A note--Kaede and Nausicaa have already spent a few weeks getting to know each other in Morgenstern's fasttimed shadow. Unfortunately, none of this save the inital meeting could be RPed out due to time constraints. So please understand if they seem rather familiar with each other already. Stormkissed. It was, Kaede decided, a vast improvement over what he had just been experiencing, as he took stock of the situation. He was stretched out on his back, staring up at a clear blue sky through the branches and leaves of a large tree, at the top of a gentle rise in a grassy, sun-drenched field. The sound of lapping water indicated a lake nearby. There was also an auburn-haired figure curled up to his side. "What's going on?" he wondered aloud. "Mmm...we're dreaming," Nausicaa said, stirring. She blinked a few times and looked up at him. It was slightly odd, how comfortable this seemed. But he wasn't about to protest. If it really was a dream, well, dreams could be like that. "Not dead?" She shook her head and smiled. "No, not dead. This is a dream--I should know." She laid her head on his chest, and his arm came around her shoulders, holding her gently. Very comfortable indeed. "What happened, exactly?" Kaede frowned and sorted a few things out in his mind. "We were fighting the other Wu-Chaosian lords on the rooftop of the chapel...and then Hiko-sama set off a huge explosion. I teleported to you...found you unconscious, almost dead." He shivered. "Some of the enemy was around you--I think one of them had taken your spikard. I tried to grab you and shift away, but they blocked me. So I summoned up my powers and tried to protect you from the wall of fire that hit us. That's the last I remember." "Oh...." Her gaze drifted to her left hand, presently bare. "They stole the Wings...." "I'm sure our friends will recover it. If we aren't dead now, then I think we'll be okay." "I hope so." She looked up at him again and smiled. "Well, we aren't dead yet. It looks like you saved me. Thank you." He smiled back. "Of course, Nausicaa-sama." "It's a good thing we're sleeping then, if our injuries are as bad as I think they--" And then she started to scream. Kaede tried to ask her what was wrong, but when his mouth opened, he was screaming as well. Ripped apart, turned inside out. Stomach shrinking and exploding at the same time. Eyes bulged, then snapped shut. Limbs were stretched beyond their limit, joints twisted and torn. The sky darkened and split, the sun tumbled from the sky and exploded. The lake churned and frothed, while the ground quaked and cracked. They clung to each other desperately, fighting the agony. Kaede almost crushed Nausicaa in his embrace, while her fingernails dug fiercely into his arms. And they couldn't stop screaming. He could hear himself crying out her name, while she choked on his. There were moments where it seemed like she had disappeared, and he was alone in a very dark world, and those were the worst ones of all. As long as she was with him, he could hold onto her like an anchor, and she to him. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain lifted off of them, like a huge weight. Kaede gasped, and blinked to clear away the spots dancing in his vision. He now found himself sitting with his back up against the tree, arms tightly around Nausicaa, who was curled up in his lap, sobbing quietly. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, even though it was a dream. Hastily, he wiped them away, and croaked, "What the hell was that?" She didn't answer immediately, but eventually murmured, rather thickly, "They were...they were trying to turn us. Take our souls." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, stroking her hair lightly. "I don't ever want to experience that again," he muttered. She bit her lip, nodded in agreement. They stayed that way for a while, recovering, drawing strength and reassurance from each other. He listened very carefully to the sound of her breathing as it subsided into a more regular rhythm, and could feel her heartbeat thumping in resonance with his own. One of her hands slipped into his, and they twined their fingers together, squeezing gently, then releasing, then squeezing again. Finally, they opened their eyes and looked at each other. He laughed very faintly, and she smiled back at him. "Are you all right?" he asked. "Yeah, I think I am now," she answered. "You?" "Yes." "I'm glad." They continued to look at each other, then blushed slightly and looked away. But neither tried to move away from the other. "I hope we're safe now. I hate not being able to do anything," he said, gloomily. "Me too. I usually like to take matters head on. Dad's always