his head and looked back at the stairs.
“No,” he said. “I want to leave, but Yucie’s apparently never going to be ready.”
“That’s not true!” Yucie said as she came running down the stairs. She jumped over the last two, skidding to a stop between Arc and Cube. She glared at him and put her hands on her hips. “I couldn’t find my swimsuit, that’s all.”
“Really?” he asked, a smirk forming on his face. He looked her over, wondering what she would look like in a swimsuit now that her body was finally developing properly. Though the ordeal with the Eternal Tiara had only been a few months ago, she was already almost up to his chin, and he wasn’t even going to get started on those curves.
“Yes, really! My old one doesn’t fit anymore, and I misplaced my new one. I found it, though,” she said, her glare turning into a smile. His smirk grew.
“And why did you need it?” he asked.
“Arc, you big dummy! You can’t expect me to go to the beach and not swim!” she said. The smirk grew another notch.
“Yes, but you don’t really need a swimsuit to swim,” he said. He heard Cube groan and saw the consternated look that took over Yucie’s face, and for a moment he felt absolutely brilliant.
“But what else would I swim in? I couldn’t sw…ARC!!!!!!” she cried, her face turning a lovely shade of scarlet. He laughed and poked her forehead.
“Relax, Yucie,” he said. “I’m only joking. Now c’mon, let’s get out of here.”
“Fine, fine,” she said, heading for the door. “See you later, Cube!”
“Have fun, Lady Yucie!” Cube called as she left the house. He looked at Arc as the prince went to follow his mistress. “You are determined to get her to leave you, aren’t you?”
“Hmm?” Arc asked, turning to look at him. “Oh, no. I just love teasing her.”
Cube sighed as Arc threw him a wink before leaving.
“Some things will never change, I guess,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “no matter how much everything else does.”
“Yucie!”
Yucie looked up as she jumped down from the horse just in time to see Gill walk out of the inn. A grin broke out across her face as she ran over to him, giving him a hug when she reached him.
“Mr. Gill!” she cried. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“I’d say!” the innkeeper laughed. He pushed her arm’s length away and grinned. “My, look at how much you’ve grown! Gunberd said the curse was broken, but I didn’t think you’d shoot up like you have! You’re becoming quite a beautiful lady, Yucie.”
“Th-thank you,” she said, looking down as a blush filled her face.
“Hey, now,” Arc said as he walked over, a smirk on his face. “I’m the only one who can tell her she’s beautiful. Right, Forehead?”
“Shut up, you idiot,” Yucie said, giving him a look. Gill grinned as he saw Yucie’s blush grow. “Mr. Gill is an old friend of Papa’s. He’s like my uncle, so he can say whatever he wants.”
“This must be the mysterious Arc I’ve heard so much about,” Gill said. He held out a hand and nodded at the prince. “It’s nice to finally meet the one who’s stolen Yucie’s heart.”
Gill’s grin grew as he saw a light blush cover Arc’s face as well. He scratched the back of his head as he shook Gill’s hand, nodding.
“Y-yeah,” he said. Yucie grinned, glad Gill had put Arc in his place, and she turned towards the building.
“Well, I’m gonna go get changed!” she declared. Arc looked at her, a malicious glint in his eyes, and she realized exactly what he was about to say. “Arc, don’t be a pervert.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything, Forehead,” he said, his grin vanishing. She turned and headed towards the inn with Gill, a smug smile on her face.
“Of course not,” she said. “You never do.”
“Come on,” Gill said, chuckling. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”
Once inside her room, Yucie immediately collapsed on the bed. She let out a content sigh as she sank into the covers, reveling in how unbelievably comfortable the mattress and blankets were. She turned her head to look out the large window, which gave a beautiful shot of the sea, and smiled. As much as she wanted to get out there, the bed really was insanely comfortable, and riding over an hour on a horse is a bit much on a body. She nestled further into the blankets, settling on resting for a bit. She wasn’t leaving until tomorrow evening, after all, so she had no rush.
She smiled as the thoughts brought her to Arc. She had just passed the half-way point in her schooling, and the curriculum was set to change when she returned to school at the start of the week. When she had told him how far she had come already, he had asked her if she wanted to get away for a weekend, and she had immediately thought of the beach. She hadn’t gone there since the previous year’s excursion with her friends, and she had been longing to return. Of course, going with Arc wouldn’t be so bad, either.
