"No one told me those bitches could rise from the dead" Lui groaned, trying to push himself up. Shu kept his hands steady on the male's shoulders, protesting.
"Don't move, you're bleeding"
Lui didn't seem to have any intention of listening to Shu at the moment. The albino groaned in dismay, watching his friends engaged in fights with the Scorpions and the soldiers alike. His eyes shifted to Tatsu who hadn't moved from his earlier position. So they did not impress him, Shu thought. "Snowflake" Lui's voice caught him off guard. Shu moved his eyes to the White Tyrant. "You can let go of me, I can't sit here and-"
"No" Shu shut him off. He opened his mouth to say something else but a girl around their age ran up to them. Her blue hair bouncing in loose curls as he sat down. "Lui" She said and flicked her gaze to Shu. "You must be Shu"
Shu wordlessly nodded at the stranger. She dipped her head and started inspecting his wound, grimacing at the blood dripping down his clothes. "We need to take him for medical treatment. This looks plenty bad for me"
"I'm fine" Lui weakly objected.
"No you're not. Don't even bother answering" The girl muttered. Right at the cue, Gou was by their side. Shu didn't waste a second. They were fighting a losing battle. The only sensible answer was to retreat and attack when they have a solid plan, a goal in their mind. Or they will have more casualties than they could cope with at the moment.
"Gou" Shu turned to the male. "Take him back to safety" He said with a note of finality. He paid no attention to the White Tyrant's weak glare. It was almost as if he did not have any strength to word his discomfort. Gou nodded, hoisting Lui to his feet. Lui let out a pained groan, clutching to his side. Shu stood, the girl mimicked his actions. Her gaze burned against his skin. "You are?"
"Sasha" She answered after a beat.
"Okay" He said, turning to the podium where Ran was commanding the soldiers, yelling back and forth in a frenzy. Tatsu was just there, motionless and watching them like a hawk. His gaze slipped to the prisoner's area. They didn't have time to save all of them. Will they have time for anything at all? He quietly wondered, calculating, looking for answers. "Here's the plan" He said turning to Sasha who was still eyeing him sceptically. "You take everyone with you and retreat. I'll follow up with Free and Valt. We can't leave all the prisoners there"
"No" Sasha said, tightening her grip on the scythe she was holding. "I barely know you and those prisoners" She said, gesturing at them, swinging her weapon at a soldier who came charging at the duo mindlessly. "Are my responsibility too."
Shu let out an exasperated sigh. "But-"
She shook her head, "You listen to me" She said, "I don't know who you are and what position you hold among them. But right here, you're working to my plan and that doesn't include you"
Shu blinked, appalled by this hostility. But he prevented commenting on her behaviour instead, he drew out his axe and gestured at them. "All yours, princess" He muttered, trying to keep the cynicism out of his voice. But from the looks of it, he had failed to do so. She gave her a terrific glare, calling out to several of her comrades and charging straight to the thick of soldiers. Shu attacked several soldiers. His veins were pumping with adrenaline. His mind was driven with animated hatred towards Ran for hurting Lui.
He made a dash towards Free. The blond nodded at him almost as if he was expecting him. "What's the plan?" He asked, giving Shu a knowing smile. Shu scowled.
"Don't ask me." He mumbled, standing back to back with him. "That Sasha or whoever that is just lashed out at me and went to save the prisoners. And then there's Lui-" He stopped to attack another Scorpion swinging the vicious tail against them. It was getting clear. There was no way to win this. Retreat now, or else they'd lose a few precious lives in this chaotic struggle.
"We have to retreat" Free voiced Shu's thoughts. He glanced over at Sasha in a desperate struggle with the prisoners. "Shu, go and help them."
Shu scowled but nodded. "Let's get out of this hell"
He raced towards the prisoner's area. "Get back" He yelled at those whom he guessed to be their allies. It was perhaps a heroic struggle but there was no struggle that was worth throwing your life away when the result was clear: loss. Sasha grunted, but as she saw the flames licking his fingertips, she barked the order to the rest of the crew who wisely threw themselves back as the whole podium erupted in flames.
"Let's get out of here"
Sasha this time nodded, sensing the hopelessness of the situation. They did not have the time to save every single prisoner. But he would be lying if he said he did not feel the relief washing over him seeing Fubuki and Delta stumble out of the roaring flames, unscathed, uninjured. Ran was trying to order them around despite the flame spreading to the courts. The people were screaming, trying to get out of the massive gladiator rings. In the mayhem of activities, the group assembled together. The Scorpions were thrashing, trying to escape the flames, retreating back to their darkened cells. "Go" Free yelled. The roar of flames barely let his voice out.
Shu coughed to his hand, trying not to inhale the dark clouds of smoke. Valt tugged at his elbow. "I'm fine" Shu managed as they both stumbled out of the massive gates. The soldiers were trying hard to keep up with catching them but the chaos of screaming citizens and the raging flames slowed them down, allowing them to escape into the forest safely. They didn't stop. Sasha, who had taken the role of leading them guided through a maze of trees. At one point Shu was convinced they were lost. But Sasha somehow miraculously led them towards a magical barrier and behind it was another world. Straight out of a fairy tale.
Shu was always vigilant. Admired the nature and the beauty of it. Had many questions whenever he was confronted with a shift in background. But right now, his head was pounding with one single word, one single person lurking back and forth in his chaos of a mind. "Where's Lui?" His voice was frantic as his gaze slipped in between the small houses with people pouring out of them in impending silence and relief washing over their faces.
Sasha halfheartedly shrugged towards one of the corner small houses. "That's the healing-" Shu didn't wait for her to finish the sentence. He sprinted towards the house. The woman standing in front of the door tried to stop him, asking him to stay out of the room. Any other time, he would've listened, politely requested to go inside. But the image in his mind of Lui weakened and frail devastated him. Shu stepped forward without listening to her and walked into the room.
His heart was in his throat. Lui's still body was laid down on the bed. Two women were assisting a male healer who was trying to stop the blood seeping through the once white bandages wrapped around his torso. Shu noted the deadly pale complexion, the beads of sweat forming on his brow. Unable to move, the albino stood dead in his spot. Just staring at these strangers tending to him.
