Beat you to it, Lisa! XD
This scene is a continuation of the Celes/Shadow comment war here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/girly_general/20104.html
Shadow stood on the edge of the shore, narrowing his eyes and peering toward the distance. Part of him still wanted to believe that she was bluffing and that it was unnecessary to bother going after her. He frowned, clenching his fists. Her last few communications had left him more bothered than he wanted to admit, as arguments with Celes usually went. Well. It wasn't like he hadn't swum before. He'd catch her and enact some form of retaliation. With one more glance toward Celes' direction, Shadow prepared himself, and then plunged into the water.
"Not the brightest crayon in the box, I see." Celes scoffed as she saw Shadow, dwarfed to the size of her thumb, diving offshore as she rowed furiously away. Changing her course from northwest to west-northwest, she expected Shadow to catch the hint that this was to be a practical joke, as the nearest port was due north. But she didn't feel like pointing this out to the mercenary; she wanted to see him get wet, and he probably wouldn't hear her anyway. She was angry that Shadow had called her expendable twice in two days, and even angrier that he hadn't expressed even the slightest amount of remorse when she had told him that, since she was so expendable and would only get in his way, she was leaving Shadow stranded on the island.
Shadow started out swimming in the direction of Celes' rowboat, kicking furiously, stretching out his arms in broad, strong strokes to move himself forward. If he'd had a normal sense of humor, he might have been able to understand this as a joke. As it was, he still wasn't sure she was serious about leaving: he was more in the mood to just catch her, immediately. A few murderous thoughts flashed through his mind, but really, a physical threat would probably be enough. Not just this last exchange, but this entire trip... had been a mess. The mercenary struggled to keep his pace steady as he moved into deeper water, hoping that his endurance, decent on land, would hold up in the water.
Celes looked back and, realizing that Shadow wasn't gaining on her in the least, paused to wave and blow a kiss in his direction tauntingly. Taking the oar back into her hands, she pushed it through the water, effortlessly guiding the raft due west.
Shadow continued his desperate pursuit, growing increasingly weary as he did. He hadn't expected it to be so difficult, or so far. Already, he was wishing he'd thought to prepare, to set some of his weapons aside, at least. He paused for a moment, treading water and regaining his bearings. He frowned, noting that the boat didn't seeem any closer. Taking in a deep breath, Shadow started in again, this time plunging just below the water's surface, struggling against the slight current. Either it had grown worse or he was just more tired than he thought. Well. He just had to hold out a little longer. No stopping now.
Celes glanced behind her to check Shadow's progress. Catching sight of the graceless splash of water in the distance, she stopped rowing and shaded her eyes from the sun. That... did not look good. "One-please-don't-drown, two-please-don't-drown, three-please-don't-drown..." she murmured. If he wasn't up by the time she reached sixty...
Pushing against the current, Shadow realized that he wasn't making any real progress foward. He stubbornly fought against this, exerting his muscles in a futile attempt to keep on track. But he needed air, he had to resurface soon. He tried to force himself up... He began to thrash about, fighting against the cold water, against the weight of his clothing and weapons.
"...Forty-four... forty-five... forty-six... forty-seven..." Celes tossed a rock on a rope that Shadow had tied to one end of the raft, a crude anchor, overboard. "Forty-eight..." Unbuckling her belt, she discarded Illumina. "Forty-nine..." She threw off her armbands, "Fifty..." slid out of her vest, "Fifty-one..." and kicked off "Fifty-two..." her boots. "Fifty-three! Oh for the love of GODS!" She hollered while fumbling with the laces at her pants.
If Shadow could have bellowed out a stream of endless curses, he would have. If there was any realistically possible way to destroy the sea like a normal enemy, he'd have done it. As it was, he was kicking as fiercely as possible while the water held him under, the dangerous undertow pulling him down. His arms ached, but he wouldn't stop his stubborn attempt, not when he had the important task of threatening Celes. All he had to do was get out of this area, go back a little and find a different way, where it was easier to handle. Or so he thought. If he only knew where "back" was. His lungs burned and his head began to feel light...
Freeing herself from her bothersome pants, Celes raised an arm. "Haste!" she cried before taking a deep breath and diving underwater. In her days as an Imperial soldier, swimming was the only area in which she could, unaided by magic, outdo Leo. Augmented by the spell, Celes flew toward Shadow's sinking figure, sending streams of bubbles undulating toward the water's surface. As Shadow grew larger and larger, she felt the need for air increasing. Six more yards... five more yards... four... three... Clyde, forgive me! Kicking herself upward, she gasped for air. "Oh... my... Gods! Hang on, Clyde!" She took three deep breaths before throwing herself under the water's surface again.
