[Description: After two days in hiding, everyone finds a cave to stay in but Kawaii-Chan's stress is becoming too much especially with Garte attacking Aaron for everything he says. And she tries to ignore it until she snaps and yells before disappearing and Zane goes to search for her. And when he finds her she tells me what's going on.]
Kawaii-Chan's POV:
Zane caught me and I sent him a grateful look as he helped me back up, we had been walking looking for somewhere else to hide from the guardian force for hours and everyone was exhausted.
Glancing down at the cuts on Zane's hands, I knew those needed to be bandaged up before they got infected and Lucinda had managed to get us some stuff for that but without a safe place to stop, we couldn't bandage them up.
"Wait there's a cave up ahead, we should rest there" Aaron said, everyone agreed and then I heard a groan of annoyance fall from Garte after Aaron said that......again.
"Why should we list-OW" Garte rubbed his arm where Zianna had just pinched him and she glared at him, he stayed silent as everyone went back to agreeing with Aaron.
Garte has been jumping on everything that Aaron's been saying since we had escaped from the beach house two days ago and it's been getting to me but I've kept quiet.
Aaron walked into the cave first with his father to scope it out and make sure there was no one already in there, it took a few minutes before they returned.
"Nana are you okay?" Zane whispered, I looked up at him and nodded my head slowly, I was ready to crash but I knew I couldn't do that just yet and had to stay awake for longer.
"I'm okay" He didn't believe me, I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe me, he didn't believe a single word out of my mouth but he didn't push it any further.
"It's clear" Derek said after returning with Aaron, we all breathed out sighs of relief as we walked into the cave and I didn't miss the way Garte shoved past Aaron to get in the cave.
I bit my tongue while Zianna shook her head at him annoyed by the way her husband is acting, I looked away as we rounded the corner and came to a bigger open area.
Thankfully it was the end of the cave from here but we were tucked far enough away that no one would see us but with Lucinda's spell she'll be casting no one will be able to hear us either.
Leaning against the wall, I slid down it slowly and yawned but I still refused to go to sleep yet, I couldn't because I needed to listen for any noises around us.
Aaron, Derek, Rachel, Melissa, and I have been taking turn to listen for noises that could be the guardian force only whenever I wasn't needing to be on watch for that I still couldn't sleep.
"Maybe you should sleep for a bit" Zane said as he kneeled down in front of me, I shook my head and blinked away the sleepiness.
"I'm okay" I said, he stared at me for a moment hesitantly before he was tapped on the shoulder by Lucinda as she handed him some disinfectant and bandages for his hands and arms.
He thanked her and sat down on the ground next to me, leaning back against the wall of the cave while everyone else started doing the same thing, relived to finally be sitting down.
"Can I do that? I don't want them to get infected" I said, Zane nodded his head and I moved until I was sitting in front of him and I grabbed the disinfect and some cotton swabs she had gotten.
I heard Aaron talking and I could hear Garte starting to attack again for it but I just blocked it out to the best of my abilities while I grabbed Zane's one hand and started cleaning out the cuts.
He didn't react to it but I still glanced up every so often to make sure I wasn't hurting him, I heard Garroth hiss pain next to us and looked over to see Zianna apologizing to him as she continued cleaning the cuts trying to block out Garte.
When I started cleaning the cut on the inside of his wrist he hissed in pain and my head snapped up as I shot him a gultiy experssion but he brushed it off with a quiet it's okay.
By the time I had finished cleaning up both hands and bandaging them Garte was still attacking Aaron for everything he was suggesting while Zianna was trying to stop him.
"Garte leave the boy alone!" Zianna hissed out loudly and angrily but Garte only shook his head as I stood up wrapping my arms tighter around myself.
"No! If it wasn't for him we never would've ended up in a situation like this! He almost killed our son and he is the reason for everything that has been happ-"
"SHUT UP," Everyone tunrned to look at me as Garte eyes widened and Zane whispered my name but I didn't care. "JUST SHUT UP GARTE AND LEAVE HIM ALONE! Aaron is not at fault for any of this! All he wanted to do was bring Aphmau to somewhere she's been dreaming of going since she was a little girl and the Guardian Force chose to ruin that! No one here is to blame but the Guardian Force! But you have been attacking Aaron time and time again even when he's been nothing but helpful! He's not even fighting back because he knows that's only going to make things worse! But just shut up Garte! I get it you are stressed and exhausted but Garroth is alive and healthy! He is okay and he has forgiven Aaron for everything so just leave him alone!" I shouted.
Letting out a breath, I just looked at them for a moment longer while Garte's eyes widened further and his mouth fell open, shaking my head I started walking backwards towards the entrance.
"Just leave him alone for once! It's been two days of your constant arguing and attacking and no one can take it anymore! Just leave him alone please!" I shouted and turned around running out of the cave.
I didn't know where I was going to go but I just needed to get far away from Garte and his yelling because it was too much to handle now, I could listen for the guardian force myself and move if I needed too but I just need to get away.
"Kawaii-Chan!" I heard Aphmau shout but I didn't stop running, I could hear everyone shouting my name but I still didn't turn around and just kept on running.
"I'll go after her! Kawaii-Chan!" I almost stopped for Zane but didn't and just ran around the corner.
