Kiana pov:
I watched Hughes san and Gracia san in amuse while they stared at Yukio who was sitting on my lap and swinging his legs while happily drinking the cup of hot chocolate Gracia san had got him. Kyran and I were drinking our share of hot chocolate as well and stifling yawns every now and then.
"Hughes san," I spoke up and he met my gaze, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, "now that you've seen who I am and what I can do, can you trust me?"
After Yukio had healed his wound without a scar, both he and Gracia san were stunned. They could barely believe what they had just seen but Hughes san, having witnessed my Hado spell first hand, seemed to come to the conclusion that something about me wasn't as normal as any other person in this world. He believed Kyran's explanation of Shinigami and an alternate world to some extent but was probably still confused and unsure of how much to let me in on what he had found out about the Homunculi in the military.
"To some extent, but I am yet to see your powers as a Shinigami, as you put it, besides the so-called materialization of your soul slayer and that fire blast you hit the Homunculus with," he answered, once again glancing at Yukio who had curtly finished his hot chocolate and was now scuttling about the house looking over everything with innocent curiosity.
"You probably will see more of my powers soon, Hughes san, as well as hear of the facts becoming public. I can't hide the truth about me forever, especially when there are Homunculi to stop." I glanced at the remainder of the brown liquid in my hands with a smile, "They're planning something big, aren't they? They've been acting very suspicious – in general and during Kyran's and my run-ins with them. To be more specific, I think they know that something about me is different and they're studying me so they can figure out a way to beat me easily. Too bad for them, that won't work."
"How can you say that? If they do learn ways to counter your abilities, it's obvious that they will win a fight."
"But no one has seen anything more than my first release of power," I said and reached for my sword. Hughes san and Gracia san tensed but remained as they were. "Freeze all to white: Yukio."
On my command, my sword took the form of my Shikai's Naginata and Yukio came to stand by my side, the color of his eyes deeper and glistening with the power that flowed through him. He was silent and his expression was almost sharp, contrary to his earlier childlike enthusiasm, and the floor on which he stood had a layer of ice formed on it – it was enough to show Hughes san and Gracia san that Yukio was nothing short of powerful despite his appearance.
"This is your first release of power?" Hughes san asked tentatively. "How many more releases of power do you have?"
"Just one more."
"What is your second release of power like?" he pressed.
"Stronger and more dangerous," I said simply. "I cannot show you my Bankai unnecessarily, because it causes a sharp spike in the pressure in the air around me. You will probably find it hard to breathe and feel energy drain out of you...so I'll save it for when the time to use it actually comes."
I released m Shikai and Yukio relaxed. He blinked several times before glancing at me and I ruffled his hair, earning a cute giggle in return. He ran off after that to look at the delicate pieces of decoration in the tall showcase in the corner of the living room.
I met Hughes san's gaze again and said, "So, are you ready to tell me what you found out about the Homunculi?"
He was silent for several moments, his eyes locked with mine. Clenching his fists while looking down with a frown, he said, "The Homunculi have infiltrated the military – they're very close to the Fuhrer himself. They are misusing the military's resources and intelligence to do something big, just as you guessed. From the research I have been doing while following a series of suspicious events, I have come across several large cities, the aerial photos of which show transmutation circles that are drawn through the entire city."
"Transmutation circles throughout entire cities?" I asked, narrowing my eyes and feeling my stomach churn.
"Yes, and if I'm right, the Homunculus you called Envy has been shape shifting into the Fuhrer to control what happens in the military. We have to inform the Fuhrer and-"
"I'm afraid that's not going to help," I interrupted.
"Why not? If the Fuhrer knows, he can take necessary action and precaution to make sure that the Homunculi don't do what they're planning to do."
"Hughes san," Kyran spoke this time, "Kiana is saying that there is no point in telling the Fuhrer about this because he too is a Homunculus."
"What?!" Hughes san hissed and stood up swiftly.
I inhaled deeply and put my glass down as I stood as well. "Yes, Hughes san, the Fuhrer, King Bradley is a Homunculus too. I told you that I can sense people's spiritual pressures, remember? So I can tell that he's a Homunculus – I knew about it the moment I met him, though I only found out about the concept of Homunculi a while later. I haven't done anything about it because he hasn't caused any noticeable trouble. I cannot apprehend him without proof...but now that you've found out about things that pose quite a bit of concern, it's time to start keeping an eye on him and the other Homunculi."