Everything burned, despite the coldness of the water. Everything burned. He couldn't keep his breath in much longer. Although Shadow was far too familiar with death, whether facing it or dealing it out, a sudden, deep fear gripped him. What in hell had he been trying to prove? Why had he been so rash? Ah... but this wouldn't be the first time, would it? He'd escaped all of those, though, even that desperate moment on that floating continent... but perhaps his luck had finally worn out... He weakly reached out in the darkness of the water. Relm... Celes... I... He let go of the breath, unable to supress it any longer. I'm sorry...
Celes seized the outstretched arm with wild devotion, and, pulling Shadow's heavy body into against her chest, watched impatiently as the shimmery surface of the water grew closer and closer. After breaking the surface, she threw Shadow over her shoulder and beat the heel of her hand against his back. "Breathe!" she cried.
For a few moments, everything had started fading, falling into blackness... Now, sputtering, coughing up water, Shadow felt the world returning. For a while, he was too disoriented to bother worrying about what had happened. He was too shocked, being back above water, to care how she'd done it. He took in a shaky breath- and began coughing again.
"Thank Gods." Celes sighed, kicking harder as Shadow's coughs drove her chest underwater. "I thought you were done for back there."
Shadow gasped, the coughing beginning to subside with every breath of fresh air that he took. Many thoughts raced through his head, but the rage he'd felt earlier was gone right now... As things started to feel clear again, he tried to push away a little, but he was too fatigued to move much. He glanced at Celes, a rare hint of emotion in his voice as he replied, "I'm... surprised you came." He hesitated, taking another deep breath. "And..."
Celes shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. You're my friend. I wouldn't even abandon you at Doma; if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I was circling the island."
Shadow stared at her, forgetting what else he'd been about to say. "Figured that, but... I couldn't stand arguing with you any longer, is all..." And I couldn't let you win, he thought, wondering if he really would have given in to his murderous thoughts. He sighed, wanting to shake it off, and forget that this incident had ever happened.
"I'm..." I'm sorry. She really was sorry this joke had gotten so out of hand, but... she was tired of being the only person to apologize, receiving 'You should be, bitch.' as a response when he was equally at fault. "I'm just glad you're all right. " Celes responded.
Shadow looked away, briefly closing his eyes, considering his words. "I..." What could he tell her? All he wanted right now was to get himself away, somewhere far away. "I... didn't think that'd happen. Don't know if I'd have done the same, were I you... I... Thank you." There. It had been as difficult as struggling toward the surface, but he'd said it.
He would just let her drown? That was a lie. Celes knew it, believed it, wanted to believe... doubted... Celes smiled sadly, letting out a sharp breath that seemed a melancholy cross between a giggle and a sob. "You're welcome. Listen, I can't tread water much longer. How are you feeling? Can you swim on your own, or do you need to get on my back?"
"I'm fine," Shadow replied, struggling to move his heavy limbs, and move himself away from her. Would he actually admit otherwise, though? "Let's just... be quick." What else did he want to say? He didn't know. He honestly didn't know.
"No, you're not okay!" Celes said, noticing Shadow's weak attempt at pushing off. Shifting all of his weight to one side, she ordered: "Put your hand on my shoulder."
"No, you're wrong. Just tired. It'll pass." But Shadow did as she suggested, placing his hand thankfully on her shoulder. No... there was nothing more to say right now. There were more important things to think about, they had an impending rescue to deal with, after all.
Swinging Shadow's full weight onto her back, Celes began paddling toward their raft. There was no time to argue; the adrenaline rush from the Haste and her own emotion had worn off and she was beginning to grow tired. "Well, when it does, tell me and I'll let go of you. Until then, hold on tight."
Shadow nodded. "But you don't have to..." He then fell silent. As they headed to the raft, he found that a little movement helped, and he lightened his grip on Celes' shoulder. He let go when the raft was closer in sight. Finally.
