The rain finally lightened up after another half an hour or so and they sprinted back to the palace for fear of another flash downpour. They reached the front steps, still drenched in water and laughing like crazy, but settled down and decided level-headedly to shower and get out and chat. Lina showered quickly, slipped on a comfortable tank top, pajama shorts, and a rather thin bath robe over that. Once again, she stood herself outside on the porch, thinking about her situation.
Chichiri, who'd just finished showering, walked out next to her with wet hair. He tried to push down the strand of stray hair, but it immediately popped back up. Lina saw him attempting to smooth his hair out and chuckled; however, it slightly reminded Lina of Zell and suddenly she felt the pain again in her heart. Lina walked towards the side of the porch and looked at the ground; then at the lingering raindrops fall from the rooftop to the soft ground. Chichiri followed her--perhaps a confession was in order.
"What's the matter?" he asked her, standing next to her. Lina sighed and looked up at him with that torn smile again.
"Homesick..." she replied shortly, and after her cursory smile, went back to look at the ground and try to fight the tears that were welling up in her eyes again.
"I wish I could help you..." Chichiri looked out into the woods, then back at Lina who looked like she was about to cry.
"I wish I could help me..." Lina half chuckled, but there wasn't anything funny about it. They stood there for what felt like an hour, but was only ten minutes, listening to the lessening of the pitter patter against the roof as the night wore on.
"Lina...?" Chichiri asked after the paused. Lina didn't reply, just looked up at him. He didn't quite know what to say or how to say it, just that it had to be said sooner or later. Chichiri couldn't pick any set of words to describe what he was feeling. Girls often get butterflies in their stomachs, but what about guys? More like an ache. "I haven't loved anyone since my fiance and it's been such a long time. I don't really remember what it's like..."
"It's like...you know what hurts you, but it's never as painful as what hurts him...that you would do anything--fly to the moon, challenge daybreak, or just leave...to keep them safe from harm." Lina looked back out into the woods where she knew somewhere close by Zell was probably sitting in his room, or down at the Training Center. "I don't know why I did that..." Lina admitted more to herself than to Chichiri. "I just want them to be safe."
"Lina?" Chichiri called her attention again after another long pause. She tilted her head to look up at him. He took a deep breath. This would scare her, frighten her, but he had to get it off his chest, or else it just might drive him crazy. "I think I'm in love with you..." It was sudden--everything was. He quickly pulled her in and pressed his lips against hers before she could protest. By instinct, Lina squeaked, and while Chichiri kissed her lips passionately, all Lina could grasp was lips against lips and nothing more. She pulled away and stared at him, eyes wide.
"Chichiri...I...I'm sorry...no...I'm sorry," Lina didn't know what to say, what to do. She could only look at him, then towards the woods, and finally back at him again. He smiled weakly, understanding what she meant. The fact that he had gotten out what he wanted her to know had eased the pain by a mile. Lina was still in a state of shock, her body refusing to respond to her mind. They stood there, and in the presence of the tension, Lina was suddenly afraid of what might happen next. If he should advance again, there would be no hope of speaking to each other normally the next day.
Lina looked towards the woods again, gave Chichiri a cursory pat on the arm, and jumped over the side of porch. She immediately dashed into the woods, not for a second considering her situation--that she was in a thin bathrobe that would provide no warmth through the night and with nowhere to go, but forward. As she pressed on, she realized Garden was just through the clearing after another five or ten minutes of running, so she had somewhere to go--just not back; anywhere but back right now.