"Shu?" Gou, who was beside Lui, walked up to him.
"What's happening to him?" Shu asked at the same moment when Sasha stormed into the room, fuming:
"She told you to stay outside, didn't she?"
Shu looked over his shoulder at the girl. His gaze shifted towards the rest of the team, waiting by the doors, trying to capture any fragment of information about the White Tyrant. Gou shifted as tension rose through the room. The two stared down at each other in unspoken hostility. He obviously had no clue how to settle this and besides he had rarely seen Shu fuming, or angered. Thankfully, Zac squeezed himself in between them. Placing his hands on Shu's shoulders, he gently reassured. "Shooting star, calm down. Lui's going to be fine"
"I won't bet on it" The man who was going through the wounds said, drawing away.
Shu turned on his heel, "What do you mean?"
"He's taken a bad hit. It's hard to stop the poison. I've never heard of anyone surviving a Scorpion attack before. The moment they're attacked, the person is as good as dead"
Shu winced, "There has to be a way" He argued, taking a step forward in desperation. "Anything. Please"
The man hesitated sensing the despair in his voice. "There is one way" He hesitated, his gaze flicking to Sasha standing behind him.
"No" Her voice was firm. "Just don't even mention it"
"What is it?"
Sasha glared at the albino. "I said no"
"I didn't ask your opinion" He sneered, "I asked what is it?" His voice was raised like he had never done. His crimson eyes shining with newfound hatred.
Sasha on the other hand, looks no better. Her hand around her scythe tightened. "Your attitude is not helping your situation"
"Why do you have to be so secretive about this? His life is in danger, can't you see it?" Shu didn't attempt to keep the unkempt anger out of his voice. He was fuming, desperate, hopeless. He just wanted a way to save him.
"Shooting star" He heard Zac saying, tightening the grip on his shoulders. Shu had the sudden urge to slump back into his hold. But he held his ground, refusing to give into exhaustion.
"Sasha" The chestnut haired youngster intervened nervously. It seemed to others that seeing Sasha angry was not something they were used to either. "Let's just tell them. You saw Lui fight today. With him, we might really have a chance"
Her eyes wavered at his statement. For a moment Shu saw a speck of uncertainty pass between her eyes. She averted her face and gave him a simple nod. "It's the lunar flower"
"The cry of the solitary wolf" Shu found himself saying.
Sasha's eyes snapped up at him. "How the hell did you even know that phrase?"
Shu blinked in a daze. It was in the records, he remembered now. His uncle marvelled at the abilities of the flower and how the tales said it was hard to acquire. A quest near impossible. "I read about it," Shu revealed.
The girl eyed him suspiciously. "Anyway, the flower is impossible to harvest. You would be just throwing your life away."
"I'd do it," Shu protested. "Just tell me the way to get it. I'd go and do it"
Sasha's eyes shifted to Lui and then back to Shu. Her mind echoed what Zac said about them and now she could see what he said. Lui's devotion to rescuing Shu was just there in Shu. His devotion to saving the male on the brink of death was uncanny. She clicked her tongue, still finding herself unable to believe the accuracy and the truth in the chain of incidents. But Raul assured her that she could trust them and she didn't have any other way of saving the ones she loved. "I'd show you the way"
Shu blinked, surprised. "Thank you" There was no sarcasm. The initial scorn disappeared from his voice and for a flicker of a moment she wondered whether she had him misunderstood.
"I'd go with Shu" A voice offered. It was Free, his arms crossed. "I'm the leader of the team. It's my responsibility to protect everyone." His theory left anyone else no place to argue.
Shu nodded, "Okay." He was not an idiot. He precisely knew he'd end up collapsing if he used too much of his energy. He couldn't risk Lui's life because of his stupid sickness.
"Well then I'd join you guys too" Cuza said with a grin, "I know these paths better than Sasha anyway."
Sasha clicked her tongue, "It's decided. We're leaving now. C'mon"
Shu felt some of the burden lifting from his heart. Zac squeezed him one last time. "Be careful Shooting star" He said, giving him a light push. Shu nodded with a silent thank you, looking over at Lui one last time before heading out to get the medicine.
Both Valt and Free were standing by the edge of the village when he reached there. Sasha barely looked at him, Cuza to his credit grins up at him with a light wave. "Shu" Valt immediately said, walking to him. Shu knew what he was going to say. He knew he was worried but this wasn't about him. This was about Lui. This was about his life.
"I'd be fine," Shu answered before the question was voiced. "Don't worry Valt. I think it's better for others to stay here. In case of an attack comes up"
Valt hummed halfheartedly. Free sensed the worry passing between them. He wrapped one of his arms around Shu's shoulder. "Trust your best friend Valt. He survived Hyoketsu, he can survive anything" Then after a beat, he added. "Besides, if you tell Lui he's left alone with me, he might miraculously wake up"
Shu found himself smiling despite the burden in his mind. "Yeah," He said with a note of sadness. "He just might"
The group bid farewell to the watchers. The path as Sasha and Cuza seem to say, was not much hard to go through. They passed enormous rivers, clear brooks and even majestic waterfalls. It was like the world had turned mystical, unrealistic. Almost as if you had stepped into a fairytale and the real world was far away. And inside this sweet bubble of delusions, Shu felt untouchable. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he didn't feel the gnawing pain in his lungs. Free was behind him. Sasha and Cuza were in front of him, slashing away at the bushes with various flowers, their petals glistening in the evening sunlight.
"We're almost there," Cuza announced. Since they started the journey, the boy barely stepped on the ground. He was most above the ground, skipping from one tree to the other. Not stumbling in the least. It was almost as if he had become one with nature. Shu envied that freedom, the lightness in his feet allowing him to fly. He was perched on top of a tree that they could barely see his tanned limbs from where they were standing. "I can see the hill"
"Hill?" Free inquired, quickening his pace to walk beside Shu.