"You know what they're going to do?" he questioned.
"I have a hunch..."
"What is it?" pressed Hughes san.
I clenched my fists while inhaling deeply. "They're going to sacrifice the lives of the people there to create the Philosopher Stone."
Hughes san and Gracia san gasped while Kyran tensed and stood as well. He stepped closer to me out of instinctive protectiveness me as he spoke, "If that is the case, what do we do, Kiana?"
"We start our own inconspicuous investigation to find out what's going on and stop the Homunculi before they do anything bad. Hughes san, you have to stay away from any investigation of the cities with the transmutation circles. No more digging into the military's records. Kyran and I will handle this matter from now on," I stated.
"By yourselves? It's dangerous," Hughes san replied, sounding a little worried.
"We are strong enough to fight them, Hughes san," said Kyran, "and Kiana is undefeatable by the Homunculi. You are yet to see her fight seriously and the fact that she has a power release even stronger than what even I have seen is more than enough reassurance that she will win. Besides, I will always stand and fight by her side and protect her with my life."
"I don't want you to risk your life for me, Kyran, but thank you for caring about me so much," I said and placed a hand on his arm. He noticeable became embarrassed and averted his eyes from me, his ears and tail twitching.
"You were the one who saved me so I want to do everything I can to protect you," he mumbled, adorably.
"I appreciate that but I didn't save you so you could throw your life away just to protect me. That aside, I think we should get some shut eye for now and decide on how to deal with your situation in the morning, Hughes san. Would you mind Kyran and me staying here?"
"That's probably the only safe option," he said halfheartedly and led us to the guest room where we could sleep. He was a little wary of how Kyran and I would have to share a room, all the more because he knew I was dating Jean, but seemed to relax when Kyran shifted into his wolf form and settled to sleep on the fluffy rug next to the bed.
After a good night's rest, I headed to the military's headquarters along with Hughes san and Kyran while Yukio remained with Gracia san and Elicia. Elicia was happy to become friends with Yukio and I was sure that they'd spend most of the day playing while Hughes san and I got busy with work.
I reported to Gen. Holden and set off to scan the streets of Central City for clues on the disappearances of the alchemists. The case wasn't too difficult to solve and I had caught the culprits within the next two days – they were ex-military personnel who were using alchemists to test a fake red stone that they were trying to produce. Most of the alchemists they had kidnapped had been killed but the few that were still hanging on to dear life thanked me graciously for rescuing them.
As decided, Hughes san had stopped his personal investigation, even putting away all the study material and facts he had found to a place where no one would find them. With the case solved and Hughes san maintaining a low profile for the sake of the safety of his wife and daughter, Kyran and I headed back to East City and reported to Col. Mustang. Well, I actually wanted to leave Kyran to look after Hughes san's family but, surprisingly enough, Envy had kept his promise to stay away from them. I had sensed him in the form of a lieutenant in the headquarters and he had smirked and nodded at the completely passive behavior Hughes san had put on after the incident.
"Kiana?" Jean called, making me return to the present. He smiled when I met his gaze and placed his hand on mine. "What's wrong? You seem really distracted today."
I shook my head, returning his smile. "Oh, it's nothing important. I've just had a few things on my mind."
"What's bothering you? Maybe I can help with it," he said with one of his heartwarming smiles that made my heart skip a beat. "If you're nervous about meeting my family, you don't need to be – I know they'll adore you."
"I hope so," I replied, smiling. "And I hope they're not bothered by Kyran's appearance. I don't want him to feel out of place there."
"Don't worry, I already let mother and father know about Kyran san – they're open-minded and I'm sure they'll treat him just like any other person," he said and we glanced at Kyran who was sitting opposite to us, his arms crossed and his ears twitching every now and then while he slept. "By the way, do you know what happened with Lt. Col. Hughes?"
"Hughes san?" I asked, carefully. "What about him?"
"Well, the colonel was saying that he's been acting a bit strange lately, as in the air about him is somehow off. He's been a bit out of it too," he said. "Did you notice anything different about him when you went to Central?"
"Not really, he seemed to be pretty normal to me," I said as casually as possible.
"Hmm, is that so..." Jean mumbled, looking out of the window in thought. "It's not like the colonel to be so curious about the lieutenant colonel's behavior even through they're really good friends. I just thought you might know if something was up, since you visited him when you went to Central."
"He was kind to allow me to stay in his house while I worked on my mission," I said, smiling. "He and Gracia san are very generous people."