So here she was, at Gill’s inn with her suitor for a little over a day. She heard him out in the hall, talking and laughing with Gill, and a warm sensation filled her heart. Though she had still been relatively short at the time, he had begun courting her almost as soon as the dilemma with her friends was over. Cube had told her he had started long before that, but she didn’t believe her steward. She also hadn’t acknowledged his efforts until a month or so ago, after Cube had pestered her about it. Shortly after the pestering, she had confessed her feelings to Arc, even though she wasn’t fully an adult yet. He had just smiled at her and told her that it took her long enough to realize it before he kissed her. A rosy tinge filled her cheeks as she remembered that kiss, and all their kisses since then, and she giggled slightly. She thought about her new bathing suit, a gift from the rambunctious Gurenda, and grinned. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction to that little number!
She sat up and pulled the raiment out of her bag, her grin spreading from ear to ear, and she quickly proceeded to change. Yes, she was going to thoroughly enjoy getting him back for all of his colorful comments today…
“I wonder what’s taking her,” Arc muttered as he looked up the stairs. He was getting a distinct feeling of deja vu. “I thought she wanted to go out to the water.”
“Well, it is a fairly long trip, and you were on horseback,” Gill said. “She’s probably resting. I‘m actually surprised she didn’t yell at you for the ride. ”
“Oh, don‘t worry. She’ll find some way to get back at me,” Arc said, grinning. Gill chuckled and leaned back against the railing, smiling at the youth. “You just wait and…see…”
Gill looked up, confused at what had caused the prince to trail off like that. Arc was gawking up the stairs, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
“Whoa,” he muttered, still ogling up the steps, Gill grinned as he saw Yucie walking down in her bathing suit, a towel draped over her arm. Arc had been right - she had definitely found a way to get back at the poor guy. And, judging by the devilish smirk he saw on her face, she knew it, too.
The red swimsuit was not something Yucie would have worn while still trapped in her child body; Gill was certain of that. It lacked a skirt, and showed off her newly-developed curves quite nicely. It was also technically a one-piece, but most of the abdomen was made of a translucent material that allowed her stomach to be seen by all. The cut was low, and the straps crisscrossed in the back, also showing off much of her back. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail, and he had to admit: she was very alluring. Of course, he was unphased by it, seeing as how he saw her as an adoptive niece, but he knew she was torturing the young man beside him.
“Ready?” she asked as she came to a stop before him. Gill watched as Arc jumped and stared at her, his face a bright red at being caught staring. Yucie’s smirk grew as she reached under Arc’s cloak, taking his hand in her own. “C’mon, Arc! I wanna get down to the water!”
“U-um, yeah, ok,” he said, trying desperately to regain his composure. He let her drag him off, his eyes set on the floor before him (which wasn’t really a good idea, since his eyes kept traveling up to gaze at Yucie’s rear end, which looked so lovely in her swimsuit), while Gill waved them off. Soon they were down by the water, and Yucie was content enough to stop. She sat down on the sun-warmed stone she had led him to and watched the water, a content smile on her face. At her serene actions, he removed his cloak and sat down next to her, enjoying the feeling of the warm breeze on his bare chest. He glanced at her and noticed she wasn’t even paying attention to him. Her feet were dangling in the water, disturbing the small waves that lapped at the stone, and she was staring off into the distance. She seemed a thousand miles away. His eyes shot down to her suit again, and he fought off a groan.
‘I will get back at you for this, Forehead,’ he thought. He looked away, staring out at the sea in a brooding manner, and prayed she wouldn’t get any closer. Even though she had confessed her feelings to him already, thus accepting his courtship, there were still certain boundaries he was not yet allowed to cross. What he was doing to her in his mind at the moment was one of them.
He jumped as she leaned against him, cuddling into his side. He gulped and put a shaky arm around her, and a blush that burned his skin took possession of his face. He felt her place a soft kiss on his chest, and this time he couldn’t hold back the groan.
“You’re killing me, Yucie,” he said. She looked up at him, an innocent smile on her face.
“Why, Arc, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. She sat up straighter, and leaned forward, putting a hand on his thigh to steady herself. “By the way, you never told me whether or not you liked my swimsuit. Gurenda helped me pick it out.”
The heated gaze he gave her made her pause and wonder if she should’ve gone this far. She hadn’t meant much by it, but she knew from his tortured, longing glance that she was doing more to him than she had realized. She leaned back, a light blush on her face at how flirtatious she was being. Maybe Gurenda was rubbing off on her more than she wanted to admit. She glanced up at him somewhat shyly, and she noticed his attire for the first time. Now that he had removed his brown traveling cloak, he was clad only in a pair of blue, loose-fitting shorts.
“You want to know the truth, Forehead?” he asked, his tone changing to a more mischievous one. He had caught the blush, and her loosing some of her gusto seemed to return him to his usual self. However, he knew he had to tread carefully here - he was toeing the line, and anything was bound to send him past it. She nodded mutely, glancing up at him. He snaked his arms about her waist, pulling her onto his lap. Her blush darkened, and his cocky grin returned. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.