scolded me about that. I wonder what's happening now, outside the dream." "Well, hopefully, we'll wake up soon and find out. I guess, though, we should enjoy this peace while it lasts." Left unspoken was the possibility that it wouldn't. They looked around, and saw that the scenery had restored itself. "Is this some place that you know?" Nausicaa asked him. "No, I don't think so. I was about to ask you the same thing." "Just another sunny field with a tree, I guess. These places are all over the dreamscape. Not that I'm complaining, mind you." She giggled. "Frostspire doesn't have many places that look like this. We've got a lot more trees, and of different types than this." "Hmm. I suppose this looks a little bit like the Haradian countryside." She gave a good-natured shrug. "Then again, it looks a little bit like hundreds of countrysides that I've seen." She whispered, more to herself, "Maybe we're in Fiddler Green? Well, whatever...." "I envy how well-traveled you are." "I know. You keep telling me." She sounded amused. "Mmm." "If we live through this, I'll take you on a few trips sometime." "Really?" "Why not?" She grinned. "Afraid of traveling, or something?" "Heh. No, of course not. I'd have to ask Seiryuu for permission, probably, but if I can, I'd love to." "Great." The lapsed into silence for a while. Then he said, "I...I'm enjoying this, really." "So am I. I've been traveling so long, running from one place to another...." She looked up at him. "This would be a lot more awkward if we were awake, don't you think?" He laughed. "Yes. That time that you turned the corner in the hallway, back in Morgenstern's castle, and bumped into me...." "Hey! You bumped into me!" He raised an eyebrow. "Really? I don't remember that." "You should have been watching where you were going." "So should you." He smiled at her. She smiled back. "That was pretty awkward, especially when they found me lying on top of you a few moments later." A laugh. "Our faces were really red, weren't they?" "Yeah, they were." Then, abruptly: "Hey, I want to try something." "Hmm? What did you have in mind?" Nausicaa stood up. "Since we are dreaming, we should be able to do this." He looked at her quizically, and rose to his feet. She extended a hand to him, which he took. Then she took the windwhistle from around her neck and started to whirl it around, setting off its distinctive call. He watched this curiously, and she told him, "Get ready...run!" And she hurled the whistle into the air, and took off. He almost stumbled, but managed to start sprinting, still holding onto her hand. "What are we doing?" he called out. "You'll see! Now jump!" They sprang into the air in unison, just as a two-person mehve materialized in front of them, summoned by the whistle. Each grabbed a handle, and Nausicaa caught the whistle as it arced down. Kaede laughed. "I see! Neat trick!" he called, over the wind. She grinned at him. "You said you wanted to travel, right? Let me gain some altitude, then I'll show you the sights." "Lead on, my fair lady." They rose higher and higher, until Nausicaa finally let the mehve level off. She pulled herself up to stand upright on the glider, and Kaede, after a moment, did likewise. "Look over there...Tir na Nog," she said. "Ah, yes, I see it." "And there's Arden...and the plains of Harad." He squinted, following her pointing hand, and nodded. They lapsed into a companionable silence, and flew on, over forests and hills and vales. "Have you ever been to Shadow Earth?" Nausicaa asked, suddenly. He shook his head. "No, I haven't. What is it like?" She didn't immediately answer, but just ran a hand through her red hair, and shut her eyes against the wind, which was starting to feel a lot warmer. He couldn't help but gaze at her face, which he decided was very pretty indeed. "It's...strange," she finally said. "Buildings, engines that run on fossil fuels...anyway, I was there with my father once." Her voice seemed suddenly breathy. "I remember hearing something strange from the doctors there." Kaede started to speak, but his throat caught. He shook his head, coughed, and tried again. "What did they say?" "That when you dream of flying, you're actually dreaming of...sex." "...really." The wind had died, and he could hear her breathing echoing in his ears. "That's what they say. Do...." Nausicaa paused, and inhaled deeply, before letting it out in a trembling sigh. "Do you believe it?" He swallowed hard and answered, voice tight, "I really have no idea." His blood felt like it was starting to boil, though it wasn't painful. Not as such. "I didn't understand what they meant when I first heard it...I mean, I've been flying and...dreaming of flying