Touch
Legal Crap/Author's Notes: I don't own Langrisser V, or any characters ideas within. Got it? Good. Damn legal vultures… Anyway, this is a LambdaXSigma fic. Consider it a "side story" thing; an event that occurs inbetween the scenarios.
"Him?" a pale-haired girl asked, pointing to a good-looking man a few feet away. Beside her, a purple haired girl shook her head. Both girls were getting more than a few male stares between them.
"No."
"How about that guy-" she tried again, pointing farther back this time.
"No."
"I could talk to that one for you-" she said, irritation creeping into her voice.
"I must decline." The pale-haired girl shook her head in exasperation.
"Lambda, are you saying you don't find any of them cute?" she asked. Lambda shook her head.
"No. I see no point in engaging in a "relationship" as you put it, right now." she responded, in a monotone as always. "Physical attraction is meaningless, anyway. It shouldn't matter. Right, Claret?"
Claret shook her head. "Fine. I agree it shouldn't be the basis of a relationship. But it can be a very appealing bonus." she commented, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Honestly though, you really should try engaging in social activities sometimes. Between all the fighting, you haven't had an opportunity to rest." Claret said, trying to make her tone convincing. Lambda once again shook her head negatively.
"I was created to fight. I do not require excessive rest to fulfill my duties." Lambda explained, her expression showing no change. Claret shook her head sadly.
"You could try enjoying yourself a little more, though!" she said pleadingly, looking at her friend's neutral expression. "Explore, socialize! Get your mind off your duties and start living!" Lamdba looked at her, her face shifting from emotionless to confused.
"Start living? What do you mean?" she inquired quizzically, her eyes gazing at Claret intensely. Claret blinked. She obviously hadn't expected Lamda to inquire further.
"Well… um…" Claret began, unsure of how to do this. "Look, do you feel any fulfillment in your life?" she asked, looking for a starting point. Lambda nodded her head. "That doesn't include obeying your master's orders?" she pressed. Lambda looked surprised for a moment, then shook her head. "Okay. Then you should try to find that… fulfillment. A spark." Lambda tilted her head in confusion.
"A spark?" she asked. Claret nodded.
"Yeah. It's like… a feeling. You know, a tingle that says you really love your life. It's like the kind of feeling that you get when you're around people that care for you. Whether it be through physical or emotional contact. Like… I don't know, through a hug." Lambda looked even more confused.
"A… hug?" she said slowly, rather unfamiliar with the topic of affectionate contact. Claret smiled and nodded.
"Yes. It can come from anything… but especially from affection."
Lambda at this point had no idea how to respond, so she looked around. Her eyes immediately set upon two people with their mouths pressed together. Lambda blinked. "They look so… happy. Content…" she thought. Suddenly, she spoke up again. "Affection… you mean like that?" Lambda asked, pointing over to the kissing couple. Claret's eyes followed her finger, and Lambda looked even more lost as Claret began to blush.
"Well… yes, but… that's the kind of affection shown when two people are in love. A committed union. It's different from two friends or siblings."
"Is it… worth it?" Lambda inquired, bangs of purple falling across her eyes. Claret looked confused.
"Worth it?"
"Yes… does physical contact… affection… truly free oneself?" Lambda asked, now truly wanting to know. Claret bit her lip, deciding how to respond.
"Not totally. But… love seems to drive many people. You'd be surprised." Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Why so interested? A few minutes ago you didn't seem to care at all." Lambda looked down, embarassed. Mentally she was trying to come up with any reason to jusitfy her curiousity.
"I thought… such actions… would be interesting to try... sometime…" she said lamely. Not entriely fabricated – she was curious. Claret's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting that.
"Really?! Wow, I didn't think you'd be so receptive to the idea." A smirk appeared on Claret's face. "Anybody in mind?" she asked mischievously. Lambda's eyes widened.
"No! Certainly not…" Lambda countered. Immediately, a blush appeared on her face as a mental picture of Sigma appeared in her head. She shook her head, trying to make it fade away. Claret, however, did not fail to notice this.
"I knew it! Who? Any of the ones I pointed out?"" Lambda growled and shook her head.
"Who, then? Sigma?" she asked jokingly. Lambda's face turned red once more and she looked away. A look of realization appeared on Claret's face.