“Be thankful I have some semblance of self-control,” he told her, his voice husky, “because, if not for that, I’d do something I really don’t think I should be doing just yet right now, right here. You’re driving me absolutely crazy.”
Her blush deepened and spread clear to her toes. He grinned as he opened his eyes, staring into her dark orbs with that same heated, yearning gaze he had given her just a few moments before. He pulled her closer, and he felt her tense against him. Something in him snapped, and he knew that, while he couldn’t do all he wanted, he could still relieve some of this tension. He again slid his eyes closed and captured her lips with his own, taking her off guard. Instead of blushing and backing away, Yucie leaned into him, deepening the kiss with as much fervor as him; over the last month, the action had become so natural to her she was perfectly comfortable with it, and she even craved it at times. She loved feeling him against her, knowing that she was that important to him - that he loved her as much as she loved him. It was an amazing feeling, and she never wanted to let it - let him - go. He pulled away a moment later, moving her with him as he leaned against a large rock behind him. She stretched out, half on top of him and half beside him, and let out a content sigh. She really needed this mini-vacation.
“Does that answer your question, Princess?” he asked, smiling warmly at her. She nodded, her smile growing.
“I love you, Arc,” she whispered before yawning. He began to rub her back, and though he nodded she never saw it.
“I know,” he said. She giggled lightly before she dozed off, and it wasn’t long before he joined her.
When Yucie awoke, the sun was beginning to slip below the ocean. She turned slightly, her groggy eyes widening as she saw the brilliant reds and oranges fill the sky like a blazing fire. She curled closer to Arc, who was still sleeping, and smiled at the sight. She loved the ocean.
“Miss Yucie?”
She jumped up, looking to the side to see a familiar lilac-haired, red-eyed girl watching her curiously. Her eyes lit up in recognition and she smiled, scrambling over to the girl, who was standing beside the rocks.
“Hi!” she said. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d see you this year!”
“It is you!” the girl laughed. “You’ve grown so much!”
“Yeah,” Yucie said, giggling. “The curse that was preventing me from becoming an adult broke, and now, well…”
“Who is that man?” the girl asked, looking over to Arc. Yucie followed her gaze, and she found herself blushing for what felt like the zillionth time that day. She looked down sheepishly.
“Th-that’s Arc,” she said. The girl smiled at her.
“The one you love?” she asked. Yucie nodded, her smile softening.
“Yeah, the one I love,” she said. The girl nodded approvingly.
“I am glad things worked out for you, Miss Yucie,” she said. “You were so torn up about him last year, I didn’t know if they would or not. I’m glad they have.”
“Thank you,” Yucie said. “Have you…?”
“No,” the girl said, looking out to the sea. “My love will not return, but at least things worked out for you.”
“It’s good seeing you again,” Yucie said. The girl nodded, smiling brightly at her.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
“Yucie?” Arc asked as he sat up, stretching. She looked over and grinned at him.
“Arc, I’d like you meet a friend of mine,” she said. She held out her hand to the girl. “I met her here last year.”
“What?” Arc asked, looking at where Yucie was gesturing in confusion. “Who are you talking about, Forehead?”
“Huh? My - where’d she go?!” she asked, frantically looking around. “She was just here!”
“Maybe she’ll show up again,” Arc said as he stood and stretched. He threw his cloak over his shoulders and glanced at the darkening sky. “We should get back to the inn.”
“Yeah…” she said sadly. She stood and dusted herself off, glancing once more to where her friend had been standing. She heard a splash off to the side, and she quickly glanced out to the sea. She briefly caught the end of a mermaid’s tail slipping into the waves, barely disrupting their quiet crash against the shore. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken in by the comforting rhythm. Her eyes opened a moment later, and she turned to follow Arc. She recalled the story Gill had told her last year, about the lonely mermaid, and her smile softened.
Her friend had been right: at least things had worked out for one of them.

owari

a.n.: GAH. I’ve been writing this all weekend! -wince- I’ve had the idea since I first saw the theme, but I didn’t want to write it until I saw the final episode (I was slightly disappointed at first by how misleading that dream was - although you know that’s exactly what’ll happen at their wedding XD - but I still loved it!), and when I finally did it wouldn’t write. I’m fairly happy with it now, though.
AND: on the kissy beach scene…um…blame Rascal Flatts. They have their new song (“What Hurts The Most”) up on their site (album release date April 4!), and I’ve been listening to it non-stop while writing this. I swear, when I get the CD, I’m so songficing that song! Really, I might even use it in theme 14...I got the whole thing planned out in my head. XD ‘Nyway, enough of my blabbing! Hope you enjoyed the read!

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don’t flame. If you can’t say your CC without flaming, don’t bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az’s bonfire for the yummy s’mores.