"They are, aren't they? But Lt. Gen. Hughes is a bit eccentric too, especially when it comes to his daughter.
"Well, you can't really blame him, can you?" I laughed, "She's just as adorable as he describes and it's hard to not talk about her cute antics."
Having shared a laugh with Jean, I leaned back in my seat and gazed out of the window. Ever since I had left Central City after saving Hughes san and completing my mission there, I had been restless. I kept getting the feeling that something crazy was about to happen and I couldn't find even a single thought to contradict it.
"By the way, Kiana," Jean said, breaking me from my thoughts once again, "you said that you wanted to talk about something with me, right? Is this a good time to talk about it?"
I watched him silently for a moment. There were two things I wanted to tell him – Scar and the truth about me. I was sure that the help I wanted in the matter of Scar would come as a shock, even more when he realized that Scar was following us to his hometown. I was even more certain that the truth about me would baffle him, perhaps make him uneasy and require time and distance from me to take everything in.
I knew that it was wrong to put off the matter for any more time but I wanted the air to be pleasant when I met his family for the first time. After a good first impression, I would tell Jean and his family everything, all while hoping for the best.
Smiling, I took a hold of his hand in mine. "I was thinking we could talk about it sometime over the trip, when we're alone."
"Alright," he responded. He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it gently, making my heart melt. My smile widened and I placed my free hand on his strong chest before leaning in with my eyes closed to kiss his lips softly. We caressed each other for a few blissful seconds before parting. I then settled against his shoulder with his arm around my waist.
It was early afternoon when we reached Alcombey's train station – a small wooden building with nothing but lush green lands around it and a small dirt path leading to a small town in the distance. The station was bustling with people but when the train stopped, no one got it. It confused me but I didn't say anything as Kyran and I got off the train along with Jean.
"JEAN!!!" I heard excited screams and almost the entire crowd of people launched at us.
I stumbled back only to be caught by the shoulders by Kyran. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm alright, just surprised," I said while regaining balance.
Jean had dropped our luggage and broken into a hearty laugh as he tried not to fall under the swarm of people who welcomed him home. I smiled at that, glad to see how adored Jean was but turned awkward when some of them looked at me.
A middle aged woman with kind eyes was the first to exclaim, "Oh my goodness! Is that her?!"
"Yes, Mother, that's Kiana, my girlfriend," answered Jean, a proud grin coming to his lips. My eyes went wide as she approached me and I bowed forty five degrees in respect.
"I-it's nice to meet you! I'm Kiana Sojuro!"
"You're such a beautiful young lady!" Jean's mother chirped and embraced me without hesitance. I returned it, still awkward and kept up my smile when she let me go. "I can't say how happy I am to finally meet you. I've been eager to meet you in person since Jean mentioned you in his letter. Ah, I'm his mother, by the way. My name is Annie."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Havoc," I said and glanced at Kyran. "This is Kyran, a friend of ours."
"Oh you can just call me Annie, Kiana! There's no need for formalities between us!" she said cheerily. I figured where Jean got his cheery personality from. "And it's a please to meet you, Kyran. Jean told me about you too! You're a handsome young man and the ears and tail actually add a rather cute touch!"
I held in a laugh as Kyran blushed at the compliment. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "T-Thank you, ma'am, but I'm actually forty one years old."
"Oh my!" she said with an expression of surprise. "You don't look that old! You should share your secret to staying young with this old lady, alright?" She winked and this time, I couldn't hold in a laugh.
"Is it just me or has Jean got a lot more handsome, now that he has a girlfriend?" a man who appeared to be the same age as Jean teased. While I blushed, Jean laughed and embraced the man in a brotherly hug.
"Harold, it's great to see you!" he said and ushered for me to join him. "Kiana, this Harold Jones, a good friend of mine since kindergarten."
"It's nice to meet you, Harold san," I greeted and Kyran followed suit.
After a few more introductions to the people who had come to welcome us to Alcombey, we walked down the mud path to the town. We were greeted by several more people upon entering the streets and exchanged introductions again. Having got close to the periphery of the town, we stopped in front of a cozy looking cottage with a lovely flower garden in front of it.
"Home," Jean mumbled, fondly, gazing at his house. He glanced at me, took a hold of my hand in his and escorted me to the front door after his mother.
Annie san gave a curt knock and it was opened by a six or seven year old girl with curly blonde locks and bright violet eyes. She beamed upon seeing Jean and jumped up into his arms with a squeal.
