About Crystals and Stars (On hold)

7-3

While Shimon grilled the mushrooms on a stone next to the fire at the moment, Mayura sat aside, having a hard time to move. Hugging her legs, resting her head between above knees, she waited for the day to be over. She did not care what he'd might think. She was scared and tired, so endlessly tired she wanted to sleep. She wanted to sleep until everything was fine again, like waking from a nightmare, discarding it as something without importance and pick up her life where she had left it off. It was too much, having been stepped on, insulted, send off to die and now facing – facing something unspeakable. It was too much.

If this was life outside of the walls of her home, she did not want it. She'd rather go home and live her life trapped inside but secure from the outside. She'd hug her mother when there was nobody around to frown upon this sign of affection. She would watch her best friend train to become a soldier swinging his bokken (4) in the middle of the courtyard while barking about becoming the greatest soldier. She would read a book, leaning against the trunk of a tree while breathing in the cold, humid air of her homeland.

Her arm shook as she slung it tighter around her legs, replacing comfort with pressure to make sure she won't fall apart.

She heard the crunch of sand next to her and positioned her head on her legs differently to see what happened. Shimon bend over the steaming mushrooms. Pushing a few of them onto a big leaf with the help of another. When he walked over to her, she turned her head away and did not move until he left her side again.

He'd put down her food without talking to her, giving her space. She was thankful for this gesture and figured he deserved much more gratitude than she's showed him so far.

Not feeling hungry at all she picked up a mushroom and plopped it into her mouth, chewing on it from one side to another. She watched him serve himself his own share of the meal now and sitting down a few feet from the fire and a few feet from her. He was a silent and calm guy. Not talking much if not asked. It was as weird as it was comforting. The only other boy around his age she knew was Rokuro and that was one loud and bashful personality. She'd hated, if he tried to cheer her up.

Gulping down the mushroom she picked another. Slowly her hunger returned to her and soon she finished her portion, feeling sated and much more calmer.

Rising to her feet, she fed the leaf to the fire and sighed. It was no use to sulk. (5) It would not help her survive and it would not help her country or her people. Today's discovery was just another evidence for something being very wrong in this world. She watched the flames devour the leaf in a few beats of the heart until nothing was left.

She jumped when a hand reached for the fire and gave it another leaf to consume. Shimon stood next to her. Only one feet away. She had to tilt her head to look up at him.

"I know you've stolen my dagger," he said all of a sudden.

There was no hint of accusation in his voice. Nevertheless a gasp forced its way through her throat, only to be forced back by a lump; she had to swallow.

"You can trust me. I won't hurt you," he continued.

She wanted to believe him. She did already. A part of her believed. A part of her trusted him. Trusted in a part of him. The boy beneath the armor who had lend her his coat. Who devised with her plans and scouted the isle. Who had made her smile and jump. Who caused jitters in her belly when he had stood behind her to reach out for the mushrooms and who'd made a shiver of pleasure rush up her spine when their hands connected. But there was the other part, the obvious one shrieking in red as he had not put on his coat all day and she felt like she needed to finally talk about it, to overcome and leave it behind, "You are a soldier from Tsuchimikado."