all my life." She moved closer to him, looking downward through heavy-lidded eyes. "But I was born out of a flying dream myself, and now, maybe I'm beginning to understand how...." Kaede licked his suddenly-dry lips, and almost involuntarily took a step closer to her. "Mmmm. Yes. I think, I think I see." She drew even closer, so close that he could feel her breath on his face, couldn't see anything but her brown, brown eyes. "So, what do you think?" she whispered. He found himself at a loss of words, and his hand tightened convulsively on the handle of the mehve. He couldn't lose control, he couldn't.... "I'm thinking...I'm thinking...there just might be something to what they say." He closed his eyes momentarily and clenched his teeth. "And. I'm thinking. There's something going. On outside. Again." She swallowed and drew back slightly, and also gripped the handle tighter. "Ah, maybe that's it...just what's going on outside." He nodded quickly. "That's what I'm guessing. Although--I wonder...what it might be." "Maybe...it's the ritual that Motoko's performing." "And, and, and it's affecting us in here, while we're asleep?" He realized he was starting to babble, but couldn't stop himself. "That would make sense, yes, and it's very interesting and I think I need a cold bath because I'm feeling really really--" His ramble died off as she suddenly stepped in close again, so close he could feel her heartbeat racing, the warmth of her body, her hair brushing against his cheek. "Really...what?" she murmured, in a slightly quavering voice. He made a noise, almost like a whimper, as he stared at her. Go on, a voice said. You've wanted this. It isn't just what's going on outside. You've wanted this for a while now. "Really...." And he finally kissed her, closing his eyes. She kissed him back, tenderly at first, then with an almost savage ferocity. He felt her moan slightly into the kiss, and he poured out his longing and desire into this moment, an amount that he didn't even realize he had. He let go of the mehve, which shuddered, and then dropped away from beneath them. But he hardly noticed, as they remained floating high up in the air. He heard thunder rumbling, felt clouds start to build up around them in the sky, and the wind started to pick up again. After a long, long while, he finally broke off the kiss, but only barely. "Good gods," he mumbled. She looked at him, panting. "Kaede? What's wrong? What are you afraid of? Afraid of falling?" "I think...I'm...I think it's already too late," he said, faintly, and pressed his lips to hers again, eliciting another soft moan. His hands dropped from her shoulders to her waist, while she clutched at his shirt. "I feel like I'm going mad," he said between kisses. "Like I'm in the desert, burning up, and you...you're a cool drink of water." He vaguely realized that his fingers were now fumbling with the buttons on the back of her dress. And he couldn't stop them. Nausicaa giggled nervously, breathily, and helped him with the dress. "I know...I feel like I'm losing myself...." She ducked slightly as the dress finally came up over her head, and fell away, carried by the wind. She wore nothing beneath, which he hadn't expected. But then, this was a dream. Both now started on getting his shirt off, moving clumsily. "This is...it's...ah...." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and failed miserably. But it did give him a chance to gaze upon her, and he froze for a moment. "You're beautiful," he blurted out. "Mmmm, no fair," she said, blushing, as she finally opened the last clasp on his shirt. He relaxed ever so slightly and shrugged off the shirt, and shook his head. "All's fair in love...and right now, I don't think I could care less about war." His belt was next, flung away. She paused for a moment, ran her hand up his chest, then down his back. "Love, then?" she murmured, while he stroked her bare shoulders. "Yes. Love." And he engulfed her in an embrace, and they tumbled about in the air. Two storms met, spun about, and danced together. Wind and rain lashed out, searing tongues of lightning clashed against each other, thunder split the air as a great shout. Then they joined, merged into one howling tempest, a hurricane that flooded the land and stirred the seas into a frenzy. Within the eye there was no calm, as two minds whirled and touched and poured their memories, hopes, and wishes into each other. A little girl played in a forest, and found a curious little creature, one that looked like a fox and a squirrel, and it followed her home, where she asked her father if she could keep it-- A little boy huddled down behind a snowdrift, listening to approaching footsteps, and