"Uncle Jean! You're finally here!"
"Hey, Haley!" Jean responded, carrying her up and laughing as she rubbed her cheek against his.
"You're all prickly!" she said with a giggle and I laughed too.
"Haley, say hi to Akina. She's my-"
"Your girlfriend!" Haley interrupted, her eyes going wide. "She's so pretty, Uncle Jean! Are you going to marry her? Are you? Please marry her! I want to have her as my aunt because she so pretty!!"
"It's nice to meet you, Haley," I said, chuckling and pushed some of her hair behind her ears. That seemed to increase her awe, her eyes sparkling.
She blinked, distracted moments later by Kyran who stood behind me. She gasped and squirmed in Jean's arms to be put down. She scurried to Kyran and looked up at him with wide eyes that made Kyran glance at me uneasily. "Wolf san!" she chirped. "Can I be your best friend?"
"Um..." Kyran hesitated and I nodded when he glanced at me again. "I-I guess?"
"Yay!" Haley cheered, took a hold of his hand and dragged him into the house.
"She's adorable," I said, laughing at the expression of bewilder Kyran had as he disappeared into the house.
"She's a handful," said Annie san, her hands on her hips. "I sometimes wonder how Julian and Lilly don't get tired with all the running around she makes them do. Anyway, come on in!"
We stepped into the house and we were shown to the rooms where we would be staying. Surprisingly, Annie san was completely alright with Jean and I sharing a room even though I was a little flustered at the thought. We had kissed and stayed together till late in the night but we'd never shared a room before. The thought of sleeping next to him, wrapped up in his arms set fire to my cheeks.
Nonetheless, we washed up and joined Annie san, Haley and Kyran in the living room. There were three others there now which I guessed to be the rest of the family.
"Kiana!" The woman with her brown hair tied in a bun, her purple eyes sparkling came to me and embraced me. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm Lilly, Haley's mother."
"I'm Julian, this idiot's elder brother and Haley's father," the man who looked similar to Jean but with dark brown hair said with an arm around the latter's neck.
"Oi oi, you're not supposed to say that in front of my girlfriend!" hollered Jean and everyone chuckled.
"We're glad you came to visit us with Jean, Kiana," a middle aged man said. Jean was the splitting image of him. "I'm Jorge Havoc, Jean's father."
"Thank you for having me over, Sir," I said, smiling.
"Goodness, Kiana! You're too polite!" Annie san teased. "Just call him Jorge. A friend of Jean's is a friend of ours and as his girlfriend, you are a part of the family too!"
I felt a momentary tensing in my chest at the word family. Happy and sad memories flashed through my mind in a few short seconds and my eyes prickled. I blinked rapidly while looking away and trying to hold in the tears in vain.
"O-oh, Kiana, I'm sorry if I said something rude. I just talk a lot and-"
"Please," I said, shaking my head and wiping off the tear. I met Annie san's eyes with a smile and continued, "I'm sorry, I just remembered some things and...oh goodness, how embarrassing."
I shut my eyes and held onto Jean when he came to embrace me. He patted my back to soothe me and let me go when I was better. "Are you alright now?" he asked and I nodded.
"I'm sorry. I can't believe I was so embarrassing."
"It's okay," cooed Jean. Holding me around the shoulders, he looked at his family. "Kiana lost her family when she was quite young and she still gets disturbed by nightmares and memories of it. She probably remembered her family just now."
"I see," Jorge san said. He walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder with a warm smile. "We're sorry to hear about your family, Kiana, but we want you to know that you can always see us as your family. Calm down now."
"Thank you, Jorge san." I smiled, glancing once at Jean too who was smiling just as warmly.
"Now it's time for you to cheer up! You should relax for a while and then have Jean take you for a tour around town," Annie san said, clapping her hands together.
Just as Annie san had suggested, we relaxed for a while before going for a tour around town. I got to see many shops and meet some more people, most of which were fond of Jean. The town was a small but filled with bighearted people who all lived together like one big family. It had been a while since I had been around so many people who talked to me so comfortably, as if we had known each other a long time. It felt nice.
"Hey, Lieutenant!" we heard a voice when we were just about to enter a bakery. We turned to see a beautiful lady, perhaps a year or two older than me, looking at Jean with a wide, mischievous grin.