Scowling as her tangled, sopping hair plastered itself to her legs, Celes gracelessly scrambled onto the raft. Exhausted, she let out a sigh of relief and flopped over. Cold, wet, and barely clothed, she felt goose-bumps rising on her arms and sending violent shivers through her body. None of this mattered to her, though. She, for once in her life, had saved the day. And she needed to rest if she was going to repeat her heroics for Grandpop's sake tomorrow.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/girly_general/20104.html
Shadow stood on the edge of the shore, narrowing his eyes and peering toward the distance. Part of him still wanted to believe that she was bluffing and that it was unnecessary to bother going after her. He frowned, clenching his fists. Her last few communications had left him more bothered than he wanted to admit, as arguments with Celes usually went. Well. It wasn't like he hadn't swum before. He'd catch her and enact some form of retaliation. With one more glance toward Celes' direction, Shadow prepared himself, and then plunged into the water.
"Not the brightest crayon in the box, I see." Celes scoffed as she saw Shadow, dwarfed to the size of her thumb, diving offshore as she rowed furiously away. Changing her course from northwest to west-northwest, she expected Shadow to catch the hint that this was to be a practical joke, as the nearest port was due north. But she didn't feel like pointing this out to the mercenary; she wanted to see him get wet, and he probably wouldn't hear her anyway. She was angry that Shadow had called her expendable twice in two days, and even angrier that he hadn't expressed even the slightest amount of remorse when she had told him that, since she was so expendable and would only get in his way, she was leaving Shadow stranded on the island.
Shadow started out swimming in the direction of Celes' rowboat, kicking furiously, stretching out his arms in broad, strong strokes to move himself forward. If he'd had a normal sense of humor, he might have been able to understand this as a joke. As it was, he still wasn't sure she was serious about leaving: he was more in the mood to just catch her, immediately. A few murderous thoughts flashed through his mind, but really, a physical threat would probably be enough. Not just this last exchange, but this entire trip... had been a mess. The mercenary struggled to keep his pace steady as he moved into deeper water, hoping that his endurance, decent on land, would hold up in the water.
Celes looked back and, realizing that Shadow wasn't gaining on her in the least, paused to wave and blow a kiss in his direction tauntingly. Taking the oar back into her hands, she pushed it through the water, effortlessly guiding the raft due west.
Shadow continued his desperate pursuit, growing increasingly weary as he did. He hadn't expected it to be so difficult, or so far. Already, he was wishing he'd thought to prepare, to set some of his weapons aside, at least. He paused for a moment, treading water and regaining his bearings. He frowned, noting that the boat didn't seeem any closer. Taking in a deep breath, Shadow started in again, this time plunging just below the water's surface, struggling against the slight current. Either it had grown worse or he was just more tired than he thought. Well. He just had to hold out a little longer. No stopping now.
Celes glanced behind her to check Shadow's progress. Catching sight of the graceless splash of water in the distance, she stopped rowing and shaded her eyes from the sun. That... did not look good. "One-please-don't-drown, two-please-don't-drown, three-please-don't-drown..." she murmured. If he wasn't up by the time she reached sixty...
Pushing against the current, Shadow realized that he wasn't making any real progress foward. He stubbornly fought against this, exerting his muscles in a futile attempt to keep on track. But he needed air, he had to resurface soon. He tried to force himself up... He began to thrash about, fighting against the cold water, against the weight of his clothing and weapons.
"...Forty-four... forty-five... forty-six... forty-seven..." Celes tossed a rock on a rope that Shadow had tied to one end of the raft, a crude anchor, overboard. "Forty-eight..." Unbuckling her belt, she discarded Illumina. "Forty-nine..." She threw off her armbands, "Fifty..." slid out of her vest, "Fifty-one..." and kicked off "Fifty-two..." her boots. "Fifty-three! Oh for the love of GODS!" She hollered while fumbling with the laces at her pants.
If Shadow could have bellowed out a stream of endless curses, he would have. If there was any realistically possible way to destroy the sea like a normal enemy, he'd have done it. As it was, he was kicking as fiercely as possible while the water held him under, the dangerous undertow pulling him down. His arms ached, but he wouldn't stop his stubborn attempt, not when he had the important task of threatening Celes. All he had to do was get out of this area, go back a little and find a different way, where it was easier to handle. Or so he thought. If he only knew where "back" was. His lungs burned and his head began to feel light...
Freeing herself from her bothersome pants, Celes raised an arm. "Haste!" she cried before taking a deep breath and diving underwater. In her days as an Imperial soldier, swimming was the only area in which she could, unaided by magic, outdo Leo. Augmented by the spell, Celes flew toward Shadow's sinking figure, sending streams of bubbles undulating toward the water's surface. As Shadow grew larger and larger, she felt the need for air increasing. Six more yards... five more yards... four... three... Clyde, forgive me! Kicking herself upward, she gasped for air. "Oh... my... Gods! Hang on, Clyde!" She took three deep breaths before throwing herself under the water's surface again.