"Yeah" Sasha answered. Her voice held no cruel note when she spoke to others, Shu noticed gingerly. "It's just as the phrase goes: the cry of the solitary wolf. Lunar flowers are rare and they're always guarded by a wolf. Not just any wolf, lunar wolves" She explained, not stopping. "A lunar wolf is a wolf born while there's a moon eclipse. They are known to be mysterious and ferocious. It's hard to tame them. If you did not earn her trust, you're as good as dead. Even so, getting flowers
is tricky. The wolf is there to protect the flower and when someone plucks it, the wolf is left with no purpose. Some say the wolf of the flower kills itself after being left without a purpose"
"That's pretty dark," Free commented as they started their course towards the hill. It wasn't a long way to the top of the hill. But Shu felt the rush of adrenaline slowly fading away. He subconsciously touched his bracelet of Crystal Flowers. His fingertips grazed the cool silver of it. A part of him ached for Lui's company. They only reunited to be ripped apart again. A hand touched his shoulder, driving away the image of Lui lying still on that bed. His face lost its colour, his eyes firmly closed. He just wanted to see that deep violet gazing adoringly at him. Was that too much to ask? "Shu, are you feeling alright?"
Shu nodded at Free, "I'm fine. Just thinking"
Free hummed, not pushing him anymore. He liked this about Free. The way he understood the unspoken words, the way he could easily comprehend the thought pattern of another.
They arrived at the top of the hill as the golden rays of sunbeams cast upon their warm skin. It was a vast plain of lush greenery. Flowers dancing to the tune of the evening breeze, discarded petals cascading their own solo performance, whirling around them like pixies twirling to the unspoken tunes of a lyre. At the far end of the plain was the Lunar flower. As soon as his crimson eyes touched the sight of it, his breath caught in his throat.
Majestic was an understatement. The flower was ethereal, delicate, graceful, tenuous. When Sasha talked about it, Shu had in mind a single flower on a solitary bush. But there were two flowers, their vines tangled against each other, almost caught in a tight embrace. The transparent crescent shaped petals were glowing in the sunlight. An eerie silvery, luminous glow sparkling as if it was beaded with diamonds. This was the flower. The exquisite lunar flower his uncle had mentioned. Right down to its name, the flower deserved every single fragment of fame it was given. "Don't just stare at the flower" Sasha whispered, guiding his eyes to the creature curled in sleep under the foot of the flower bush.
Even in the semi darkness of the shadow, Shu could see the wolf. White, clean fur framing her body. Sensing their arrival, she stood. It was a She-wolf, Sasha explained to them earlier. When the wolf growled, the air seemed to reverberate around them, echoing it thousands of times. The beady dark eyes glared at the intruders as it circled the Lunar flower, not daring to come and attack them. She was trying to protect the flower, Shu noted. "Now what?" Cuza asked, just as stunned as they were by the dominating appearance of the wolf.
"I'll fight," Shu said, summoning his axe. If Free had any objections he didn't voice them. Instead he just uttered:
"If things get rusty, I'm going to interrupt and help you. And that isn't a request"
Shu nodded, "Okay" He said, grateful Free didn't stop him from stepping into the attack. Cuza and Sasha just watched as Shu stepped forward. The Wolf growled, marking his territory with low grumbles and circling. Shu cautiously inched forward, axe ready in hand. Spinning the axe wordlessly, he waited till the wolf attacked.
She did. Just when Shu crossed the territory and stepped onto the inner circle of the flower. From here he could catch the sweet, sugary scent wafting out the flower. The wolf raced towards him. Her paws were aimed at his chest. Shu swiftly moved out of her way in one graceful movement. One hand lit with fire, the other armed with an axe, he attacked. The wolf was clever. She dodged and pounced on Shu, driving him to the ground. Sasha's words rang inside his head, tame her. You need to tame her.
Shu dropped the axe to the ground and brought his knee to her stomach. The wolf growled, its claws sinking to his shoulders. Shu pressed his palms flat on the ground and pushed himself upward. The wolf, startled by his actions, stumbled backwards. Shu launched himself towards the beast, capturing it in a headlock, tightening his grip around her neck, he waited.
The wolf struggled, growled and kicked her paws to the ground in an attempt of escape. But Shu's firm hold kept her in place. In utter helplessness, the wolf opened her jaws wide and locked Shu's wrist in between them. Shu sucked in a breath. The strong teeth sank into his flesh, tearing off his skin. Tame her, his mind whispered.
There was a way to tame these animals. It was a battle of dominance. To show who held the upper hand. The moment someone proved themselves superior to this beast, it surrendered under the hand of that power. The black beaded eyes were staring up at him, daring him to give up. Shu glared back, the fiery passions emanating from those crimson made the wolf hesitate. Shu felt the jaws slack at a moment of weakness. He tore his hand from her hold and hauled the massive beast over his shoulder pinning her to the ground.
Dead end.
The she-wolf struggled, growling and slipping. Shu held his tight grip, one of his hands lit with fire ready to attack. Shu didn't have any intention of injuring the beast. His only goal was taming her and the rising flames licking his fingertips despite his wrist dripping with blood awed the wolf. It stopped struggling and twisted her head to look at him. Shu raised his brow in question, "Giving up now?"
He didn't know how much the wolf understood but as he drew away from her, he was cautious of another attack. But the wolf didn't attack. Her eyes were drawn to the flames licking his fingertips. After a beat of agonising silence, she dropped into her front paws in a bowing motion. And Shu knew this was it. The wolf was tamed.
Shu kept his eyes trained on the wolf as he stepped towards the flowers. She didn't make any attempt to attack him. Instead, she just watched sitting where she was as the albino plucked the two flowers, careful not to drench them with his own blood. Free was ready with open hands as he walked straight into his hold, dropping his head into the blond's shoulder in pure exhaustion. "That was awesome" He mused, patting his locks. Shu drew away from him with a tired smile. He gestured at the flowers.
"Now what?"