-4 Hours Later-
A twig snapped behind me and I shot up, my ears tensing as I looked around for a moment before my eyes landed on Zane as he walked towards me, I calmed down.
"It's just me" Zane said as I looked around expecting other people, I nodded my head and turned back around curling back up into a ball on the ground in front of the pond I had been sitting at for the last 3 hours.
After I had run away from them, I didn't stop running until I reached here and I had lost Zane for a moment but clearly I was wrong considering he had found me.
"I'm sorry for yelling at your dad" I whispered as he reached me and sat down next to me, I glanced over at him to see him looking out at the pond where a few ducks had just landed in.
"He deserved it. You are the only person besides my mother who has ever been able to make him stop yelling or doing something, he didn't even try fighting against you.....that's impressive" I couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"Having seven brothers helps with that" He chuckled and looked over at me nodding his head.
"I bet it does" Silence fell over us for a few minutes before I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair and moved to sit criss cross, turning my entire body towards him and he did the same thing.
"I just couldn't take it anymore.....Aaron isn't the cause of this and I understand Garrot almost died, I know that and I'm so happy that he is okay and healthy again but Aaron never meant to do that. All he wanted to do was reunite with Aphmau in her dream vacation area and the Guardian Force ruined that but your father has just been blaming him. I couldn't take the yelling or the harshness anymore and I just snapped....it's all too much for me right now" I admitted.
"I understand Nana, I'm not mad at you for yelling at him.....honestly I could barely handle it anymore. You did us all a favour because he's probably been silent since you yelled at him. But Nana? When was the last time you slept?" He asked, I stared at him for a moment.
When I couldn't keep eye contact with him anymore I looked down at the ground and started picking at the grass, letting out a sigh I knew I had to tell him so I did.
"Not since just a day before the guardian force attacked us" I admitted, I glanced up at him to see him staring at me with wide eyes and a concerned look on his face.
"Nana that was four days ago" I nodded my head.
"I know.....but I'm the one with the best hearing and so I've taken a lot of shifts, I've taken shifts that were meant to be Rachel or Derek's or Melissa's because they asked, the only person who never asked me to take a shift of theirs was Aaron. And when I wasn't on shift, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop myself from listening to everything around me.....but I am exhausted" A tear slid down my face.
I looked up at Zane and seen him sigh, another tear slid down my face as I looked back down at the ground when I felt his forehead press against mine and it just made me feel better.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath, he didn't even need to do anything and I felt better.
"We're going to go back and I am going to tell them that you are not taking any shifts until you are ready too Nana, don't try to argue with me on this either. You are going to collapse if you don't sleep soon" I nodded my head.
"Okay......thank you" I whispered, he nodded his head and stood up, I looked up at him as he reached his hands out for me, sliding my hands into his he helped me up off the ground.
That was when I realized how tired I actually was and rubbed my eyes trying to stay awake, with all the adrenaline running through my body I haven't had time to realize how tired I actually am.
Zane wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him as we started walking back, I stayed silent but found myself leaning against him.
He didn't seem to mind though as we walked at my pace and I just knew everyone who was still awake would be worried about me and I just feel guilty now.
By the time the cave was insight I seen Aphmau, Garroth, Zianna, and Garte sitting outside and that was the same time my knees buckled from the exhaustion.
Zane caught me and my eyes almost closed completely but I forced them to stay open hearing muffled shouts of my name, I looked up to see the four of them running towards us.
Zane lifted me up and I leaned my head against his shoulder as he adjusted me in his arms and continued walking, exhaustion filled my body as i fought to keep my head up.
"Thank irene you're okay Kawaii-Chan" Aphmau breathed, I nodded my head as I felt someone grab my face and looked up to see Zianna looking down at me.
"Is she okay?" I heard her ask, Zane didn't respond with much besides a let's get back into the cave before we continue talking and they agreed without another word.
Zane walked around the corner I seen everyone waiting there, they all shot up and I shook my head trying to keep my eyes open as Lucinda started checking me over.
"She's not taking anymore shifts," I heard Zane say, I heard Aaron agree and the others question it. "She hasn't slept in four days, if she doesn't sleep now, she's going to collapse and I'm not letting that happen. Until she says she can take a shift and she actually means it she's not taking any so split the shifts between you four because she's not apart of it right now" Zane said, I mumbled something not even I could understand.
"I agree, you three have been handing shifts off to her.....if you need someone to take your shifts because you are exhausted than ask me" I heard Aaron say, I could hear Melissa, Derek, and Rachel apologizing but I couldn't bring myself to talk.
"Here lay her down over here on the little bed of blankets" I heard Zianna say, I opened my eyes to see blankets and knew Lucinda had casted a spell for the little beds made up.
I felt the soft blankets underneath me but when Zane pulled away I reached out and grabbed his shirt, he was the only person who can help me go to sleep right now.
I shook my head and then heard him mumble "I'll stay" quietly before moving until I felt my head resting against his shoulder before sliding down to his chest.
"I'm going to stay right here with you guys until she wakes up" I heard Garroth say, I felt Zane nod his head as my eyes closed and I finally let the exhaustion take over my body knowing I was safe with Zane.