"Oh…" she breathed. Lambda looked somewhat sheepish. "So… you like Sigma?" Lambda shrugged, looking trapped.
"Well, yes. He is my friend, after all-"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Claret playfully chatised, throwing a knowing smile in Lambda's direction. Lambda didn't say anything, pretending to be staring at something interesting on the ground. "So, answer my question. Do you?" Lambda shifted uncomfortably.
"Well… that's…" Lambda cut herself off, looking defeated. Claret was beaming as this point.
"Aww! You do!" Lambda looked helplessly at her.
"Do I? I… don't know." she said truthfully. She didn't know; she had never felt such emotions in her. Claret looked sympathetically at her.
"Trust me. Better yet, trust your emotions. You'll know when… um…. trust me, you'll just know." Claret said, confidence in her voice. "Or, if you want, I could talk with Sigma about this-"
"NO!" Lambda yelled, looking angry. Then she blinked, as an expression of bewilderment settled upon her face. "Where did that come from?" she asked herself. Claret actually looked somewhat smug.
"Why so reluctant? I would just tell Sigma that-"
"Tell me what?" a voice came from behind them. Claret's eyes went wide. Lambda froze. They both turned around, to see a red-haired youth with a sword and battle clothing staring at them, looking puzzled. "Did you want to speak to me about something?" Claret was almost in shock at this point; Lambda simply wasn't doing anything, trying her best to look her normal, stoic self.
"Um… no…" Claret said weakly. "Say, you didn't happen to hear anything we were talking about, did you?" the Pegasus Knight was trying to look calm, but she was falling apart inside. "I'd never forgive myself if he did hear us…" Sigma looked even more lost.
"No, I just came now-"
"Ohthat'sgreatbye!" Claret hastily said, before grabbing Lambda's arm and pulling her away, much to her surprise. This, of course, left Sigma totally and completely confused. Or so they thought.
"…hmm. Curious, is she? Interesting…"
Lambda sighed as she stepped out of the inn, breathing in the cool night air. She had finally let herself wind down after the close call with Sigma; ironically, it had been Claret who needed the most calming down. After reassuring her that Sigma heard nothing (and repeatedly accepting her apology; for what Lambda didn't know), she had finally allowed herself to stop hyperventilating. She smiled, tossing her head back, and closing her eyes. It was so peaceful out here…
"Can't sleep?" a voice rang out. Lambda whirled around immediately, her instincts sharp. She had a spell half-charged before she processed Sigma, standing there with his hands in the air. "Hey, I just feel like talking. There's no need to blast me." he said, smiling at her. Lambda nodded sheepishly.
"Sorry… I'm just a little edgy, that's all." she explained. Sigma nodded sympathetically.
"I can tell." Sigma said. A thought came to him. "Is that why you and Claret were acting so… odd this afternoon?" he inquired. He wasn't stupid; letting her that he knew the contents of their… interesting talk might be hazardous to his health. So he just made it sound like an innocent question.
Lambda was surprised by the question; he usually wasn't so inquisitive. He did sound worried though…
"Lambda? Are you all right?"
Those words broke her out of her reverie, and she nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. As for the reasoning behind our actions… it wasn't just stress." she said, turning her head slightly to keep him from seeing her developing blush. Sigma raised his eyebrows.
"Mm. Want to share, or is this personal?" he asked. Truth be told, he was worried about her; Claret was prone to acting out of the norm, but that was normal for her. For Lambda, it was… uncharacteristic to be acting in this way. He blinked as she coughed and looked down.
"It's nothing, really… just the side-effect of a conversation we had." she answered. Lamdba sudenly felt the cool breeze pick up, and she shivered involuntarily as a blast of cold wind hit her. Moments later, she felt a jolt of adrenaline course through her as a pair of hands softly placed themselves on her shoulder.
"Cold?" Sigma murmured, as he grasped her shoulders gently, affection lacing his normally neutral tone. Lambda said nothing, allowing herself to fall back and lean against him. If Sigma was surprised, he didn't show it, choosing to remain in that same position.