"Elaine!" Jean responded, happily. I twitched at the familiarity of the name and smiled as I remembered the Elaine that I knew. I hoped she was doing well.
I watched as Jean and Elaine embraced before walking up to me. "Kiana," he said, "this is Elaine, one of my best friends here! She runs the dress shop in town!"
"I heard that you're a bit of a fashion designer too!" she said and held my hands in hers. "I'm so glad that I finally got to meet someone else who shares my passion! It's even better because your Jean's girlfriend. You should come by the store sometime and we should work on some designs together!"
"I'd really like that, Elaine," I replied, my smile widening. How coincidental was it that even her occupation was the same?
"I can't believe you haven't changed a bit," Jean said with a shake of his head. "You're still always talking about designing clothes."
"Hey, it's my passion!" Elaine complained, pouting. "Being a designer herself, I assume Kiana feels the same way."
She winked and I agreed with a laugh. Jean held up his hands in defeat. He yelped when Elaine gave him a rather hard punch on the arm and I raised a brow at the way she was glaring at him. "It sure took you long enough to get a girlfriend. If you'd taken any longer, I'd have gone to East City to strangle you."
"Huh?? Why?!"
"Ugh," she said, suddenly annoyed, "you don't know how much my father was bugging me to marry you! I can't believe he wanted me to marry someone I thought of as a brother – it would be so weird. So thank you for sparing me the trouble of strangling you and you'd better remember to take really good care of Kiana. If he gives you any trouble at all, Kiana, just let me know and I'll teach him a good lesson."
"And to think I call you my best friend," Jean deadpanned.
"You don't have to worry about that, Elaine. Jean is a gentleman," I said. I placed a hand on his arm and he eased his expression of sulking to one of glee.
"Oohh, already so supportive of your man, eh?" Elaine teased, making me laugh softly and in mild fluster. "That's good, that's good! I hope the two of you are always happy! Well, I'll let you lovebirds be on with your tour. I have to get back to work!"
She was off with a wave having told me to drop by her shop sometime. Jean took a hold of my hand and we continued our walk through the town. Haley tagged along, refusing to let go of Kyran's hand the entire way. She got quickly attached to me too and was quite a curious little girl, constantly asking questions about me and how things were in East City and even asking me to show her my ice alchemy. She was totally mesmerized by it and had squealed in happiness when I gave her a delicate bracelet made of ice.
We were back home just as Annie san was setting up the table. I felt a little flustered for accepting hospitality for free so I insisted to help with setting up the table and cleaning up after we were done with dinner. As such, I spent a good amount of time with Annie san and Lilly san, talking to them about general details of our pasts.
I got to spend some time with Jorge san too who was quite enthusiastic about sharing his experiences as a child and a young man in Alcombey. The stories he shared was interesting and funny, and Julian san joined in to talk about the perks of living in this cozy town as well.
By the time it was ten, my eyes were pulling away, begging for sleep. Jean noticed and he excused us so we could turn in for the night. I was the first to wash up and get changed into nightwear. Jean pulled me into a bear hug before he went to wash up and I curled up under the blanket to sleep. I barely heard him get under the blanket behind me and snake an arm around my waist to hold me close to his chest. It felt so blissful and I hummed in content as I shifted a little to make myself comfortable. I felt him place a ghostly kiss on the back of my neck before I was tugged into slumber.
When I awoke, I found myself facing Jean, my face in the crook of his neck and his arm around my midsection. My heart skipped a beat but I also felt quite comfortable. Smiling, I moved a little away to look at his sleeping face. He looked so serene, so content, and warmth spread through my body. I reached up with my hands and caressed his cheeks with my fingers softly, hoping that I wouldn't wake him. Unfortunately, my gestures woke him and he opened his eyes a little to look into mine. He gave me a lopsided smile and hugged me close to himself.
"G'morning, Kiana," he mumbled groggily.
"Good morning, Jean," I responded, closing my eyes and relishing his warm embrace.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I did...and I don't want to get up yet," I said, taking in a deep inhale of his addictive, musky scent. "This is so comfortable."
A blush rose to my cheeks at my embarrassing confession, all the more because Jean chuckled. "That was rather bold of you, Kiana," he said, increasing my embarrassment, "but I must say it is nice waking up to you beside me."
"Don't tease, Jean," I whined, earning another laugh.
Jean released me from his embrace after a few minutes and caressed my head with a smile. I closed my eyes as he leaned in to place a kiss on my forehead. He lingered there for several minutes before pulling away and meeting my eyes again.
