Allure

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yggdra Union. I'd really like to own the PSP release, but sadly, it ain't out yet. This oneshot is for FlameSpark (zetaronin), the 25th reviewer of Stupid Cupid! (I am SOOO sorry it's so late!!) Enjoy!

"And just where would you be going?" Rosary asked in an amused tone as Yggdra walked past in a pair of denim pants and a white short-sleeved shirt, smiling brightly.

"Eh?" Blinking, the young queen turned towards her friend and magician. "Gulcasa and I are both free, so we thought we'd go riding together!"

Is that what they call it these days, Rosary thought to herself even as she smiled and lightly waved a hand at Yggdra. "You go on then; go have fun. You hardly get any time off at all these days. It's ridiculous."

Yggdra smiled at her, and headed out through the opposite hall with a little wave.

Once she was gone, Rosary leaned back in her chair, smiling crookedly and sipping at her tea. "Ah, youth."

On the other side of the table, Kylier gave her a faintly disturbed look. "…What's that supposed to mean?" she asked at length.

"Oh—it's just too funny, watching those two dance back and forth between what's expected of them and what they want of each other. I guarantee you, there's going to be more than one kind of riding out there this afternoon."

Kylier facepalmed. And twitched. "You're disgusting."

"It's true," Rosary said with a wide grin and a slight snicker. "Having once been at that young and hormonal age myself, I can guarantee you that when our beloved queen heads back this way to change and unwind, she'll at the very least have that recently waxed and lubed look."

"She's not like that," Kylier grumbled.

"She's besotted, and besotted usually encompasses a great deal of lust along with all the adoration," Rosary pointed out. "Especially if you're sexually repressed royalty. Yggdra's shy about things like that if you confront her about them, but she knows what she wants, and she gets it. I know what I'm talking about; I've seen it happen before. First there's the squeaky crush stage, then there's the eventual love confession, then there's the sultry, passionate affair…" She paused dramatically, taking a long drink of her tea and watching as the grossed-out factor of Kylier's expression increased. "Then after that, there's marriage, and babies. When you're a romantic like Yggdra or Gulcasa, that's the way that life goes. I'm sure we all know what stage of the proceedings they're at."

"Please." Kylier shook her head.

"If you're so doubtful, then let's make a bet." Rosary smiled smugly behind the rim of her cup. "Ten dollars says Gulcasa and Yggdra won't be able to stand their hours of alone time without jumping each other somewhere out there."

Kylier's eyebrows went flat, and she glowered at Rosary across the table. "You're on."

---

"Gulcasa!"

The Emperor of Bronquia looked up from buckling his dragon's tack at the sound of Yggdra's voice, and felt his heart flip over as he saw her running down the hall towards him.

She was wearing this ridiculously adorable little white top with babydoll sleeves and ruffles along the hem, its bodice drawn in like a peasant girl's dress and a tiny, pale pink ribbon threaded along the collar. Beneath it, she had on a fresh pair of stretchy denim pants that clung to the delicate curves of her legs and supple, well-worn leather boots. Her braids were pulled back with Gulcasa's white ribbon, and her lacy crown rested on top of them.

What was it with that girl and denim? Gulcasa wondered helplessly, hazily. Every time she put it on, it just killed him. And he'd be damned if she didn't know it, too.

Yggdra ran straight into his arms; he held her close and gently tilted her back as they kissed. Her lips were silken soft and tasted sweet, and as usual, she seemed to be haloed in a mild citrus scent. She slipped her fingers through his long hair in a gentle stroke as the kiss deepened; Gulcasa shivered a little as they parted, staring a little hazily at each other.

The moment was broken when Gulcasa's dragon leaned over and gently butted her master with her forehead, clearly impatient for some exercise. Both of them laughed.

"Well, then, shall we go?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes!" Yggdra replied, all but glowing. Gulcasa swung himself into the saddle, then held out a hand to pull her up. She settled right in front of him, neatly nestled against his chest, and as she kneed his dragon forwards, he was hit again with the knowledge that she smelled even better than usual.

