That was it.
The moment that she had been waiting for ever since she had accepted the mission all these months ago, the moment that was bound to change her life for the better.
Bathed in the moonlight that illuminated her silhouette and fully revealed her identity, Zhalia's glowing brown eyes rested on the male that was laying on the rooftop and as soon as his amber orbs and her own hazel one's clashed, she felt her stomach churn at the sight that greeted her.
The honey-colored eyes that were once filled with nothing but warmth whenever their eyes met were now filled with pure hurt, all the unspoken questions that entered his now burning lungs, begging to get released so that she would give him an answer, clawing their way up.
And yet, he found himself unable to utter even one of them.
Zhalia felt the adrenaline rush through her veins, her eyes never leaving his as she gently channeled her powers into her hand and summoned the spell. The familiar warmth of the spell that surrounded her hand should have calmed her, reminded her that it would be over soon and that this was the way that things were supposed to be and yet, the raven haired female couldn't help but hesitate for the split of a second as she saw a brief flash of something in his eyes that caught her off guard.
Her mask of indifference remained firmly placed on her expression so that it easily concealed the surprise that filled her and the pang of pain at the realization that followed at what she saw.
Whereas she could easily make out that he seemed confused and hurt, the spy had failed to note just what rather important emotion was missing.
Surprise.
It was the moment that she realized that he knew that she suddenly felt the buzzing sound that filled her fade into a sickening thick silence and her senses sharpening as Zhalia, for the first time since she could remember, felt a brief pang of hurt.
If he knew, why didn't he act colder towards her and instead, continuously tried to involve her into the teams and Foundations private matters? Why did Dante always tried to ensure her safety even until when they parted ways moments ago and didn't try to stop her? Regardless of when it was that she had found out, he would have had enough time to alarm the Foundation or at least Lok and Sophie so that they would have been able to stop her before it would come down to this.
And it was when that final thought entered her head that she understood, and the mere realization caused her heart to clench tightly.
He did it on purpose. He did it because he trusted her and hoped that maybe, he would be able to change her heart, to prove that he organization was the real enemy. He did it because he hoped to see that the trust and faith that he had given her wasn't in vain.
If he hadn't been paying close attention to it, Dante would have missed the flicker of hesitance in her eyes and yet he didn't, and it was enough for him to instantly understand just what had caused it.
His eyes softened and he instantly understood, his compassion going out for the woman that was standing just a few meters opposite of him.
He could easily read her, just as he had done before oh so many times and it pained him to see her struggling. Dante felt her confusion, her surprise and her hesitance all at once as he clenched his fists at his side as he watched the lost female in front of him fight between what she believed was right, and what she felt was right.
The auburn haired seeker was determined not to loose her to them, not if he had a say in it and received the chance to save her from the dark future that would await her.
She was good at heart, she had proven it to him on many occasions and the mere fact that she was hesitating was prove enough to Dante.
"Zhalia." He called, hoping that he would be able to snap her out of her thoughts. Klaus was seemingly getting suspicious of her hesitance as well and regardless of what her decision would be, he didn't want her to suffer in the future if she did decide to kill him just because she hesitated.
Zhaia's eyes instantly snapped back into focus the moment his familiar low and rough, yet gentle voice called her name with all the possible urgency and desperation existing and reached her ears.
Dante had always had this strange effect on her, and she didn't like it one bit. Zhalia was confused, whereas she had no reason to for everything went as planned. She shouldn't feel like this, shouldn't hesitate and allow him to have this kind of control over her mind and heart and yet, he did.
And she despised him for it.
Zhalia frowned and with newfound power, the bluenette lifted her glowing hand and took a step closer and with that, sealed her fate and made a decision.
It was time to end this mission, and for good.
Bitterness coated her tongue, pain filled her heart and every step that she took towards him caused her heart to only tighten further.
Her eyes never left his a she came to a stop in front of him and lifted her hand fully into the air and this time, Zhalia didn't bother to hide her emotions from him.
The mask that she usually wore suddenly slipped off of her face and with that, she allowed him to see all the pain, hurt and hatred that she was currently feeling.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, loud enough for him to hear as she clenched her jaw tightly and shut her eyes close, ripping her gaze away from his as a tear escaped the corner of her eye and silently rolled down her cheek.
Dante's heart broke at the sight of the usually emotionless and cold Zhalia's pain and when he realized just what she was apologizing for, his eyes widened out of surprise and his head snapped upwards to look at her in silent anticipation, hoping that his gut feeling would not fail him this time.