"I love you, Kiana," he whispered.
"I love you too, Jean...much more than I can say. I want you to always remember that."
"Of course, I will. I'll never forget it and I'm sure I can't even if I try."
"Such a smooth talker," I mumbled with a pout. "Anyway, we should get up and get ready, shouldn't we?"
"Hmm, what if I don't want to?" he mused and shifted so that he was hovering over me. My eyes went wide as he grinned and began to tickle my sides.
"J-Jean! Stop! T-that tickles!" I stuttered between laughs as I squirmed under him.
He didn't spare me from his tickle torture until I was almost out of breath and wheezing. He was laughing at my pitiful state and I decided to get back at him. I shoved him off me and onto his back before sitting on his stomach and tickling his sides. Sadly, he wasn't as ticklish as me and since I was sticking to the average stamina a girl of my age and build should have, he easily caught my wrists to stop my actions.
"That's not fair!" I complained while struggling to free myself only to yelp as I was pulled down so I was lying on him, our faces mere centimeters from each other. My eyes were wide and I blinked rapidly a few times before lowering myself do that my head rested on his shoulder. I closed my eyes in content, relishing the way Jean held me and patted my back rhythmically.
"We should really get up now," I said after a few moments, "unless you want me to fall asleep again because of your patting."
"I guess we should get ready, huh?" sighed Jean. He let me go and I pecked his nose before scuttling into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
The next three days went by in a blur. We were engrossed in spending time as a family getting to know each other and I was really touched by how everyone cared about me and had grown so fond of me in the short time I had known them. Annie san was especially doting and she had expressed that she had come to see me as her own daughter. She had appreciated my kind nature and patience and had even said that she was glad that Jean had met someone like me.
Besides spending time at home, we had gone around town again to the different shops. As promised, I had visited Elaine's dress shop and I was quite impressed by the wide variety of designer clothes she had on display. She was quite creative and we had spent a good amount of time together designing some new, fashionable clothes. Instead of merely using ideas from what people in this world's city wore, I took inspiration from designs of my world too. Needless to say, Elaine loved the designs I suggested and was excited to have them stitched. She was sure that her profits were going to be good this month.
We had also visited the fields and the greenhouse to harvest strawberries. It was my first experience and it was one that I would never forget. And as and when we picked the berries, we had eaten enough to suffice for a meal. The berries were so sweet and irresistible and the owner of the greenhouse was so generous to allow us to eat our fill of what we picked.
It was so easy to get to know everyone in the town because they were so friendly. Given their fondness for Jean, it was understandable that they would express closeness with me too.
Having heard that I was a State Alchemist, the townspeople had asked me to give them a performance of my powers. I had done a demonstration one evening and earned quite a few fans, most of them being children. Many of them had requested me to make them jewelry or toys after seeing the bracelet I had made for Haley. Some of the adults had requested decorative pieces to keep in their homes. I had obliged and made what they requested with ice reinforced with reishi to make sure that they didn't melt.
In the midst of all the good things that were happening, Kyran and I had taken turns to visit Scar who had hidden himself in a shed just beside the agriculture fields. The shed was used to store tools that were used on the fields, most of which had been maintained in top notch condition. Every time I visited him, I prepared myself a little more to tell Jean about him and about myself and today, finally, I had decided to tell Jean after we were back from the get-together everyone had arranged because Jean had visited after so long. I'm sure that Jean would be in a good mood and would take the information I was going to tell him better.
Although, I was afraid of how he would react despite his mood because I would be telling him openly that our relationship wasn't one that would last forever. I didn't want to keep secrets from the man I loved and I wanted to love him as much as I could until our fateful day of parting came. I wanted him to know that no matter what happened or how far away we would be, my heart would belong to him, always. I wanted him to understand that even though I wanted to be with him, I couldn't, not because it was my choice to return to my world but because I didn't have the liberty of making a choice – I didn't want to be the reason for the world's balance to be upset.
I exhaled deeply while looking at my reflection in the mirror. The nervousness was apparent on my face so I closed my eyes to think of something lighthearted. I remembered good times I had spent with Jean and Kyran and Col. Mustang and Edward and Alphonse and all the others in the military, and it brought a smile onto my face. When I looked at my reflection again, I was calm and presentable, with no nervousness easily noticeable.