The girl had to have it in for him or something. Denim, her sweetest shampoo, and—if Gulcasa wasn't mistaken—a light spritz of perfume at the nape of her neck and her wrists. It was like she was trying to drive him crazy. Already, he was vaguely considering forgetting the ride altogether and just turning her around and kissing her again, and touching her, and—

What am I thinking? No! Bad! Gulcasa berated himself, trying not to blush. Bad, bad, bad! We can't just always—in public, for heaven's sake—especially with her court and Lombardia looking down their noses at us already! Besides—she's sitting right in front of me, it's not like she won't be able to tell if I start to get… ggh. What happened to all that self-control?!!

Yeah. He was in trouble.

To make matters worse, Yggdra half turned, half tilted her head back, and gave him that charming, innocent smile. "May I?" she asked, pointing to the reins he was holding lightly in his right hand.

Gulcasa gave his head a brief shake to clear it, then nodded. "Sure."

Yggdra turned back around and took the reins, flapping them lightly to get the dragon moving. Distracted for the time being from physical imperatives, Gulcasa smiled down at her. She'd come so far from their first ride, back at the beginning of winter—where then she'd been so uncertain, now she rode as well as any of his knights. She so loved to learn new things; it was one of the sweetest things about her.

"Hold on," she said suddenly, her voice gleeful and excited, and Gulcasa noticed that they were coming up to the fence. He leaned in and put his arms around her waist as they leaped, and although she made that bubbly, giddy sound through the exhilaration of being midair, all he was aware of was the warmth of her body against his, of the way she fit against him, so small and delicate, curve matching curve almost perfectly.

Oh, God. Almost as soon as they touched down, Gulcasa let go, his face burning, swallowing hard. Stop thinking. Control yourself. Control control control.

As though still entirely oblivious to the state she was putting him in, Yggdra leaned down over his dragon's neck, coaxing her into a quicker pace so that the three of them virtually flew over the bright grasslands.

Gulcasa closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of the wind against his face, trying to forget in its cool purity that he was even riding with a partner. He loved this so much—this freedom. His entire life, he'd been bound by responsibilities. When he was alone but for his beloved dragon, he could forget—if only for a while—that he ever had to consider any.

For instance, it was his responsibility to maintain a distant but cordial relationship with Yggdra. They had, after all, been enemies. He was expected to ignore the deep and elemental connection that had always gravitated them towards each other, even during that time. If he wanted to solidify the diplomatic ties between his country and hers through marriage, he was supposed to court her properly, dropping all the favors high society allowed, then suffer through a stuffy ceremony and enjoy a polite relationship while begetting as many heirs with her as possible.

It ran counter to the responsibility Fantasinia put on him that he was so in love with her it almost broke his heart. He wasn't supposed to lose all resistance whenever he saw her. He wasn't supposed to make raw, desperately needful love with her whenever they could steal a few hours alone, where no one would see. He wasn't supposed to think of doing it with her almost all the time. He wasn't supposed to be already considering how he was going to propose, and he was definitely not supposed to be looking forward to the time when he could get her to take off her contraceptive spelled pendant so that they could make a baby together. (And God it was such a scary thought, but he couldn't help wanting it even so.)

Her society expected him to conform to its rules, never mind that things were different in his country. And he wasn't sure he had the courage to subvert it quite yet.

But, God, he loved and wanted her. He never, ever stopped thinking about her.

…And here I go again. Gulcasa let out a tacit sigh. I never learn.

Yggdra was slowing them down near a sparse grove of trees. As she gently coaxed the dragon down to a walk, she stood shakily in the stirrups and pointed. "Look, Gulcasa! The last time we were here, I saw some berry bushes further in… they should have fruit now—let's go pick some!"