"We'd have to get these to Lui quickly," Sasha said. She was assessing his wounds, Shu noticed as her eyes flicked and danced on his badly torn off wrist and clawmark dripping red on his shoulders. "Cuza" She turned, "If we all tried to get back to Pisces it would be too late. You take them before it gets dark. We'd be right behind you."
Cuza nodded eagerly, turning to Shu who still held the flowers like a prized possession. Free nodded at him, "You can trust them Shu. They'd get to Lui in time"
Trusting Free's words, the male handed the flowers to the tan male. With a quick goodbye, he disappeared into the woods. Shu could only hope he'd reach in time. He knew it was coming when his knees buckled underneath him. Free wrapped an arm around his shoulder carefully lowering him to the ground. "Careful. We'd stay the night here."
"No" Shu weakly protested. "We need to get back to Lui"
"Shu" Free's voice was firm. "Cuza will get the medicine in time. You need the rest. We can't risk your life, can we?"
Sasha stared at the exchange. "I mean if we dress up his wounds he can gain back his strength to go to the Pisces"
Shu and Free exchanged glances. If only that were the case. She didn't know about the other symptoms that Free was used to seeing. The blonde shook his head, "No" He said, "We'll stay the night here. It's not only about the wound" His vague answer was not enough for Sasha to see what was going on. But she didn't question more. Shu found himself giving up. There was no use trying to change Free's mind when he was dead set on something. "Okay"
"What are we going to do with her?" Sasha asked, gesturing at the wolf. She was sitting just a few feet away from them, watching and analysing. But the relaxed posture didn't hint at any attacks. The beaded eyes were clearly focused on Shu.
Before Free could answer Shu wheezed beside him, clutching to his chest. His robes were bloodied. "Shit" He muttered, reaching for Shu's bracelet. The crystal flower bloomed under his fingertips in mere minutes. As Free squeezed the liquid into Shu's mouth through his parted lips, he held him with a firm grip around his shoulders.
Before a minute passed, Shu threw himself forward moaning in pain. His body doubled over, shivering. This was the effect of the Crystal flower when there was no ice user to help him ease the pain. Shu curled his fingers on Free's hand, his nails biting into the blond's pale skin. He didn't mind, instead he tried to soothe the albino. But he was bewildered. Free had no idea how Lui could watch him through all this pain. Well, if he was here Shu wouldn't be in this much pain in the first place.
After the tremors slowly died, Shu was allowed breathing space. He panted, craving all the air rushing against his lungs, greedily inhaling this sweet sense of relief. "Thanks" He murmured to Free who only nodded.
Sasha was quiet during the whole incident. Unresolved questions rang around her mind. "What was that?"
Free snapped his focus to her. Only then remembering they had company. "It was something-" He stopped, finding it was hard to describe.
Sasha waved her hands. She pulled out a fresh cloth out of her pocket and knelt in front of the albino. "Give me your hand. It's bleeding too much"
Shu drowsily did as he was told. His half-lidded crimson eyes staring numbly as she tightened the knot stopping the blood. Then she moved her hands to his shoulders. Slipping the robe off, she stared at his milky skin, scarred with claw marks but decided they were not fatal. "They'd stop bleeding in a few"
Shu hummed, leaning heavily against Free. He took off his outer robe and wrapped it around the albino trying to give him a sense of comfort against the cold breeze. It was twilight, Shu stared at the sky coloured in a kaleidoscopic crimson and orange.
Everyone was too distracted to notice the wolf inching towards them. Careful steps without much of a sound. It was only when it was just a few feet away that Sasha let out a cry of alarm readying her scythe. But then she stopped. Free also tried to attack but held back seeing the relaxed manner of the beast. It walked straight towards Shu and stared for a good few seconds. Shu held her gaze. The wolf inched forward, carefully watching, assessing. She nuzzled against the cloth in his wrist. Shu's hesitant palm rested on the top of her head and soon, it was nuzzling against his palm, affection pouring over those previously hostile eyes. The wolf spun in circles a few times finally settling beside Shu, her head resting on his lap. Without a care in the world she closed her eyes with one last whine.
"You actually tamed it," Sasha said in fascination. "She's going to follow you for the rest of your life. That's what I've heard about these wolves"
Shu blinked, baffled. He was fighting hard to stay awake. "What do you mean?"
"The Lunar flower is one purpose in their lives. When it is lost, it finds something else to protect or kills herself and in this case, she gestured at the wolf comfortably nuzzling against him, fast asleep. "She sees you as a master"
Free snorted, "Congratulations, Lui's going to be jealous"
Shu gave him a drowsy smile. "I can hear him yelling" Free ruffled his hair with a reassuring hum.
"You'll get to see him quick, now rest"
"Not tired" He mumbled to no one in particular. Even Sasha's eyes glinted in amusement as Shu kept fighting a losing battle, finally surrendering to exhaustion.
Sasha crouched a bit away from them, she played with a strand of grass, idly staring at the scenery in front of them. "It wasn't the injuries, was it?"
Free leaned against one of the trees. Shu still slumped heavily against him. "Kind of. It's complicated. You'd have to ask either him or Lui"
Sasha shrugged, "I've seen something like that before"
This piqued Free's interest. He looked at her, "Where?"
"My little sister," She answered. A dark veil of sorrow and anxiety passed through her eyes. "Nevermind." Free wanted to ask questions but the way her face closed off at the mention of her sister didn't urge his want. Instead, he let silence prevail.
"I can see that," Sasha suddenly said. "How they are together I mean" She frowned, choosing her words carefully. "As in love"
"You look surprised"
"It's not the thing one assumes" Sasha muttered, snapping a twig in half.
Free hummed thoughtfully, "I guess. Why do you hate him?"
"I don't" Sasha scowled, "It's just he won't be my favourite person."
"Don't be quick to judge him" He uttered with a small smile. "He's actually a nice guy"
Sasha didn't answer him. Instead she eyed the wolf and then the male fast asleep.
