Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Akirame Norwen ❯ Grains of Saind ( Chapter 29 )

Chapter 29: Grains of Sand

Riku rubbed his sore arms as they trekked through the jungle, heading towards the desert. "Geez Akira, why did you have to hit so hard?"

Akira sighed and looked at him. "Because.. I have to stand for myself. Prove to you that I'm in control of what happens to me. And hopefully now you learned to not mess with me anymore."

Riku mumbled under his breath. There for a while he had been so sure that she was finally warming up to him. Sure, he had stepped out on a limb by kissing her... but not only had the limb broken, but he had hit nearly every branch on the way down. He stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, and felt the longing in his heart increase.

Finally, after a few hours of stumbling over branches, slipping through vines and the occasional frog, the thick, dark green foliage gave way to endless white sand. The group all quickly made sure to lather up the sunscreen before venturing out any further. Sora looked out at the endless desert and shook his head. "We're gonna get lost out here!" he loudly said.

Riku tried to not jump up and strangle his friend. "One of the villagers in town said that there should be a chocobo caravan out here... it's supposed to arrive here anytime now. So why don't you just sit down and relax?"

Sora loudly sighed and sat down, checking his watch and surveying the landscape. Boredom quickly overtook him, and he dropped onto his back and stared at the clear, deep blue sky.

What seemed to be hours slowly passed by, until the sound of rattling pans and chirping could be heard. Erik stood up and looked out over the sand dunes, and saw a long line of Chocobos parading over the sand, heavily ladden with all sorts of goods. "There it is!" he told the others, quickly pointing.

The caravan approached them somewhat slowly, and finally came to a halt just outside the jungle. A tall man clad in a black robe approached them, and said something in jibberish. When he saw the confused looks on their faces, he smiled and finally spoke in English. "I'm sorry.. it's been a long time since I've seen anyone other than my own caravan workers. I'm Harid, at your service."

Riku smiled at the nomad's politeness. "I need to use your Chocobos to cross the desert." He reached into his pocket, ready to retrieve his wallet.

"You plan on wandering out there with just chocobos? You'll get lost in no time!" Harid laughed.

"See? I told you!" Sora proudly crowed.

"My friend, my caravan only comes here to pick up new goods to trade. Tell me, where are you headed? Perhaps you could join me and my family when we cross back over the dunes."

Riku felt overwhelmed, even a little suspicious of the nomad's politeness. But, he couldn't turn down the opportunity to cross safely. "We're headed to Cosmo Canyon."

Harid smiled, his dark eyes shining. "Ah yes, Cosmo Canyon! We will be headed in that direction! I could use extra help with my caravan... you could help gaurd the Chocobos from thieves and wild animals."

Jerdania, being the smartest person in the group, instantly felt unsafe, and tugged at Riku's sleeve, getting him to step aside for a moment. She spoke in a hushed tone. "Riku.. I don't like this guy.. he's being too generous."

"I know.. but what choice have we got? It's better to go with someone who knows the land than to wonder blindly."

Jerdania had to see his point. Maybe Harid wasn't trying to trick them, and was just being genuinely generous. Riku walked back to the waiting man. "Alright.. we'll join your caravan."

Harid smiled heartily. "Good! Now.. I must go with my men into Mideel to get the goods. You can come help us retrieve them."

And with that, the group found themselves walking back into the jungle and towards the village.. except they didn't head directly towards the village, but instead took a side path that led to a lonely, destitute storage house. Despite some arousal of suspicion, the group helped carry out large crates and took them back to the caravan, where they were loaded onto wagons pulled by chocobos. Once the storage house was empty, Harid happily declared it time to cross the desert once again. "Here, my friends. Since you are not used to the harsh Kashkabald days, you may ride in the passenger wagon until the sun is almost set, then you will walk until we make camp."

The group didn't object as they loaded into the back of a covered wagon and sat down on the wooden benches. Harid shouted something in jibberish to his friends, and finally the caravan departed from the jungle, and set out into the desert.

The group all relaxed and either dozed or tried to engage in idle conversation as the day slowly trailed by. Riku kept finding his eyes slowly traveling over to Akira, who would occasionally meet his gaze, and he would then quickly look away. He swore to himself that he was going to go crazy.

The day finally wore down, and the sun began to set. The wagon slowly came to a stop, and Harid looked into the wagon with a smile. "Did you fare well? It is now your turn to walk."

The passengers gratefully unloaded and waited while a few of the nomads stepped into the wagon. Harid then shouted out, and the caravan resumed moving. "Alright.. where can I place you? Let's see... you two, go to the back of the caravan. And then you, go with her to the front..." Harid sorted out the group and placed them all around the caravan, "So we can keep an eye on all sides of the desert."

Riku found himself placed with Akira, much to his heart's content. However, Akira was giving him the cold shoulder, so he found his happiness smothered quickly. He walked alongside her in silence, making sure to avoid any sort of physical contact with her. The last thing he needed was a set of broken ribs.

