[Stories] Love Story - In the Rain (Part 3)

Part 3:

It was a crisp dawn. Saori was relieved that the journey from Rtarien to here, Markatos was a short and uneventful one. There were no bandits or robbers to stop her on her way, because the Markatos guards now travelled with the coaches whenever they left the cities. There were five robberies reported in the past month, and two of those ended in death, so the royal guard stepped up patrols in the areas as well as the coach escorts. Saori stepped out of the coach and found herself caught up in the hustle of the town bazaar. Markatos was splendorous to behold. The streets were paved in deep red brick, and the houses and buildings were all pristine white marble set out by the mahogany oak doors and windows. The cherry trees were now in full bloom – their blushing cherry blossoms gently wafting their scent on the morning dew and breeze. The air was hazy with the morning mist and fog, but the scent of the blossoms captured Saori's senses and brought her back to when she first met Ichirou and she began to daydream…

-------- It was a hot summer night and the light breeze smelled sweet with rose's lilies and cherry blossoms. Saori was sitting by a crystalline clear pool that she loved to lightly dip her feet into to feel the cool water wash over them. Dragoon Pool was a little known place, and its majesty was nothing less than enticing. The water was so calm and clear that you could always make out every creature and every rock perfectly even on dimly lit nights. Tonight, however, the moon was full and the water was cool against Saori's skin. The feeling sent a rush of euphoria through her entire body, slowly raising the hair on her skin. She heard a noise of rustling leaves and gravel coming up the path behind her and saw a handsome blonde man walking her way. His stature was that of a man who had fought many battles. She could clearly make out his large muscular body that was tightly hugged by his dark shirt and pants. As he got closer his appearance took her breath away. She couldn't coerce herself to look away from his direction. His very presence felt like it demanded her attention. Finally as he started to head towards the waterfall to the left she was able to let her gaze fall back to the water. Just as Saori looked back down at the water, the man she found herself unbearably attracted to, asked her a question.

"Excuse me," the man asked politely, "Is this Dragoon Pool?"

"Yes it is." Saori replied, trying to catch her breath unnoticeably as she spoke.

"I was told that a witch lived near here, whom could enchant weaponry with her powers. Is that true?"

 "Yes it is true. I am she" Saori replied with a smirk in the corner of her mouth.

 "Y..Y…you?" The man asked, puzzled.

Saori's smile began to get larger as she continued to talk to the man, "Yes, me. Why is something wrong with that?"

"N..n..no, nothing at all. You're just not what I expected. I mean, I expected some crazy old lady and here you are, a gorgeous young woman!"

When the man said that, Saori blushed, smirked a little and laughingly said, "Well I'm not some crazy old lady that is for sure."

"No, you certainly aren't!" He grinned, "So you are the witch who enchants magic to weaponry huh?"

"Yes, I am, what do you need done?"

"Well I wanted to be able to have poison and fire arrows. Is that possible?"

Saori looked the man's archery pack and saw he had the lion symbol on his strap and she knew then that he was a soldier in the Wuta nation's army, "Yes, I can if you wish. A soldier of our nation's army is welcome to my magic."

"Thank you miss, I greatly appreciate it."

Saori stood up and instructed the man to follow her to the waterfall. As she started to step in behind it she lost her footing and fell backwards. Luckily the man was right behind her and caught her in his arms before she fell to the ground. He caught her facing himself and as surprised as she was for him catching her, she was even more surprised to find herself not wanting him to let go of her.

"How clumsy of me," she apologized. "I really do need to watch where I am going."

"It's alright miss, are you okay?"

"I think I only hurt my pride." She laughed.

He laughed with her and they entered the cave that was behind the waterfall. Inside there were torches casting a dim light upon the dark, damp walls? There was a small pool of water in the middle of the large cave, and in the middle of that pool stood a tall stone basin filled with crystal clear water. Saori walked over the basin, and slowly stepped her bare feet into the cold pool of water. The hair on her arms and neck rose as the chill of the water hit her body and she lifted her hands to the basin and began to swirl the water with her index finger of her right hand. She closed her eyes and imagined a great fire swirling inside the water, ravishing, blazing with heat, and desire to burn. At that moment she opened her eyes and a small blue fire started to burn brightly above the basin of water. She touched the flame with her hand, it was cold. It was a deathly cold flame, which could chill the heart and soul of the fiercest dragon. She put the flame in a small pouch that she had hanging from her belt and handed it to the man.

"Here is the flame of a thousand burning souls. Do not let this fall into the wrong hands." She told him, "I will make your poison in the woods in one week under the crescent moon."

He nodded to her gratefully and she stepped out of the pool and back onto the slab of cold stone that covered the cave floors. She then proceeded to head back out of the cave and the man walked slightly faster before and stepped out first. When she got to the entrance she saw him turn around and face her. The moonlight was shining in his eyes, and the aroma of cherry blossoms filled the air. His large hand reached for hers and she could do nothing but softly clasp it as he helped her out from the cave. She did not want to let go of his hand, and he was not letting go of hers. She looked into his big dark eyes and felt her whole body trembling.

"Thank you for helping me." She spoke, softly.

"My pleasures miss." He replied, starting deeply into her blue eyes, "My name is Ichirou by the way, and it is an honor to meet you. "

"I am Saori and I am happy to help a fellow Wutarian."

"May I be so bold as to say that you are simply enchanting miss?"

Saori swallowed and as she was about to step forward and then she felt his other hand grasp hers and she found herself swept up in his arms, her lips pressed against his, her body trembling with the feeling of being so close to him. The kiss was deep and passionate. It was sensual. She felt as though she was dying and living at the same time. She had never felt anything like it before, it was breathtaking. She could hear her heart pounding and as the kiss ended she tried to catch her breath. She was breathing so hard her chest was heaving. She looked up at the man and felt a wave of desire rush over her. She wanted to kiss him again. Hell, she wanted more then just that, so much more. She didn't even know him and she wanted him. She wanted him so badly she could feel desire filling every ounce of her being. She looked at him and smiled and kissed him again, this time the kiss was longer, deeper and more sensual. Saori kept saying his name over and over in her head as she kissed him, "Ichirou. Ichirou. Ichirou." And each time she said it to herself it sounded more enticing than the last. She found herself reaching for his shirt and…-------------------------------------------------------------------

Saori cut her daydream off there and began to snap back into reality. It was amazing how every time she smelled cherry blossoms she was brought back to when she met Ichirou. She knew this was not the time, nor the place to be daydreaming about that moment. She would have to continue her thoughts later, when she was alone.