"Let's see"
---
When Shu opened his eyes the next day, he was met with a cluster of sunbeams grazing his skin. The sun just rising from the east, the fragile warmth of it comforted the worries festering inside his mind. He sat down, one hand rubbing over his eye as he glanced at Free, dozed off beside him. His strong arms crossed against his chest. It was almost as if he had kept watch all night long and only allowed himself to give in to the urge to sleep under the security light brought. Careful not to wake him, Shu stood up, making his way towards the rush of water.
The wolf was right beside him. She yawned, exposing her strong jaws and the sharp teeth, gleaming white caught in the reflecting glow of the sun. Shu winced, nursing his wrist. It felt unreal that his hand was still attached to his arm.
When he stepped towards the brook through the cluster of trees, he was met with the familiar sight of the girl. She didn't turn, not even when a twig snapped under his foot, not even when he walked to her and slumped to the ground beside her, dipping his grateful fingers into the crystal clear, cool water.
"How's your wrist?" She asked.
Shu nodded, carefully uncovering the cloth to reveal the jagged wound running across his wrist. The reddish skin turns to a deep crimson closer to the edges. He lowered it to the stream and winced at the contact with water but he knew what would follow. The sweet sensation of losing feeling when the icy water numbs his skin. "It looks fine. Thank you"
She hummed, her eyes analysing him, studying him. "Thank you for coming with us too," Shu uttered, raising his hand from the water. "I'm sorry I was rude to you yesterday" His crimson eyes were now trained on her, "I was wrong. I was just trying to-"
"Save Lui, I know"
The word I know caught his attention. He wondered what she meant by it. Does she know about everything? The relationship between him and Lui? Or was she just referring to his feelings in general?
As if reading his mind, Sasha answered. "Zac told me that you two" She averted her gaze, flushing pink. Shu mused at her actions. Was she surprised? Confused?
"Do you think it's weird? Because both of us are guys?"
Sasha shrugged, "I guess. I haven't seen anything like that. So, I thought it was some cruel joke to take our attention to saving you"
Shu tilted his head, washing the cloth. The droplets of water turn pinkish as the cloth bleeds into the brook, the whiteness coming back as the blood fades away. "I can see where you're coming from" He answered patiently. There was a heavy weight on his side where the Wolf was leaning against him. Leisurely looking at both of them as if she was listening to everything. Just like another human. "Don't think about it too much. Let's just focus on the task at hand"
Sasha nodded, standing up. "It's already morning. We better leave. I guess you'd want to meet Lui as soon as possible"
At the mention of his name, Shu's thoughts wavered again. He wrapped his wrist carefully and mimicked her actions. Praying to all gods for Lui to be fine. He had been through his worst, Shu didn't want to fail Lui. Shu had been saved by his hands countless times, and now, he wanted to return the favour. To assure the White Tyrant he cares too. He really does.
---
The village was eerily quiet. The thatched roofs of the huts glistening in the burning mid afternoon sun. Children's gazes perk up from the corners of the houses, all plays forgotten as they stole uneasy glances.It was the wolf, Shu noticed. The graceful, enchanting yet deadly creature following them, beaded eyes judging and cautious. A crowd had gathered in front of the healing hut. Zac was in the far back, tapping his foot nervously against the ground with Orochi.
"Shu!" Xander, who noticed him, called out. With his voice several heads turned to the arriving group. With his heart thundering in his chest, Shu stepped to them. His eyes refused to see through the slightly ajar door, fearing what lay beyond it.
"Shooting star! He's awake"
Those were the magic words. Shu pushed past the crowd, opening the door. He stopped, looking at him, seated on the bed talking to Gou and Valt. He looked fine. A heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders. Shu leaned heavily against the doorframe, relaxing.
Lui stood, despite the crowd, the onlookers he opened his arms. Shu stepped right into them, tucking his chin in the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth enveloping him, feeling the familiar fingertips in his hair. "You got me worried," Lui murmured. Shu felt the feathery kiss placed upon his hair.
He huffed, "You telling me," Shu said, parting from the embrace. His finger accusingly pointed at him. His voice rising ever-so-slightly.
Lui shrugged nonchalantly, "You're overreacting"
"You almost died and you're telling me I'm overreacting?" Shu stomped his foot on the ground. He turned his head from Lui to Valt. "See Valt? "This asshole, this idiot-" He stopped, watching the amusement dancing in those hazel eyes. He huffed again, "Nevermind. I'm leaving"
He turned when Lui laughed, gripping on his wrist to stop him from walking away. His cold fingers lightly held his injured wrist. "Calm down, Snowflake. I'm fine"
"He's not" Gou states, "He's supposed to rest for at least a full week."
Lui sent him a murderous glare. "I'm. Fine."
"No" Gou's voice was firm. "You're resting"
Shu hummed along with Gou with a satisfied grin. "Yes, you're resting"
Lui threw his hands up in frustration when Sasha finally cleared her throat, making them aware of the audience by the door. Most of the crowd had dispersed leaving only their team members behind. Shu found Free missing and immediately understood the male might've gone to take some rest. For all he knew, Free probably stayed up the whole night keeping watch and he deserved the rest. "Well" Zac said, clapping his hands. "We'll better leave you to it" He winked suggestively.
Shu stared, baffled. "Huh?"
"Yes, leave us," Lui confirmed from behind. "To it"
Valt followed Gou out of the door, his gaze lingering on the bandaged hand and Shu's bloody shoulder for a second long. He didn't comment, instead he smiled, touching his elbow. "You're amazing, Shu'' With that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Lui and him staring into the darkness of the room, only illuminated by the bare sunlight filtering through the shapeless windows.
"Snowflake?"
Shu turned to Lui, snapping off from his daze. It was then he realised no one had questioned about the injuries. They didn't reach out to him worriedly like they would've done a few months ago. A slight flame burned inside his heart. The signs were all there and Shu felt his mind picking all the emotions in those eyes apart. They are finally seeing him as an equal. Not a child, a fragile princess needed to be cared for and pampered. "Snowflake?" Lui asked again, his questioning violet eyes focused upon him.
"Mhm?"
"There's a creepy looking beast standing right behind you."