suddenly leapt up, throwing snowballs at an older boy, laughing and yelling-- She was standing in the crow's nest of her father's ship, and to the surprise of the sailors, she suddenly leapt out, only to land on her mehve safely which swooped in to catch her-- He stood beneath an icy waterfall, eyes shut tightly, absorbing the pounding that it was giving as he trained hard to strengthen his body-- She listened to Master Yupa telling a story of his youth, one she had heard many times before but would never tire of hearing, no matter how many more times she would hear it-- He had practiced the song for hours and hours to make sure that he did well for the festival, and now he was actually singing in front of the entire village, hoping that his nervousness didn't show-- She carefully wove the spell together under the guidance of her father, leaving out the necessary lynchpins, drawing on the power of the Wings to strengthen it-- He focused, and a ball of lightning gathered in his hand, but he did not throw it, instead letting it hover over his palm steadily-- He flew she flew they laughed and cried and danced and dreamt beneath stars and sky over earth and sea while fires burned and forests grew and songs were sung and joy was shared as grief was too they walked and ran and stopped and stood and loved and hoped and on and on and on and on-- When the haze cleared, Kaede found himself once more lying on his back, staring up at the branches of the same tree as before, with Nausicaa cuddled up to him, their legs tangled together. His head was pillowed on her dress, and she had his shirt draped around her shoulders now. Not that she realy needed it, as the air was quite warm here. "Wow," he said. "Wow," she agreed. "I, well, I, I...." He shook his head. "Never mind. I don't think I have the words for it." "Neither do I," she answered, nuzzling his bare chest. He ran his finger down the curve of her back, which made her shiver and drew a catlike purr from her. "It was...definitely good. Even if this is only a dream." She nodded. "A dream." Then giggled. "You want to hear something funny?" "Mmmm?" he answered, a quiet rumble in the back of his throat. "Since I was born in a dream, it would figure that my first time would be in a dream, too, huh?" He blinked. "You...this was your...your first?" She looked thoughtful. "Well, I've had mundane dreams about it," she said, blushing just slightly, "but those were just regular dreams, and that was it. This, though, this isn't a regular dream, is it?" She smiled. "Why? Does that surprise you?" "Just that, well...." He scratched his head. "You...seemed like you knew what you were doing." "Yeah...I suppose I did. I don't know how I knew, but I did. Maybe it had something to do with Motoko's ritual." She smirked. "Or maybe it's natural talent. What do you think?" He laughed. "I have no idea. And to speculate would be rude." They smiled, leaned toward each other and shared another kiss, and spent some more time in comfortable silence. "Nausicaa, you're the silver lining to the cloud," he said, suddenly. "What?" He looked at her, and his expression became somber. "If my brother hadn't died...we might never have met," he said, quietly. "Oh...." Her face grew sad, and she nodded. "Moriya. I was afraid to mention him around you after the first time we talked about him. I...I wasn't as close to him as you and your sister were, but I do miss him too." "I...I wish he hadn't died, still. Even if it did mean...." He trailed off, and looked at her, worried that he'd said something wrong. Nausicaa just shook her head, though. "I understand. It's not as if we definitely wouldn't have met if what happened....." She paused and sighed. "I guess all we can do is speculate, now." "Yeah. All we know for sure is what really did happen. And in light of that--" He smiled faintly. "I'm glad my road led to you." She shook her head, smiling back. "No, no. Both of us are travelers in this world. What you should say is, 'I'm glad our roads have met.'" A chuckle. "Ah. Then--I'm glad our roads have met." She looked into his eyes. "And, Kaede? I'm glad they met too." "We've only known each other a few weeks...." "But now it feels like I've known you forever," she said, completing his thought. "Aunt Anthy told me once that one can dream a lifetime or three in a single night." "I believe that, after what just happened." "So," she continued, nestling her head on his chest, "I was yours, for a lifetime, in the span of only moments." "I was yours as well." He reached up, ran his fingers through her hair. "When I first met you, I liked you right away. You were kind, you were fun...you loved to fly as much as I did. But