I smoothed the creases of the simple one piece dress I was wearing. I turned to the door when Jean entered to escort me to the get-together. However, he had stalled – his eyes went wide and he shut the door before walking up to me to lift me off the floor and kiss me passionately. When he let me down, he had complimented me and kissed me again. The kiss along with how handsome he looked wearing semi-formal clothes had my hear racing and my mind hazy. I soon calmed down though, after we joined up with everyone to go to the gathering together.
During the gathering, we interacted with all of the townspeople again, most of which I had managed to recognize easily. I spent most of my time with Jean and Elaine though, because I felt most comfortable with them. I had grown to find Annie san's and Lilly san's company pleasant too but they were busy talking to some other townspeople. I wouldn't know what to talk about if I was with them and I wanted to spare myself from the awkwardness.
The gathering was definitely a fun event – we chatted, we danced and we ate a wide variety of delicious foods that I had never tasted before. By the end of dinner, everyone had settled into comfortable groups, talking and laughing together, some of them even sharing drinks. I took it as a chance to excuse myself from Jean and his friends with the reason that I needed to use the washroom. I walked out of the crowd and then used Shunpo to gather enough food on a plate before making it to where Scar was hiding.
I entered the shed and spotted Scar sitting cross-legged while leaning against the wall. Like always, he gladly accepted the food I gave him and began to eat.
"Did you talk to the lieutenant?" he asked in between bites.
"I plan to tell him tonight," I answered. "I'll tell him about you and about myself. I hope he takes it well."
"He's a level-headed man, as I have noticed, so he'll be fine in your matter. Mine, however, I'm not so sure," he said. he had his eyes closed while chewing, appearing troubled.
"Let's not be negative. I'm sure things will work out, Scar. I'll make it work out somehow, I promise," I reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed at the contact and I apologized while retracting my hand.
"You have no reason to apologize. I'm just not used to being so unguarded around people, alchemists or Shinigami no less," he mumbled. "I am greatly indebted to you for all the compassion you've shown me and the effort you're putting in to help me start over...even though I clearly don't deserve it."
"There you go again, being all negative," I said with a light laugh. "Anyway, get some rest. I'll come to pick you up in the morning."
Scar nodded and handed me his empty plate. Giving him a nod, I used Shunpo and returned to the get-together. To keep any suspicion at bay, I walked out of the washroom while wiping my washed hands with a tissue.
"Ah, you're finally back!" Elaine appeared in front of me and grabbed my wrist. She dragged me behind her through the crowd and to the center of courtyard where the get-together was happening.
"Elaine, what's going on?" I asked when she let me go but held my shoulders so she could turn me to stand in a particular way.
She gave a Cheshire cat grin before letting go of me and stepping back. I watched her curiously but met Jean's eyes when he walked up to me – he looked a little flustered and I unnoticeably narrowed my eyes. The people around us had fallen silent and were looking at me and Jean, and it gave me the message that something unexpected was going to happen.
When Jean stopped in front of me and smiled ever so tenderly, my heart skipped a beat in both adoration and anxiousness.
"Kiana," he said and I tensed, "we've been dating for close to a year now and I've come to see you as the most important person in my life. You're kind, beautiful and strong and have a heart that offers love to everyone around you without hesitance. I'm really glad that I got the chance to meet you and I don't think that I'll ever meet someone like you again."
The anxiousness in me increased as I understood what was going on. I glanced at everyone before looking at Jean again, my heart pounding loud in my ears.
No, Jean, please no, I thought. Don't do this now, please.
"I really love you and I want to do everything I can to make you happy."
Please don't...not now, not when nothing is certain.
"I want to be with you always," he continued and a few from the audience whistled teasingly.
Please don't do this! Not before I tell you the truth!
He got down on one knee and pulled out a small box from his pocket. I brought a hand over my pounding heart when he opened the box to reveal a delicate gold ring with a heart design at the center.
He looked at me and asked with the most handsome smile I had ever seen him give me, "Kiana, will you marry me?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phew! That was a long chapter, wasn't it? ^^ Kiana got to meet Jean's family and friends and they're all so sweet to her. Well, considering what a great guy Jean is, it's obvious that the people of his hometown adore him and will adore his girlfriend :3
But...
It looks like things aren't going as smoothly as Kiana planned. Jean proposed to he before she could tell him the truth. It is sort of her fault for dating him so seriously and not telling him the truth all this time, but I guess she can't be blamed completely for it either. She was planning to tell him but this happened before she could...
What's going to happen now??
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:D