Her glowing fist was coming straight for his face and he inhaled deeply, accepting that his fate was now in her hand and whatever it would be, he could never judge her for it.
Zhalia's hazel eyes suddenly opened once more and as their eyes met, Dante knew that her decision was made.
He never broke eye contact with her and didn't flinch when her fist hit the roof-tiles next to his head instead of his face, surprise filling his eyes nonetheless as he felt his entire stiffened body relax in an instant.
The rest happened in a blur.
Zhalia swiftly shot a Boltflare at the two suits behind Dante and with that, the fight begun.
Dante's eyes swiftly glanced upwards to see if Zhalia was alright but upon seeing her charging at the next pair of suits, he instantly understood that they had no time to waste and instead, instantly jumped up and charged at Klaus.
The fight against Klaus was tiresome and ended up with an unexpected twist. With Klaus having gained the upper hand on the fight against Dante, Zhalia was forced to invoke King Basilisk and with that, turned her adoptive father into a statue made of stone within the matter of seconds.
She would forever remember the sheer fury and disbelief that had filled his eyes, her unexpected betrayal having greatly affected him and for a moment, Zhalia felt a spark of regret.
Not for her actions, but that she didn't realize sooner. If she had made a decision sooner, she would have been able to find a different way and he wouldn't have ended up like this.
What kind of a daughter was she that she turned the person who gave her a home, affection and saved her from death into stone just like that?
Zhalia was panting heavily as she felt how King Basilisk returned back into it's amulet, her entire body aching and her mind being nothing but one big mess after everything that happened.
She was tired, so damn tired.
What was done was done, but what was she supposed to do now? She had nowhere to go and most certainly couldn't return to the organization. Not only was she the number one enemy of the organization right now but also the Foundation, and whereas she didn't like to admit it, she felt lost.
Unfortunately, karma was seemingly already seeking her for before she was able to do as much as to turn around and look if Dante was already behind her, sounds of shouts and titans roaring reached her ears.
Zhalia instantly stiffened, her entire body straightening in an instant as her head whipped to her right just to be greeted by the sight of the approaching hoard of Foundation agents approaching them, spells ready in their hands and angry gazes fixed on her.
A bitter smile made it's way on her rosy lips as she realized that either Lok or Sophie, if not even Dante had called them as a back-up and that they have probably witnessed everything that had happened this far.
For the split of a moment she considered to take them on on her own. They were around ten seekers with one titan each and whereas she had once more managed to defeat even a larger group by herself, she was already worn out by the previous battles.
Her chest was heaving, her breathing was ragged and her forehead was already covered in a sheet of sweat that was glistening as she was standing in front of the stone stature that was now her father, her heart heavy as she averted her gaze from them.
Zhalia had no choice but to leave. It would be the easiest as well as time and energy consuming way to get out alive and this way, she would be able to get her remaining belongings from her apartment.
Having made up her mind, the bluenette turned with her back to the approaching group of seekers, ready to leave and that was where she had made her next mistake. She had forgotten to include a certain something in her plan or rather, a certain someone, and the moment that she felt a shift in the air behind her was the moment that she realized.
Too late.
"I'm sorry Zhaal." His voice was low and yet held all the softness it could, his regret-filled whisper reaching her ears what caused her eyes to automatically widen.
Before she was able to react, she felt him cover her eyes with his palm and whisper the all too familiar spell into her ear, causing her entire body to tense under his touch before she slowly felt the darkness taking over her system, engulfing her senses like a thick and warm blanket as it slowly lulled her into unconsciousness.
She felt her heart ache as she realized what was happening, the betrayal causing a bitter sensation to take over her at the irony of the situation and in the next moment, there was only black.
When Zhalia regained consciousness, she found herself staring unblinking at a plain white-colored ceiling. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she tried to get rid of the haziness that misted her vision and the drowsiness that clouded her senses, instantly alarmed as the memories of the previous incident rushed back.
Her head was throbbing and her entire body was sore to an extend that bordered dangerously close to painful, something that she could gladly live without. She rolled her head to her side, her cheek resting against a soft surface while her eyes attentively scanned her surroundings for any signs of danger or familiarity.
Zhalia was greeted by the sight of nothing but blank white-colored walls. She frowned out of confusion as she realized that with the exception of what seemed to be the bed-like frame that she found herself lying on, the room was eerily empty and amiss of everything that a room should normally hold.
It pained her to move but despite of that, Zhalia spent the next minutes simply laying there, gathering the needed strength to get up and even though it still hurt her to do so, she eventually managed to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and lift her upper body into a sitting position.