"You're just hoping there are sweetberries there, aren't you?" he teased, grinning up at her.

Yggdra smiled at him and giggled, her face gently flushed pink where the wind had kissed her cheeks. Slowly, she sat down, leaning against him as she did so that her backside ground lightly against his groin for just a moment; he drew in a sharp breath and shuddered convulsively. God. She was doing it on purpose, and she was going to drive him absolutely mad before the day was done. There was no way he'd be able to hold out.

As much to find a more comfortable posture as to clear his head, Gulcasa scooted back and dropped out of the saddle, offering Yggdra an arm down. His dragon went "brrrt" and shook her head, then took off into the trees at a light trot. Yggdra, looking surprised, made as if to go after her, but Gulcasa lightly put a hand on her arm.

"It's okay to let her go off like that?"

"She'll come back," he replied with a shrug. "Besides, she probably just wants to go terrorize some squirrels or something. Let her go play for a while. Now, you were saying about those berry bushes…?"

"Right!" And without any more warning than that, Yggdra took his hand and dashed off, dragging him along after her.

It took Gulcasa a few moments to get in step instead of stumbling at the end of her arm, but he eased into an easy stride next to her fairly quickly. He could outpace her if he wanted to, but for now he was just content to follow wherever she led.

It was a feeling she seemed to inspire in a lot of people, come to think of it.

But then Yggdra let out a yelp and pitched forward, dragging him after her again as she hit the ground and rolled, never letting go of his hand. She went over, and then he went over, and they rolled one more time so that they ended up with Yggdra flat on her back in an oval dip in the sweet grass and Gulcasa sprawled right over her.

They just lay there looking at each other owlishly for a moment, then Yggdra gave him a tender smile and reached up to lightly stroke the side of his face. With gentle hands, she pulled him down to her and kissed him—first softly, then sweetly, then desperately. Shaking and breathing raggedly, knowing his wants couldn't be ignored now, Gulcasa touched her shoulders, then reached down towards the hemline of her pants as she let her hands run down his sides and started to struggle with his belt. He hissed when he felt her touch him, and she let out a low sob of his name when he slid inside her, her whole body clutching tight around him.

They moved slowly, then roughly. Gulcasa stared resolutely into her eyes as they went unfocused, then completely blank, until she closed them and started moaning again, arching up and reaching high up above him. Why did he need all those extraneous worries, when they had this? They would always have this. The world went blurry around him, and he forgot those worldly cares as he lost himself within her.

---

Yggdra sank a little deeper into the grass and vaguely enjoyed the feel of Gulcasa's solid weight upon her as she stared over his shoulder at the blue, blue, cloudless sky. She was hot and a little sticky, and she felt wonderfully loose and limber, and she didn't think she'd ever seen the sky so very, very blue.

"We're insane," Gulcasa said distantly right next to her ear, his voice muffled against her hair and the grass. "That's the only rational explanation for this, really. We're completely insane."

Yggdra made a vague soothing noise at him, then sighed happily. Insane or not, she was feeling very, very good. She so, so loved making love with him. She was so happy just being with him, all alone.

"I can't believe—outside—in broad daylight, no less—" he went on incoherently, sounding uncomprehending and cute.

Smiling, Yggdra leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek. "I don't care. I'm tired of pretending I don't want you for everyone else's benefit."

"Huh." Gulcasa eased up on one elbow, his eyebrows lightly arched, giving her a look that was equal parts lazy, content, bemused, and predatory. "So you want me, do you?"

"All the time."

"And now?"

Yggdra smiled and sighed. "Take me. Take me now. Be one with me. Please."

He leaned down and kissed her so deeply she could feel her conscious mind already drifting off, letting her body take charge. "Since you asked so nicely," he murmured, making her laugh, then brushed his lips against the soft part of her throat, then the dip in her clavicle, gently grazing the sharp line of his teeth against her skin.

Yggdra closed her eyes and willfully surrendered.