At long last the sun had set, and the group walked on for a short time into the night when finally the caravan came together to form a circle, and the nomads quickly got together in the center and started a fire. Harid watched the new members of his caravan join them. "My friends, here, eat with us!" He heartily invited them, showing them the large pot of stew hanging over the fire.

After eating a filling bowl of stew, Sora suddenly felt in the mood for a good story. "Hey, do you guys remember the Lysol Meatloaf?" He asked his friends.

Kairi chuckled, apparently knowing the story already.

"You see, this is before Jerdania knew how to really cook..."

Jerdania blushed and laughed, and Sora continued. "You see.. one day, after Jerdania had just gotten done mopping the floor, she had decided to make a meatloaf for dinner. Well, when she was done with the cooking, she decided to put the tray in the Lysol water in the sink, because it would help get the grease off, right? But when she moved to put the meatloaf on a plate, it *slid* into the water!"

The group burst into laughter as Sora animatedly described Jerdania hastily grabbing the meatloaf and then trying to rinse it off, then serving it to her family. His face mimicked Jerdania's expression as her family happily ate the food without question, making the group laugh even harder.

After the story was done, the group began to roll out their sleeping bags, taking care when Harid warned them of scorpions and tarantulas creeping into their shoes. Akira set her bag off a little ways from the rest of the group, outside of the circle and next to a tall sand dune. She lay in her bag for a few hours, and found her attempt to sleep futile. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking of how it had felt when his lips had touched hers. A shiver ran up her spine and she quickly shook her head, trying to get such nonsense out of her head. She finally got out of her bag and climbed to the top of the dune, wrapping her arms around her. She looked up in awe as the moon started to rise. It was huge, and seemed to light up the whole desert. A breeze gently danced around her as she sat down, keeping her company and playfully tossing her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, and listened to the sounds of her slumbering friends. Snoring, heavy breathing... all of them asleep except for her.

"Maybe you really are in denial.. you have to admit, you felt something when he kissed you." Her mind told her.

"Well duh, it was a kiss. I didn't even enjoy it." She argued back.

"Liar.. you loved it. In fact, you've been spending the past hour lying there, daydreaming about it!"

"No I haven't! I just... have nothing else to really think about right now."

"Oh sure.. just imagine it... his hand gently stroking your cheek, the look in his eyes as he leans closer, his soft lips brushing against yours..."

"Shut up."

Akira suddenly looked up when someone sat down next to her. Riku gave her a smile, and then looked out at the moon as he sat back on his hands. "The moon's huge, isn't it?" He asked her.

Akira silently nodded, and felt the emotions in her raging like a stormy sea. She gazed at his profile, and admired the way his skin reflected the moon's pale light, the stars in his eyes... his lips slightly parted in awe of the beauty... his hair gently rustling as another breeze swirled around them, lifting a handful of sand and making it dance over the dunes.

Riku looked over at her again, and she quickly looked away. "Akira... I don't want you to be mad at me like this."

Akira didn't respond, so he tried again. "Look.. this is too much for me. I can't stand it, and I'm going to go crazy if you don't talk to me!" he practically begged her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

Akira finally turned her head and looked into his eyes. She had never seen him look so desperate before... he was begging her for her forgiveness. She gently smiled at him. "Riku... I can't stay mad at you forever. I forgive you."

Riku gave a deep sigh of relief and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much!" He happily said, squeezing her shoulders tighter.

"Oxygen... darkness..." She squeaked, taking in a deep breath after he released her.

Riku smiled at her, and suddenly got a mischievous glint in his eye. "So... do you still think I could go out for Baywatch?"

Akira groaned and shoved him. "Please, Riku! Give me a break!"

Riku chuckled and quickly pushed her onto her back. "Now, hold still this time! CPR is a serious matter!"

Akira rolled her eyes and quickly sat up and tackled him. The two laughed and rolled around in the sand, wrestling each other. Akira finally wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pinned him down, but he quickly flipped over, sending the two tumbling down the side of the dune. When at last they reached the bottom, the two were still laughing hysterically. Akira finally calmed down and happily sat up, glad that she had won in the end and had him pinned down. Suddenly her heart raced when she pulled the hair out of her face and realized that she was sitting on top of him. For a long moment, neither of them moved, and another breeze danced over them.

"Um... maybe I should get up..." Riku finally mumbled, sitting up.

Akira didn't move, but instead looked at his face and deep down she felt a hook snag her heart. Ever so slowly, she smiled, and leaned in closer. Riku's heart pounded in his ears, and he froze when her lips finally pressed against his. Akira sat still there for a moment, her lips still touching his. When he didn't respond, she finally leaned back and looked away, feeling ashamed of herself... he hadn't wanted it.

"Akira..." Riku softly spoke, placing his hand on her cheek and turning her face so she was looking at him. He was completely struck dumb, and couldn't find the words to say to her.

Feeling a stab of guilt, Akira quickly rose up and brushed herself off before hastily walking back to her sleeping bag, leaving Riku sitting there in the sand, a tear traveling down his cheek.