As she did so, a rattling sound pierced the thick silence that formerly deafened her ears and instantly gained her attention.
Suspicion crawled its way into her heart as she looked down to her hands to see that she must have formerly missed the metallic shackles that were tightly fastened around her slender wrists, the metal gleaming innocently in the light. There were no chains that bound her to somewhere, but Zhalia instantly recognized them as one of the Foundations most recent magic devices.
She had briefly heard of it when Dante had told her about them. They were some kind of device that would drain her powers and absorb them, preventing her from trying anything that was related to magic. Such as summoning spells in order to break free or create a bond to her titans.
Alarmed, her hand instantly flew to her right leg where the small brown bag was supposed to be located at but just as she had expected her eyes were greeted by the sight of plain brown material instead of her usual blue pants.
Zhalia grimly concluded that they must have taken her titans when she was unconscious and a wave of hurt unwillingly overcame her as she realized that she was being held a prisoner because of him.
She should have known that since his loyalty to the Foundation was rooting deeper than she would ever understand, he would not even grant her that one favor of taking the chance to disappear, to leave everything behind and start anew even though she spared him.
Of course she didn't believe him to do so, nor did she expect him to, but she felt the sharp pang of disappointment nonetheless because for a moment, she believed that he understood her.
A bitter smile found its way on her lips as they curled upwards, hazel eyes shining with hurt as a scoff escaped her lips.
She was indeed foolish.
Unable to do anything for she was locked inside, she didn't even bother trying to open the door and instead, wisely spent her time resting so that she would be able to regain her strength because after all, she could easily fight without magic if needed as well.
Zhalia hasn't been one of the top members of the organization for nothing after all.
And just like that, hours and days passed at a painfully slow pace that left her a prisoner of her own mind and thoughts.
She didn't know how many days it's been ever since her betrayal and nothing regarding her situation changed just yet.
One of the Foundation Seekers delivered her meals thrice a day but Zhalia didn't feel like eating, neither had the appetite to do so. She would occasionally nibble on the fruits that went with her meals to get by but other than that, her tray would remain untouched.
The food delivery boy as she had decided to name him seemed to be younger than she was, maybe around Lok and Sophie's age if not even younger and judging by the way he calmly entered her room with a polite smile on his face, or his eyes held concern whenever he would retrieve the still full tray of food, the Foundation seemed to have kept her betrayal as low as possible, going as far as to even send an apprentice to deliver her food.
"Someone called Lok and Sophie asked for you quite some times." He had once told her, and Zhalia found herself unable to hide the surprise that lightened up her eyes when she had heard his words. "They have expressed their concerns regarding your imprisonment and health when they heard of your refusal to eat Miss Moon. They are worried about your well-being."
It's been three days ever since she had heard these words from him and the shock upon hearing them still didn't fade. She didn't expect Lok and Sophie to feel anything but hatred towards her after what she had done to them and yet, here she was hearing that they were concerned because she wasn't eating properly.
Her chest involuntarily warmed at the thought of them seemingly still caring, even after everything that she had done and Zhalia guessed that Dante probably talked to them and explained what had happened.
And yet, there was no sign of life from him ever since she was imprisoned.
Whereas she didn't expect to see or hear from him, the bitterness of the outcome of her mission was still causing her sleepless nights. Every night she would lie awake and the day's happenings would play themselves in front of her mind once more as if she was there all over again.
It was painful, but she couldn't escape her own mind.
Every day passed b the same way. Whenever it was night the light in her room would flicker off and drown it with darkness, signalizing her that one more day had passed. Today marked her eighth day of imprisonment and Zhalia sighed out of content as the lights flickered into nonexistence and darkness filled the room, her eyes already throbbing because of the lighting of her room.
It was when five minutes later that her senses suddenly sharpened, the air around her shifting as goosebumps graced the exposed skin of her arms.
Hazel eyes sharpened in an instant and blankly gazed over at the seemingly empty spot next to the door, her heart clenching as a flash of amber disappeared as fat as it appeared.
She was currently sitting on her bed with her back facing the wall, her knees drawn up so that she could rest her chin on them.
Her long blue strands of hair fell around her like a curtain, shielding her face and even though she was dressed and the blankets were pooling around the narrow part of her waist she was feeling more exposed than she ever did.
She hated how he always seemed to look straight through her and read her like an open book.
Zhalia felt tired, both mentally as well as physically exhausted because of her powers absence and even though she couldn't deny the way her heartbeat sped up upon feeling the more than familiar presence, she didn't have the power to deal with him just yet.
