An Endless Sphere

2.

Breath hitched, Zion stared into the eyes of Aster. The eyes that he had loved once, the very eyes that wanted to see him each morning, the eyes that had searched for him day and night when he had left. The world stilled as the past lovers saw each other for the very first time in years.

Aster's lips parted a little as coldness brew in her eyes. Choking on his breath, Zion continued to look at Aster as she maintained her poker face, as if she saw him every day, not shocked or surprised at all.

Heavy rain pounded, drenching the duo to the bones. "Aster..." Zion breathed, stunned looking at the violet eyed woman in front of him. As much as he wanted to leave, his feet seemed to act to their own accord. He remained glued to the spot as Aster tilted her face, stepping forwards and walking past him, she strode slowly to the way he came from. "Aster..." he spoke again, confused at her lack of expression of anything for that matter.

When she didn't listen to him, he stepped on her way and tried to grab her hand. The soft, feminine flesh of hers brought back memories they had spent together. "Aster!" his voice a little louder than intended as a thunder crackled nearby.

Aster stiffened. Her imagined Zion had never touched or even spoken to her. Looking up, she saw a swirl of emotions in his eyes, the eyes she had once loved, the eyes that only saw her as she flinched noticing the proximity of his hand, his touch.

With furrowed brow, Zion stared at the woman he once loved in front of him as she drew in a shocked breathed and held it there, as if forgotten how to breath. A sharp pained cry echoed around them, efficiently bringing them out of their stupor. "Father!" another voice sounded.

Aster and Zion ran towards the voices growing louder. The scene as they witnessed was a shocking one. Maximus lay on the ground clutching his feet, blood dripped from his forehead. "Baaba!" Zion shouted.

Helping Danila and Aster's father to pick and lay his father on the bed in a nearby room, Zion gently took off the shoe and looked at his father's injury. Hissing sharply at the blood gushing from his wound on the foot, Zion pressed lightly on it as a woman entered hurriedly with a bowl in her hands and footsteps sounded behind her.

"I am back, the weather..." the on comer spoke without realizing just who he was speaking too.

Bright blue eyes met the dark brown ones and they froze. The whole room could feel the frosty silence. Slowly, blue eyes left that of Zion's and widened at the look of Maximus. "What happened?" the man asked hustling towards Maximus and taking the bowls out of the woman's hands. "Thank you, Martha."

"I fell." Maximus stated clutching his head in pain and closed his eyes.

Pressing on Maximus's injured leg, the man pursued his lips. "Sprained." He said and his eyes once again met Zion's. Turning around he looked at Aster with a tilted head, scrutinizing her with his gaze.

"You shouldn't have run." Sage scolded, wiping the water from Maximus's hair.

"You ran?" the bright blue-eyed man questioned frowning.

"Father's concern wasn't his health but the arrival of his eldest son." Danila hissed "Or moreover, the departure."

Maximus mumbled; Zion's heart strained in pain at the condition of his father. Sighing, the man shook the hold of Zion on his father which earned him a glare, but he dressed Maximus with the expertise of a doctor as Aster slowly left the room murmuring about the change of clothes.

Rubbing his wife's shoulder, Michael looked at the man who now dressed Maximus's head injury. "Robin..." the silent command didn't go unnoticed by Zion who pursued his lips in anger. It was clear that this man was a regular and all-time favorite of everyone here.

"In five minutes." he answered calmly.

Zion's neck snapped towards Robin at his answer. Her parents didn't want to go after her instead they'd send him, why? Because, he's important to her. Maybe her beloved – his subconsciousness cackled.

Cursing internally, he glared at the man in front of him who rushed out the room without saying a word. Breathing deeply, Zion faced his father who hadn't taken his eyes off his son, as if he would vanish in an instant if he did.

Sipping their beverages, they all gathered in the living room. Zion supported his father as he settled down in the armed chair after having grumbled about how he wasn't a patient. Every pair of eyes turned towards Zion but his remained outside at the forsaken weather. What a cruel game fate plays, Zion met his loved ones but in a situation that neither they nor he could have handled and Aster, Zion's clenched his palms in frustration as her blank eyes came to his mind.

"Why are you here?" Aster's mother, Nargis scorned. He didn't need to look back to know that she was angry, her anger could be felt in waves as it rolled over to him. "Was it not enough what you did to her?"

"Mrs. Miller, please..." Maximus started.

"Father, she's right." Danila declared "It's enough what you did. Why are you back?"

The question weighed him down as the expectant eyes of his father looked at him. "I..." he stuttered "I didn't know she was here."

"After three years, you show your face and then you say, it wasn't for the sake of my daughter?" The angered voice of Michael asked. He had thought that Zion had finally come back for his one and only true love, Aster, but that wasn't the case. The buried hope that he had vanished in an instant.

His words were like knives to Zion's heart, closing his eyes he felt his heart break a little more this time. He had always seen Aster's parents as his, it was obvious, they were angry but so was he.

Didn't they see the heart break I went through due to her? – his subconscious growled. Shaking his head, he stood up. "I'll leave." He declared. From the corner of his eyes he could see a shadow move in the distance, not wanting to turn towards her, he closed his eyes and took his wet bag. "Now." He finished.

"You are not going anywhere!" Maximus roared "You won't leave me again. Do you understand that?"

Turning towards his father, he saw that he had stood from the support of his good leg. Clenching his jaw in anger, he looked at his father. "I will leave whenever and wherever I want to."

"Go then!" Danila shouted making Sage flinch back at his tone. "It would have been better if you hadn't come here at all."

"I told you, I didn't know everyone was here!" Zion barked "I had no clue she was here. If I had, I'd never..." his loud voice halted as Aster made her presence known. Chest heaving, he looked at her, their eyes met again. Burning lava with the frozen ones.

"Aster please..." Maximus's voice begged.

"Martha..." she spoke, her voice was like Allah's blessings to his ears which made his eyes close on their own. "Prepare the guest room at least until the weather clears up." His eyes snapped open at her command "Let the person be comfortable until then."

Choking on his breath, Zion looked at Aster as she left the room in silence at her command. "Isn't this your house?" Zion asked his father.

Chuckling bitterly, he shook his head. "Aster's." he answered. Raising his brows, Zion looked around surprised at the change of circumstances. "You were away a long-time son."