---

Humans, Gulcasa's dragon thought a little wryly, passing by them for the third time. They never seemed to run out of stamina, particularly the young ones.

But then, she'd mothered enough clutches herself, taken enough mates, that she knew what it was like. Her kind was one of the few that shared that behavioral trait with humans—sex for pleasure, instead of the sole purpose of creating new life. It was long past time that her human discover what it was like to be so fully in love.

So, she'd leave them alone a while longer. Besides—it wasn't as if there was any lack of things for her to do. There were plenty of rabbits to chase, for instance. Raw, dripping steaks were all well and good, but you couldn't exactly play with food that didn't run away.

Seeing the flash of white tail around a treetrunk, she flipped her tail, purred playfully, and took after it.

---

Gulcasa and Yggdra had been lying in the hollow in the grass for several hours, dozing and breathing and holding each other close, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, when Gulcasa's dragon apparently got fed up waiting and came to collect them.

Gulcasa started into wakefulness when he felt cloth drop against his back, then a second soft thump on top of it, then a gentle but firm nudge against his shoulderblades, accompanied by a quiet "prrrt".

"Wha…?" Sitting up, he realized that she'd retrieved his shirt and Yggdra's and dumped both of them onto him, and was now sitting patiently on her haunches and giving him a surprisingly parental look.

"Mmn…" Beneath him, Yggdra rubbed her eyes, lightly crossing her other arm over her breasts. "Gulcasa…"

"…crap." Shaking his head in an attempt to wake up, Gulcasa pulled the shirt on, then stood up to wrestle his jeans back into place and zip them up, rebuckling his belt. "We've been here way too long. People are going to wonder."

"People," Yggdra said despairingly, but started to sit up as well, trying to reach around to the line of hooks that would hold her breastband closed. Gulcasa knelt down and did it for her, then handing her shirt over so that she could tug it over her head and zip up her own pants. Looking around absentmindedly, Gulcasa turned to his dragon, who stood for him. Obediently, he swung into the saddle.

"Come on—we'll have to go fast, so I'd better…"

"Alright," Yggdra agreed, and let him pull her up. She put her arms snugly around his waist, and he gently kneed his dragon's side. They took off back towards the castle, back towards responsibility, but the closeness of their afternoon still lingered between them.

---

It was long, long after she'd left that Yggdra passed Rosary and Kylier again, this time headed the other way. As it was, Kylier almost had to do a double-take upon watching her go by.

As compared to some people Kylier knew, Yggdra wasn't that particular about her image. Still, she normally would never walk around like this. The back of her shirt and the seat and knees of her jeans were heavily grass-stained, her hair was in total disarray, and there were leaves caught in her braids. And she seemed entirely oblivious to the condition of her outfit—she was smiling dreamily, and she went straight past without even saying hello.

There was a few minutes' silence. Then Rosary held out her hand across the table, smirking with the utmost smugness.

Fuming, Kylier dug in her pocket, then slammed a crumpled bill into Rosary's palm. "You're such a pervert."

Replacing the bill in her own pocket, Rosary continued to direct her overbearingly lofty smile in Kylier's direction. "You'll understand when it's you and Milanor, dear."

"I suppose you say this out of your own vast experience," Kylier muttered darkly.

"But of course," Rosary laughed, tossing her hair elegantly. "Only a few months ago, I'd've been more than happy to have Roswell anywhere, anytime at all. And did, on many occasions. I do believe we came dangerously close to breaking a few beds here and there… he's that good. It's the kind of thing that could get you off just hearing it."

"Please." Kylier was twitching again, and clapped her hands over her ears. "I so-o-o don't need to hear this. Way too much information, thanks. The mental images of those two doing that stuff outside are bad enough."

Rosary laughed at her again. "…Oh, you'll grow up someday. You're still such a child."

"And you're creeping me out, and this discussion is going to end now."

"If you say so, darling."

"…ugh."

Owari. (:3)