"Leave."
She didn't mean for it to come out as a whisper and had hoped that her demand would sound more convincing but even to her own ears it sounded pathetically weak and nothing like a demand but rather, like a plea.
Zhalia watched how the spot where he was standing suddenly brightened up, her eyes instantly falling on the Boltflare that he had summoned in order for there to be light.
She felt her stomach churn as she mustered up her courage and allowed her eyes to drift over to his face and as soon as their eyes met, Zhalia felt sick.
It was as if all of the emotions she was capable of feeling surfaced at once, the overwhelming sensation causing her fists to tighten on the white colored sheets.
He looked beyond exhausted, prominent dark rings that signalized her of his lack of sleep for the past few days under his eyes. The corner of his lips curled upwards into a soft smile, the very same one that he had always shown her whenever they were on their own.
His eyes were shining brightly in the light and Zhalia could easily make out the relief in his orbs as well as concern and stubbornly fought the urge to smile.
Dante would never change.
Said male lifted an amused brow at the bluenette in return and took a step closer, causing Zhalia to unconsciously press her back tighter against the wall behind her.
"Leave?" He echoed, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he instantly noticed the way her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed into a thin line. "I am afraid that I can't do that Zhaal."
Even though his words were meant to sonewhat lighten the situation, the familiar interaction only caused Zhalia to grow more suspicious as well as nostalgic.
Dante eyed Zhalia with attentive eyes, scanning her body for any injuries and upon not finding any, his gaze flickered up to meet hers. She looked unusually pale, most likely due to the lack of sunshine and fresh air, and he grimly noticed that she had also lost some weight.
Her eyes were hollow, her expression blank and the only sign of emotion that he could make out from her was her uneasiness since she was backing herself against the wall.
Dante knew that she wasn't scared of him, hell he couldn't remember a time when Zhalia was scared of anyone for that matter, not even the professor himself. However, he knew that she was not as comfortable around him as she once was for whatever reason there was.
Upon hearing his words, A flicker of annoyance brightened up her eyes. She always knew that Dante Vale was one hell of a stubborn seeker, but as for now it didn't sit well with her, especially not considering the situation they were in.
She was the traitor, betrayed him and his team and almost killed them as well , what left her wondering just what eaactly his intentions for his visit were.
"Dante." She curtly addressed him, not in the mood for his mind games. It was late, she was both confused and emotional what was definitely not something that Zhalia often felt, especially at once, and needed to sleep. "Why are you here?"
Dante seemed unfazed by her rather blunt question and took another couple of steps closer until he was standing at the edge of her bed, his expression suddenly turning serious as he eyes her.
There she was, sitting on this bed in the room where she had been locked away from everything and everyone for over an entire week just because he was unable to take care of this matter any faster.
Dante had spent the entire week traveling back and forth between Germany and Venice in order for the matter to get settled. He wouldn't let her rot in this room any longer even though she didn't do anything wrong. Considering her situation, it was understandable that she did what she felt was right due to being raised this way. It wasn't her fault and on top of that, she didn't fulfill her mission either. She proved her loyalty to the people she loved and went as far as against her own fathers orders and her very own beliefs in order to save them.
Zhalia risked getting locked away for their sake and in the end, Dante still regarded her the same and considered her a member of his team. They managed to convince her that their way of living was the right one and fortunately, the members of the team as well as Guggenheim and Metz agreed with him on that.
She had proven her loyalty, and with that they had no reason to treat her as a traitor.
Whereas Guggenheim was somewhat reluctant to allow her to remain part of the Foundation, Metz was confident that he would not regret his decision.
As was Dante.
He had sacrificed most of his sleeping hours for her and yet, he didn't mind even one bit if it meant that she would be back home with the team and most importantly him.
"I'm taking you back home Zhaal." He softly returned, earnestly dripping from his every word as his determined gaze met her surprised one.
The bluenette was confused, surprised and suspicious at once as she remained silent in return, her eyes never leaving his as she tried to wrap her mind around his words.
She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he fall down the stairs on his way to her room or why was he suddenly saying such nonesense?
Zhalia couldn't detect anything but he plain truth in his eyes and voice, the way his intense gaze Was fixed on her causing a shiver to run down her spine.
She wanted to believe him, she truly did and yet, it didn't make any sense. She was the enemy, betrayed them and stabbed them in their backs, so how was this supposed to work out?