I'd...just been, er, stung earlier, so I wasn't really even thinking about it." He paused, then admitted, "Well, not much, anyway." She laughed, and started tracing lazy circles on his chest with her finger, and said, "I'll accept that. I liked you too. I saw the wanderlust in your eyes, even if you hadn't actually managed to travel as much as me. I enjoyed flying with you, because you understood what it meant. To fly, I mean...." She stopped tracing circles and leaned back. "And you had a beautiful voice." This made him blush slightly, despite himself. "Thank you." Nausicaa grinned. "That was it, though," she said, teasingly. "If it wasn't for that, I'd probably be shacked up with someone from House Danaani by now." Kaede blinked, then clapped a hand over his heart. "You wound me," he said, sounding mortified. "Oh yeah," she continued, sitting up, drawing the shirt closed around herself. "That Lord Ian was cute. You know how they are, tall, muscular, lusty...." She laughed and sighed, settling back against Kaede as he sat up as well. "Just kidding. I've had a few crushes, but nothing serious. It was certainly hard finding someone who'd even stand up to me. Most guys froze up when they found out who my father was." She giggled. "What about you?" He hesitated for a moment, then began, "I...well, there was this girl, once. The second mission that Seiryuu sent me on, I met her in a village near the temple I was supposed to protect." He sighed. "That was my first time. And only time, until...until now." "What was her name?" "Her name was Helena," he answered, softly. "She was...very sweet. Very pretty. And very curious." He shook his head. "She stumbled into the battle at the temple, and I almost screwed everything up in order to rescue her. Seiryuu forbade me from ever seeing her again afterward, and commanded me to perform a Rite of Purification." "Rite of Purification?" "Bathing in ice water for a few hours, meditating for a few hours, then pounding yourself with lightning while reciting passages of holy texts until you fall down." She winced. "That's...harsh." "It's not much fun, no. That was one of the reasons I tried not to, um, fall for you. Duty and love can be dangerous things to mix, and all. But--well, that's my love life so far, really. Plus one other more recent incident, but that doesn't really matter anymore." "Hmm?" She looked at him inquiringly. Almost piercingly. It made him squirm a bit. "Well...er...I guess I developed a bit of an interest in Moonshade- sama...but that was doomed from the beginning." Nausicaa laughed weakly. "Um, oh, I see...." His face started to burn hotly. "But, um, well. You don't, you don't... you don't mind, or anything? That I've...." "That you've already done it before? Hmmm...." She now wore an expression of mock-thoughtfulness. He started to sweat, just a bit. Then she looked at him out the corner of her eye, slyly. "Not the way we just did, you didn't." He laughed nervously, but subsided as she rested her forehead against his. "Don't worry about it, really." He sighed in relief and smiled. "All right, then." She giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "But if you go looking at other girls after today, it's the Shard Whirlwind for you." He allowed a moment of mock terror to settle on his face, then grinned. "Warning noted. So, ah, I guess we're not just friends anymore?" He cringed even as he said that. "Ugh, that sounded so... adolescent." She laughed. "No, I guess not, huh? About the friends part, I mean. You're right about sounding like a fumbling teenager, though. Are you sure you've done this before?" "Hey." "Oh, I'm sorry." "No, you're not." "Mmmm." And they gazed at each other fondly. They kissed once more, and touched each other, and lay down on the grass together, and no more words were spoken again for some time. When Kaede next opened his eyes, he was no longer in a grassy field with the sun shining down on him, but in a hospital tent raised at the edge of the battlefield in the Chaos of Hel's universe. He lay in a cot, covered by a blanket, while healers bustled around, tending to the wounded. He looked to his right, and found Nausicaa looking back at him, a little worse for the wear, but alive and awake, like himself. Their hands were clasped together, hanging in the space between their beds. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Now...I know what the Alicorn meant, when he said my destiny was with the wind," he said. They rested for a while after that. End. This takes place during the part of the Chaos part of the UnS finale when Kaede and Nausicaa are unconscious after having taken some severe maulings during the course of the battle.