The wolf. She might've hidden herself when the crowd gathered by the door. The creaking of the floor when she inched towards them broke the silence. "That's my new pet," Shu said, kneeling to run his hands through the velvety fur on her. She warmed up to his touch, nuzzling against his hand with open affection.
"Oh?" Lui knelt beside Shu, reaching to pat her locks when the Wolf snarled, jumping back. Lui clicked his tongue, "I don't like him"
"Her" Shu corrected, "And the feeling is mutual I'd say"
"What's her name?"
Shu paused, Lui did have a point. If she's going to stay with him there was no use resisting it or the companionship she relentlessly offered. "Lunar" Shu confirmed, "Her name is Lunar"
Lui shrugged, standing. His wince didn't go unnoticed by the albino. "You should rest, Lui" He said, following the male to the bed. Lui sat on the bed, and patted the space beside him, his eyes sweeping over the figure of the Wolf, now hunched in the corner of the room.
Shu sat down and turned to look at Lui. "What happened back there Snowflake?"
A faint smile hovered over his lips. "Nothing much, I promise. Did someone say something?"
"That kid Fubuki said you were taken by them for a while. And those wounds"
"Oh" Shu averted his gaze to his lap. "It's nothing. I'd tell you if you take a rest now"
Lui snorted, reaching to tap his cheek. "Well played, Snowflake"
Shu smiled in return, patting his lap. Lui lied down without further resistance, his head resting on Shu's lap as his slender fingers dipped into his locks, grazing faintly against his skull. Lui hummed in contentment, his eyes still focused on the scarlet ones.
Shu raised his brow in questions when he felt Lui's fingers moving along his silky white robe before skin met skin. Shu inhaled when they touched his waist, the cold fingers sending chills down his spine. "Lui" Shu murmured, lowering his face until their lips met in a feathery kiss. "Sleep" He murmured against his ear, pulling away.
Lui squeezed the muscle on his side one last time before letting go and folding his hands behind his head. "Don't leave"
Shu nodded, "I wasn't planning to"
The albino watched as his eyes slipped close, his breath getting even under the eerie light of the sunbeams cast across his face. His hand wandered to the side of his skin. "Rest well Ice Prince" He said to no one in particular leaning back on his hands. A great burden relaxing from his shoulders. Everything seems to turn out just fine.
---
Free stretched his arms, yawning. His blonde locks mussed from at least three hours of sleep. After arriving at Pisces and making sure Lui is alright, he strayed from the crowd to the closest cluster of trees. He had been resting the whole day on top of a tree, leaning back against the uneven trunk brushing roughly against his back. He stepped skillfully on the branch, jumping down to see what had awoken him. It was Valt. "Hi" Free yawned again, rubbing the sleep off his eyes.
"It's almost dinner, everyone is asked to gather in the dining room" He took a step towards him, dramatically whispering. "Seems like Sasha really needs information"
Free chuckled, ruffling his hair, "I wouldn't blame her, I'm just surprised it took her this long. It's time to get some good allies Valt"
They started their way towards the main building in the village. The paper screen doors were opened, the dark wooden posts glistening against the evening sun. The aroma of fresh fruits, savoured meat and cooked plantains welcomed their nostrils. "Suddenly I'm starving" Free grinned, looking at Valt who looked equally enthralled by the various smells invading their senses.
"You're always starving" A voice said, driving their attention away from the food. Lui and Shu stood behind them, the former looking pointedly at Free.
"Hey Shu!" Valt chirped, skipping his way to his best friend. Shu smiled with a subtle wave.
"Hey, and Lui you have something to say, right?" Free noticed Shu was smiling a little too brightly, nudging the White Tyrant with his elbow. Lui looked rather annoyed with the gesture. "Lui" He said, dragging off the last syllable way too long than needed.
Free raised his brow, amused. "You have something to say, Lui?"
"Thank you" He murmured, averting his gaze to the ground, a rare blush creeping across his cheeks.
Free looked at Shu and Valt with his brow raised, "You guys heard something?"
Lui whipped his head toward him, "Don't test me De La Hoya"
"That doesn't sound very grateful, Lui" Free shot back with mock sorrow. Shu patted Lui's back sympathetically, not bothering to hide his smile.
"There there, Ice prince. I'm so proud of you"
His eye twitched in annoyance, "You're on thin ice, Snowflake"
Shu shrugged, he missed this. He missed the playful banter and it's for the first time after they have come to the Dark Continent they found peace among themselves. It had been a calamity one after another from the beginning. "Let's go and eat," Valt interrupted, dragging them in.
The rattle of the plates and the clatter and din filled the air. The long wooden table was filled with both the Pisces team and their own. Dishes filling the space between them. Stripes of meat dipped in honey, wheatcakes and slabs of cheese just beside bowls of apples, oranges. The smell of saffron and cinnamon filled the air, slightly diminished with the scent of vegetables minced together in salads. It was a feast.
"Join in guys!" Xander chirped, seeing them standing by the door.
The four made their way through the crowd and settled down near the head of the table where Sasha was sitting, her watchful eyes on them. "Where's the wolf?" She asked.
"Back in the healing room" Shu said, settling himself beside Lui. "I'll bring her something to eat later."
Sasha nodded. She cleared her throat, and everyone went quiet. "I have a special guest to introduce." She looked towards the door, "Come in"
A man walked in. Shu inhaled sharply, almost falling back in surprise. There he was, the commander of Ran's army: Tatsu standing in front of them. His monotonous cold expression was replaced with a cheerful smile that reached up to his eyes. "Nice to meet you all" He said as Shu uttered the same moment.
"What are you doing here?"
Sasha looked in between them as Lui asked the question burning inside all their minds. "Do you know him?"
Shu shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah. He's the commander of Ran's army."
Sashs gestured at the seat closest to her. He sat down, just a few seats away from Shu and the albino could feel the uneasiness shifting in his stomach. "He works for us" Sashs started, "He's been giving us information for a while now but according to him we didn't have a chance at attacking them" She stopped, looking at each of them. "Until now"
"So we have a chance now?" Cuza questioned, his eyes trained on Tatsu.
