When Souls Awaken

84. The Bleeding Hearts

"Rixa?" Valentina pressed while raising an eyebrow.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, the gods just love fucking around with my life!" Allura chimed with a bitter laugh. "Rixacaelus taught me about war and fighting, and honed my skills. She was really the closest thing I ever had to a real mother... Well... that's not true I guess..."

~*~

"It's a miracle!"

"What do you mean?!"

"There's a heartbeat!"

~*~

"But it's easier to live telling myself that," Allura added in a whisper with her heart twisting, and Valentina placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Living is never easy," Valentina spoke with a gentle smile. "But what we endure, we can use to provide a better future for those we love, and those we have yet to love," she added, earning a soft smile from Allura.

"Thanks, Val."

---

The fire crackled with a small pink-haired woman perched upon a log beside it with a less-than-happy expression on her face. She tended to the pot of stew suspended above flames while a set of steps agitatedly fell in a straight line. They twisted in the dirt, angrily retracing their path, increasing the exasperation they brought in her.

"Stop pacing," Flora whined, but the pace did not even falter.

"Why didn't she ask me to go?" Axis growled to himself.

"Because, hothead, you're not the best at first impressions, and not to be mean but you're pretty useless with injured people," Flora sighed the honest truth, and he stopped to glare at her.

"And what's that say 'bout you?!" he snapped before a smirk twisted onto his lips. "Aren't you supposed to be a doc now? Trained by Sanocuro himself!" he taunted while dramatically throwing open his arms. "And they still left you here."

"'Cause someone's gotta dogsit, and make sure you don't bite your own tail," she muttered, bringing his scowl back in force.

"Well-! Fuck off!" he barked before plopping down beside her with a defeated sigh.

"What's got you all worked up, anyways?" Flora did nothing to hide her agitation. "It's like you've had a stick up your butt since that town," she grumbled, but after a thought she softened her tone, "Is this because we couldn't wake her up this morning for a bit? 'Cause I get that, I was scared too, but... She's okay now."

"I spent over a year there." He distracted himself with another reason, and she raised an eyebrow. "I used to be 'friends' - or whatever - with all the people that worked in that bar."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I just left," Axis muttered, leaning his arms on his knees. "I got bored."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, I got what I wanted, so I left."

"What was it you wanted?" Flora questioned curiously, and Axis smirked.

"To fuck all the girls there!" he chimed, and Flora smacked the back of his head.

"If you don't want to tell me that's fine!" she spat. "But don't make up stuff that makes me think Al deserves better!" she snapped without mercy, and his eyes widened before they fell to the ground.

"She does-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE OR MAY THE GODS HELP YOU CAUSE I SURE AS HECK WON'T!" Flora shouted in his ear, making him wince with a scowl finding his lips again. "Regardless of what you think, you are exactly what she needs! AND ON THAT NOTE when am I going to get to be an aunt?!"