Everything burned, despite the coldness of the water. Everything burned. He couldn't keep his breath in much longer. Although Shadow was far too familiar with death, whether facing it or dealing it out, a sudden, deep fear gripped him. What in hell had he been trying to prove? Why had he been so rash? Ah... but this wouldn't be the first time, would it? He'd escaped all of those, though, even that desperate moment on that floating continent... but perhaps his luck had finally worn out... He weakly reached out in the darkness of the water. Relm... Celes... I... He let go of the breath, unable to supress it any longer. I'm sorry...
Celes seized the outstretched arm with wild devotion, and, pulling Shadow's heavy body into against her chest, watched impatiently as the shimmery surface of the water grew closer and closer. After breaking the surface, she threw Shadow over her shoulder and beat the heel of her hand against his back. "Breathe!" she cried.
For a few moments, everything had started fading, falling into blackness... Now, sputtering, coughing up water, Shadow felt the world returning. For a while, he was too disoriented to bother worrying about what had happened. He was too shocked, being back above water, to care how she'd done it. He took in a shaky breath- and began coughing again.
"Thank Gods." Celes sighed, kicking harder as Shadow's coughs drove her chest underwater. "I thought you were done for back there."
Shadow gasped, the coughing beginning to subside with every breath of fresh air that he took. Many thoughts raced through his head, but the rage he'd felt earlier was gone right now... As things started to feel clear again, he tried to push away a little, but he was too fatigued to move much. He glanced at Celes, a rare hint of emotion in his voice as he replied, "I'm... surprised you came." He hesitated, taking another deep breath. "And..."
Celes shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. You're my friend. I wouldn't even abandon you at Doma; if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I was circling the island."
Shadow stared at her, forgetting what else he'd been about to say. "Figured that, but... I couldn't stand arguing with you any longer, is all..." And I couldn't let you win, he thought, wondering if he really would have given in to his murderous thoughts. He sighed, wanting to shake it off, and forget that this incident had ever happened.
"I'm..." I'm sorry. She really was sorry this joke had gotten so out of hand, but... she was tired of being the only person to apologize, receiving 'You should be, bitch.' as a response when he was equally at fault. "I'm just glad you're all right. " Celes responded.
Shadow looked away, briefly closing his eyes, considering his words. "I..." What could he tell her? All he wanted right now was to get himself away, somewhere far away. "I... didn't think that'd happen. Don't know if I'd have done the same, were I you... I... Thank you." There. It had been as difficult as struggling toward the surface, but he'd said it.
He would just let her drown? That was a lie. Celes knew it, believed it, wanted to believe... doubted... Celes smiled sadly, letting out a sharp breath that seemed a melancholy cross between a giggle and a sob. "You're welcome. Listen, I can't tread water much longer. How are you feeling? Can you swim on your own, or do you need to get on my back?"
"I'm fine," Shadow replied, struggling to move his heavy limbs, and move himself away from her. Would he actually admit otherwise, though? "Let's just... be quick." What else did he want to say? He didn't know. He honestly didn't know.
"No, you're not okay!" Celes said, noticing Shadow's weak attempt at pushing off. Shifting all of his weight to one side, she ordered: "Put your hand on my shoulder."
"No, you're wrong. Just tired. It'll pass." But Shadow did as she suggested, placing his hand thankfully on her shoulder. No... there was nothing more to say right now. There were more important things to think about, they had an impending rescue to deal with, after all.
Swinging Shadow's full weight onto her back, Celes began paddling toward their raft. There was no time to argue; the adrenaline rush from the Haste and her own emotion had worn off and she was beginning to grow tired. "Well, when it does, tell me and I'll let go of you. Until then, hold on tight."
Shadow nodded. "But you don't have to..." He then fell silent. As they headed to the raft, he found that a little movement helped, and he lightened his grip on Celes' shoulder. He let go when the raft was closer in sight. Finally.
Scowling as her tangled, sopping hair plastered itself to her legs, Celes gracelessly scrambled onto the raft. Exhausted, she let out a sigh of relief and flopped over. Cold, wet, and barely clothed, she felt goose-bumps rising on her arms and sending violent shivers through her body. None of this mattered to her, though. She, for once in her life, had saved the day. And she needed to rest if she was going to repeat her heroics for Grandpop's sake tomorrow.