He leaned forward, his chin resting on his folded arms. "We might have a chance"
"Care to tell us why didn't you warn us about the regenerating ability of the Scorpions?" An icy cold voice intervened. It was Delta. The crimson eyed male had been quiet the whole time. Fubuki and Aiger were sitting either side of him holding Tatsu's gaze, both their eyes questioning.
"It's the same as I told you, you need to convince me that you're going to win if you want information. And he" He jut out his chin towards Lui, "If the new gang you gathered consist of people like him, you all will have a chance at winning"
"But how?" Aiger's impatient voice asked.
Tatsu smiled, "Calm down, your highness, you'll get the kingdom back but patience is the key here."
"Highness?" Valt whispered, "What does he mean?"
"Oh, didn't you know?" Tatsu seemed more than happy to decipher every tangle in front of them, but before he could explain the situation Sashs raised her palm.
"That's enough. I'll tell them but before that, we need information on each of you."
"That can be done easily"
Sasha turned to Zac, "Go on"
Zac shifted his gaze to Free who nodded. "I trust them, we'd need their help."
Upon his acceptance, Zac spoke. "The kingdoms of the outside world have united to go against the evil forces ruling this continent. It didn't happen overnight, we found a string of suspicious attacks started from this island and eventually decided it was too risky to let this place prevail when they are clearly a threat to our land"
Sasha nodded, "So, you group are here as the informants?"
"We're here to save the kingdoms who are under the influence of the two Demon kings. They want to riot but only need hope, we're here to give that" Free added, turning to Sasha. "I know you loathe that rule and have some private vengeance upon them. We're here to help."
"Who are you?"
"The son of King Dorein," Free said, looking her in the eye. "Free De La Hoya, the heir to the crown" His dignified, deep voice echoed in the now silent room. Free had that impact on people, Shu noticed. The impact sends shivers down their spine, making them respect them without the help of mere words. He was like Lui in that way.
Tatsu smiled, turning to Lui. "And you are?"
"Heir to the Hyoketsu throne, Lui Shirosagi" Lui answered.
"I knew the movements you showed were none from a family of commoners."
Lui just nodded. Sasha blinked, "Are you all from royal families?"
"Not everyone," Wakiya said, absent-mindedly nibbling on a piece of meat. "I'm from a noble family, and there are commanders' sons here. Shu, Valt, Xander, Lui, Free and Zac are the only princes in the crew"
Sasha looked at Shu, disbelieving. Shu gave her a sheepish smile. "Uh yeah, Shu Kurenai, heir to the Moeru throne"
"B-but you two" She pointed between Lui and Shu.
"What about it?" Lui asked cooly, plucking an apple from the nearest basket and twirling it in his hand.
"Their forbidden love is so romantic" Zac piped in with a dramatic flip of his hair, "They are both heirs to the throne and even I have no idea what's going to happen"
"Are you messing with us?" Sasha suddenly asked, her voice rising in agitation and disbelief. Shu pursed his lips, looking down at his lap when Lui sighed beside him. He dropped the apple back into the basket.
"Let me show you how real this is"
With that he dipped a hand under Shu chin, tilting his face upwards. Before the albino could utter a word or muster any kind of reaction, Lui's lips were on Shu's tasting each corner of those soft rose petal lips, drinking in the flavour and the sweetness it always gave. Shu just sat there, one of his hands still resting on the table, his other hand planted firmly on the floor beside the cushion he was sitting on. His cheeks painted bright red as Lui pulled away with one last brush of their lips. "There"
The room had fallen into a stunning silence. Shu blinked, slowly regaining his composure. The hell? He inwardly groaned, placing his hands on his lap, his knuckles white from clutching to his robes. Sasha's mouth was dropped open in disbelief.
"W-what- how" She stumbled across her sentence, "Don't do such disgraceful things in the dinner table"
"To be fair" Tatsu said, biting to the flesh of a bright green apple, "You kind of drove them to it"
"Exactly" Lui was again playing with the fruit bowl, picking up an orange this time. "So, I hope that's enough evidence we're not messing with anyone. Now it's your turn, who are you?"
"The former princess of Pisces, Sasha Guten"
"Former?" Honcho asked.
"Yes. My family was massacred and my little sister was abducted. I'm the only royal blood that's left in the land." A grim veil of sorrow was painted over her eyes and none of them urged her to go on. When someone was trying to speak through grief, it was better to let them speak on their own accord, their own space. Trying to force or urge it out of them is like trying to milk a barren cow. Useless and increasingly painful. "After that attack we had to put on the barrier and then after several months the royal family of Scorpio escaped from the clutches of Ran and took refuge here."
Everyone's eyes are on Aiger. "Yes" Sashs continued, "It's Aiger Akabane, the Prince of Scorpio."
"Wait" Silas interrupted, "If you're the Prince how did you not know about the regeneration ability of the Scorpions?"
"The secret of the Scorpions was passed down to generations when they took the crown from the former king but before my grandfather could reveal the secret, he was killed. My father tried his best, went through so many ancient scrolls to figure out the abilities and the well-guarded secret to no avail, it's around that time Ran attacked" His gaze shifted to Tatsu, "And all this time, you knew about it and didn't tell anyone"
Tatsu just shrugged. Aiger stood up, startling everyone, anger seeping through his face. Fubuki stood up beside him, a hand on his elbow. "Aiger, calm down"
Aiger looked as if he would ignore the blonde at first but calmed down. He sat down, his face scrunched up, his arms crossed across his chest as he gazed darkly at Tatsu who was leisurely enjoying the food.
"And you?" Shu asked, trying to cut through the tension. The initial embarrassment was settled after the matters went from their relationship towards the ongoing ones.
"I'm the son of a noble from the Scorpio kingdom. My parents went on hiding in the nearby villages but I wasn't at home that day." He didn't finish the story but Shu could make out the rest of it from the way he spoke. He might've probably gotten caught by Ran's army when he was out of his house.