"Mmm… this isn't so bad…" Lambda mentally murmured. "It feels… nice. Warm. Safe…" Her eyes widened. "Safety… security. No… that's not what I feel right now…" Then, a sudden burst of bold inspiration struck her, and she turned around, looking directly at Sigma. "Would you mind if I… tried something?" she inquired, looking at the redhead to gauge his reaction. Other then tilting his head quizzically and nodding, there wasn't much of a response. She sighed and smiled, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek. Sigma's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this.
"Lambda? What are you-" he was cut off when Lambda grasped both sides of his face, and pulled him in for a soft kiss, just as she had seen earlier. It was a little bit awkward to be sure – neither one had done anything remotely like this before – but then again, neither one seemed inclined to let go. Surprisingly, it was Sigma who decided to take it a step farther, gently wrapping an arm around her waist and slowly pulling her closer. When they finally separated, they were both blushing, and Sigma was looking at her Lambda in shock. "What brought that on?"
A flash of regret went through her, and she looked down. "Sigma… I'm sorry if… I…" she stopped speaking as she realized Sigma was holding her again, and looking at her with a small smirk on his face. Her face went red again as he leaned in closer once more.
"Sorry? Why…?" he whispered into her ear, the close contact making her shiver once more. Then, without skipping a beat, he pressed his lips to hers once more, relishing the feeling of holding her.
Lambda, at this point, was more or less in total shock; she didn't expect Sigma to respond, and certainly not with this much fervor. "Well, he's certainly taking to this well…" Lambda suddenly gasped as his lips began travelling southward, gently caressing her jawbone, and going down slowly to her neck. She moaned slowly, taking in the feeling of intimate contact for the first time. Her own hands reached up to tangle his red hair, as he gently began nipping at the soft skin at her neck, the feeling sending sparks through her. "S… Sigma…"
"Mmm?" he murmured, as he left her neck and moved back to her lips. Sigma closed his eyes; the feel of her against him was intoxicating. She was dominating his senses; the scent of her hair, the sound of her light, breathy gasps… and the feel of being able to touch her, hold her… it was almost overwhelming.
"Claret was right… this feeling… it's…" Lambda couldn't even describe it. It just felt… right. "This closeness… his touch… it's right…"
Sigma didn't want to do it, but he had to break the embrace sooner or later. Anymore, and he didn't know what would happen. With a small sigh, he released his lips' hold on hers, and was pleasantly surprised to hear a small moan of protest. "Sorry, Lambda… but we should get inside soon."
Lambda sadly nodded. Turning to go inside, she was unprepared for Sigma pulling her back.
"So… did this answer the questions you asked Claret earlier? Or did you just do this because you felt like "trying such actions" as you put it?" Lambda's face went even redder as she hear Sigma's teasing tone.
"Y-you heard us?" Lambda asked weakly. Sigma nodded. Contrary to the attitude he displayed, Sigma was indeed capable of being mischievous and playful, and was exploiting that ability to the hilt.
"Yes. I lied when I said no. It obviously made things that much more interesting." he said, hugging her from behind and pressing his face into her purple mane, kissing the back of her head. She nodded slowly as she turned around.
"So… where does this leave us?" Lambda asked Sigma, her eyes hopeful. "Are we-" Sigma cut her off by placing a finger on her lips.
"I don't know." he answered truthfully. He had grown to care for Lambda, but this was unknown territory for him. She nodded slowly, her face showing resignation. "But," he added. Lambda looked at him, looking confused now.
"I'm open to possibilities." he said, his face turning red. Lambda looked like she didn't know how to respond, but Sigma got her answer when she grasped his hand, threading their fingers together. As they walked away, snippets of voices could be heard.
"So you knew about our conversation all along?"
"Yes. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it all worked out-"
"For us, maybe. Claret nearly had a panic attack over it."
"Hmm. She might feel better if she knew that the talk had some very positive effects…"
"S-Sigma!"
Author's notes: So, how'd you like it? Langrisser needs more fanfics. Anyway, Lambda and Sigma might be OOC at some points, but they are still human after all, altered as they may be. Their changing attitudes become evident later in Langrisser V, so I figured it was fair game. Anyway, please R&R till next time. I'm planning another Elwin/Riana fic, but that won't happen for a while. Wow, this was a really crappy fic…