"Dante please." She mumbled, her exhaustion creeping into her voice as her eyes held a frightening amount of urgency that surprised him. "I am a traitor to the Foundation and betrayed you and your team, for Gods sake I almost killed you!" Zhalia firmly reminded him, averting her gaze from his out of shame as she lowered her head.
"Being imprisoned is what I deserve. I don't deserve your forgiveness not your pity Dante, not after what I have done." She insisted, her eyes saddening as she felt a large stone settle itself back on her heart, the heavy sensation instantly making itself noticeable to her.
Dante frowned upon hearing her words and felt a pang of hurt. He had half heartedly expected her to protest since he knew that Zhalia was a honorable and prideful woman and yet, a small part of him had hoped that she wouldn't refuse him.
Deciding that she wouldn't budge this easily, Dante heaved a hearty sigh and lowered himself to sit down on her bed so that they were opposite of each other, the sheets of the bed rustling in the silence being the only sound.
Carefully as if not to alarm her, the auburn haired seeker slowly reached out to gently tilt her chin upwards with a stern expression so that she was facing him.
As soon as he found himself looking back into the familiar pair of hazel eyes his expression softened in an instant. "Zhalia, I am not doing this because I pity you." He curtly informed her, his voice remaining a soft whisper as if not to startle her. "You are no traitor. You didn't hurt us and went against your own father and everything you believed was right until then. I am doing this because I understand and because you are still a member of our team. Your place is with us, with me."
Zhalia was stunned, if she were to admit it. Out of every reason that she had expected Dante to use she had most definitely not expected him to use this. Her chest warmed at his words and she couldn't help but feel a wave of regret coming over her. She didn't deserve them, and she most definitely didn't deserve him.
"But Lok and Sophie-"
"Are already waiting for us in the foyer. They were worried" He told her, a small smile on his lips as he saw the look in her eyes. She was considering it , he knew her well enough to be able to read it in her eyes and yet, she was still hesitant.
"Dante, I can't-" Zhalia once more insisted, the frustration in her voice clearly audible but before she could do as much as utter another word, Dante acted.
He allowed the spell on his palm to fade into thin air and leaned down before he gently pressed his lips against hers.
Zhalia couldn't help but inhale sharply as she felt the sensation of his lips pressing against hers, hazel eyes widening out of sheer surprise. She would have never thought that he would go as far as to kiss her and yet here he was, claiming her mouth with his.
His mouth was hot against hers and she could instantly feel all of Dante's urgency and frustration that he put into the kiss, causing her mind to get hazy in the very same second. How long had he wanted to do that, how many times did he fight it because the nagging voice in the back of his head screamed at him that she was the enemy, trying to kill him and yet when she had the chance, she didn't and with that the nagging voice in his mind disappeared, having no reason to stay anymore.
The already presented warmth in herchest only grew as if someone had fueled the fire beneath and Zhalia found herself unable to resist the huge temptation that crawled through her veins for any longer. She slid her hands on his chest until they found the hem of his shirt and held it tightly, pulling him closer as she returned his kiss.
For the first time in her life did she feel like she had done the right thing without having any regrets. Dante and her shared a bond that was unexplainable and whereas she believed it to have been severed because of her betrayal, it had seemingly only tightened.
"Stubborn." Dante lovingly mumbled against her lips before he parted his lips from hers and rested his forehead against hers, eyes gleaming with contend and happiness at the sight that greeted them.
Zhalia looked just as relieved as she felt and Dante instantly noted the way she calmed under his touch, her mask having cracked once more so that the Zhalia he knew and loved was once more present.
The bluentte in return rolled her hazel eyes and pulled him closer as she closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of having him close for as long as she could.
"You're impossible." She muttered under her breath, a small smile playing on her rosy lips that turned broader as he heard his chuckle.
"I know." He admitted, a smirk gracing his features as he pulled back to look into her eyes once more, his warm amber eyes staring lovingly at the flushed bluenette.
Her hair was slightly messed up, her lips were parted and her cheeks were covered in a healthy pink flush. She was once more looking like the Zhalia he knew and for as long as he lived he made it his task to keep her this way. Her true self.
Dante would make sure that she would not regret her decision.
"Let's go home Zhaal."
A/N: Well that's what happens when you listen to sad music. Oh well, this is something I randomly came up with. It's with my little twist and whereas I first considered to make it multiple chapter story with my own twist in it, I already got other plans in mind but oh well, maybe one day:)
If you liked it, please tell me if you did by leaving me a review! I hope you enjoyed it and see you soon!:)
All the love,
Sara.