Tatsu cleared his throat, his mischief mask slipped from his face as the air grew solemn. "Well then, I'll tell you the truth about the Scorpions but remember" His gaze shifted from each and everyone, calmly emphasising the point that will soon follow. " After I've given the truth, only you can make it possible, I won't be able to aid you openly, but if you guys do get the scorpions and destroy that nest, I'll be able to aid you with my army."
Sasha nodded, "We understand and we will destroy the Scorpion nest"
Tatsu leaned forward, "Okay then. The Scorpion legend falls far back to the legendary period of this continent. It's said that a legendary king called Zodiac divided this land into 12 kingdoms. Each one was given to one of his sons for they might not kill, or destroy each other over land or kingdoms. The Scorpion kingdom was given to the eleventh son with a nest of scorpions for the protection of the kingdom."
There was dead silence in the room as they listened. Shu unconsciously leaned forward in wonder. His crimson eyes filled with the yearning for information. "At first,"Tatsu continued, "They were there for protection. They saved the kingdom from many enemies and they were not corrupted with human blood."
Aiger nodded, "And then Ran gave them the taste of it."
"Yes, and after that instead of protecting them they became the curse of the whole kingdom. The only way to stop them is to destroy the nest."
"And how do we do that?" Delta asked, getting impatient.
Tatsu grinned, "There are twelve scorpions and they have regenerative abilities. That's what all of you know. But actually, there are thirteen Scorpions. The last one, the queen of the nest never comes out. Have you seen all the Scorpions taking pieces of meat with them when they depart?"
Fubuki grimaced, "Yes, I have seen"
"That's for the queen. They protect the queen with all their might because when the Scorpion queen is dead, their regenerative abilities disappear. The truth is simple as that"
"You mean, all these time there had been another Scorpion living in the castle and we did not know?"
Lui snorted at Aiger's acclamation. Aiger turned, his eyes glaring at the White tyrant watching everything exposed with amused eyes. Shu elbowed him on the side, successively shutting him up. "Yes" Tatsu broke the tension, "You know that there are so many underground tunnels connected to the castle, right? The mother Scorpion, or the queen is in the farthest tunnel"
"But" Fubuki interrupted him, his eyes narrowing. "It is impossible to navigate your way through that maze. I've heard people have died there being unable to find their way back to the surface"
"You mean there are no maps to lead us?"
Fubuki shook his head at Shu. "There are actually, but none of them are correctly drawn. Rumour says there are parts that haven't been explored just yet"
Honcho who was keeping silent finally leaned back, baffled. "You guys make it sounds impossible to track the mother Scorpion"
"It is and it is not"
"What do you mean?" Free asked from Tatsu. The man stood up and started pacing back and forth across the room, deep in thought.
"The maps are hard to decipher, but if you went through it there is a chance to find the Scorpion. It's a plan with many risks"
"But if we want to finish the mother Scorpion, we need to take this risk" Valt affirmed. Everyone nodded, it was settled. This mission seemed impossible and some might even lose their lives but this was a task that had to be done for their survival. If they could kill the mother scorpion and dissolve the regenerating abilities of the other scorpions, Ran's strongest power would crumble.
Tatsu looked across the determined teenagers sitting around the table with a satisfied smile. He pulled out a map and handed it over to Sasha. "Best of luck, Princess" He said, taking a deep bow. With that, he twirled around, "I hope you all come back alive" He walked out of the room with one hand raised up as a gesture of farewell.
After his dramatic exit, they fell into a silence as Sasha studied the map. She wrinkled her brows in confusion, "This is a mess"
"May I?" Shu asked uncertainly. He wasn't still sure whether Sasha trusted him. Surprisingly enough, she passed over the map. Shu turned to it just to find the girl was right. The tunnels were a jumbled mess, overlapping with each other and some of the tunnels didn't have the endings drawn but if they traced it down, it was possible to track a way to the farthest corner of the tunnel.
Sasha stood from her spot and made her way to Shu. She leaned forward, looking over his shoulder studying the map herself. "You see it?"
Shu nodded, biting his lip, trying to keep track just from the use of his eyes alone. Sasha, sensing the difficulty ordered to clear the table and once done, the duo laid the map flat on the surface of the wood and started to clear out a path through the tangled and flawed map.
"Well then" Sisco interrupted, "I'm leaving the geniuses to figure that out." He looked over to Valt. "Want to train?"
Valt jumped up instantly, and dragged Honcho and Wakiya with them. Cuza followed them close. Soon, the crowd dispersed, each of them walking away to complete their own tasks, or train. Lui touched Shu's elbow, taking his attention. The albino tore his gaze away from the map to him.
"I'm going to rest for a while. If you need something you know where to find me"
Shu nodded, worry etched over his face. It was weird enough Lui himself agreed he needed rest, and the albino could see the dark bags under his eyes. The wound was causing him pain much more than he let on. "Okay" He said, "rest well. I'll be back after this"
Lui nodded, and without another word, he left the room. Shu's eyes lingered on the door for quite a few seconds. "He'll be fine" Sasha traced her finger across the map, not bothering to look at him.
"Yeah, hopefully" Shu muttered, turning back to their work. The duo started to mark all the possible paths without much danger. But inside their hearts, they were aware of one crystal clear fact. They had to be really careful while they planned this whole ordeal and no matter how careful they might be, none of them could guarantee that all of them would be able to come out alive.
Hey!! Worlds Apart is officially back and running! HELL YEAAA!
First of all, thank you for your patience! It's been months and I had to go through the previous chapters to see where did I stop and what's going on lol. Exams like messed me up. Also, I might have to repeat em again cuz yknow :DDDD
Anyways, those matters are for later times!
Also, my writing has gotten a little rusty after months of not focusing on writing. I promise I'll get back on track as soon as I can. Till that please bear with me lol. Also I do not have a specific schedule, it's going to be like the old times. The moment I finish, I'll post. Two updates a month or maybe one. Because yknow I write like 9k-10k words at each chapter it takes time to finish.
Aside that, all I gotta say is I LOVE YOU GUYS! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT IT REALLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!
BYE BYE BYE! AUTHOR'S OUT :DDDD