Hi guys! Guess what...

It's Independence Day (4th of July!) and today I'm updating my stories (When Pigs Fly, and Life Happens), and adding this, a new short story!

(Okay, so none of these have anything to do with the 4th of July, but I just wanted a holiday so that I would have an excuse to update everything.)

This short story, which I've titled "Not Old Enough To Love, As Yet" is set on the day after Deep Wizardry ends. It's just a little short N/K oneshot. :) (I love writing these one-shots; I'm going to write more, soon. They are just so fun!)

It's only about 1,000 words, not very long at all... And it's not one of the best things I've written, but I hope you enjoy it!


Not Old Enough To Love, As Yet

It was the day after. Nita hardly even knew why she was crying, but she was. She had just awoken, with the images fresh in her mind from the day before; the darkened water, the screaming, the blood. The giant monster, everyone almost dying, Kit nearly losing his mind… Kit

You need me? Kit's voice said into her mind, out of nowhere.

K-kit? Nita responded shakily, are you reading my mind again?

Not on purpose, he denied. I just twitch a little when someone says my name. Can I come over?

Please, she said.

A few seconds and a slight burst of displaced air later, Kit stood in front of her. He stood next to the bedroom door, staring almost in disbelief.

"Neets," he gasped, and made his way over to her. He sat down on Nita's bed, next to where she lay, weary and crying.

Nita sat up, and tried wiping the tears from her soaked eyes, but Kit wouldn't let her. He just pulled her against him and brushed her hair back from her face. Nita let out a few sobs, and then just submitted; allowing Kit to comfort her.

"Hey," Kit said softly, rocking her. "What's wrong, Neets?"

"I…just…" Nita couldn't get the words out. She just sobbed again, and buried her face in Kit's t-shirt. Kit gently touched her mind with his, and asked for permission to see what was bothering her. She accepted, and let him look at her thoughts, even while she was trying to hide from them.

Kit saw her haunts; the memories of the Song. He saw the attacks of the kraken, the pain, the blood in the water, and the sacrifice… and Kit saw himself, almost losing who he was, so deep under the ocean. He realized how helpless he had really looked.

"Nita," Kit breathed, and hugged her tighter, with force and meaning. "It's over, it's done. Everything worked out okay. You have nothing to worry about, now."

"But Kit," Nita said, pulling back a bit to look at him; "Why did it have to work out like this? Couldn't it have been something else… why did Ed have to give his life just because of me?"

Kit was considering trying to answer that, when Nita spoke up again.

"And continuing with that, why did you risk your life for me, anyways? You could have gone somewhere safer; you didn't have to almost get killed like you did!"

Another tear rolled heatedly down her cheek, the slight anger trying to cover up the sadness and worry.

There was a pause as Nita's emotion struggled on her face, and then broke down into sobs again.

"Neets," Kit said while wiping away her tears; "Did it ever occur to you that you're worth that much?"

Nita was dumbstruck. She stayed silent, all the time trying not to think about Ed's sacrifice, and what had been given up for her survival. She certainly didn't feel worthy of it.

"I'm not,"—Nita started, but Kit interrupted her, putting his hand over her mouth. She squeaked indignantly, but he shook his head at her.

"You are," he said. "Ed…gave up his life, because you needed that life more than he did. He had been the Master Shark since the beginning, or almost so, and he didn't have anything more than that to live for. It was his life, and he was bored with it. But you…you have so much of a life left for you. You have youth on your side, and wizardry. You could do something. It was worth it."

Nita stared up at Kit with misty eyes. She blinked the new tears away, and sniffled awkwardly. Kit removed his hand, but still held up a finger to keep her from talking, then continued with what he was saying.

"And as for why I was there? Do you think I could have let you go through any of that by yourself? If the sacrifice actually went as planned… I would have gone down with you. I could never be able to stand seeing you…" Kit shuddered, and closed his eyes. "Anyways, I wasn't going to live, if you didn't."

"Thank you," Nita finally said, and buried her face in his chest again.

Kit sighed as Nita relaxed against him, and held her tightly.

"Anytime," he said truthfully.

"Kit?" Nita asked, a minute or two later.

"Neets?"

"I…think it's good that Ed did what he did," Nita said hesitantly.

"Mm-hmm" Kit agreed.

"I didn't really fit the requirements for the Silent Lord, anyways."

"Huh?" Kit was surprised at Nita's words, and pulled back a bit to look at her.

"See?" Nita said, and called for her manual, which appeared in her hands.

She opened it to the page she had been reading just a few days before, and set it on the bed for Kit to read. Kit started at the beginning, reading the words.

Must I accept the barren Gift?
—learn death, and lose my Mastery?
Then let them know whose blood and breath
will take the Gift and set them free:
Whose is the voice and whose the mind
to set at naught the well-sung Game
— When finned Finality arrives
and calls me by my secret Name.

"Not that part," Nita said, "This part is where I don't fit."

Part of the words on the next page highlighted themselves in blue, and Kit bent to read those, as well. Nita's voice read the words aloud gently, even as he read them in his mind;

Not old enough to love as yet,
but old enough to die, indeed…

Kit looked up at Nita in slight confusion, and started to say something, but she interrupted him by pressing her lips against his.

Kit kissed her back, a bit shocked at first, but as the shock wore off he saw deeper into her mind. He saw the colors, the joys and regrets mixing within her troubled consciousness. He wanted to ease the pain, make it go away forever. He only wished there was a way he could do that. But even as he watched, a new emotion joined with the others, and made her mind be at peace.

Kit wrapped his arms around Nita, and pulled her closer; gently conveying that he didn't want to let go of her any time soon. Against him, Nita smiled.

The kiss broke, and they sat in silence for a minute, before Nita's calm laughter broke the silence.

"See?" Nita said, "I just don't fit in with the words."

That first line, "Not old enough to love as yet," shimmered on the page of the manual, glittering with blue energy.

Kit smiled, and hugged Nita again, but it felt different this time.

"Neets," Kit said, and squeezed her tighter; "I don't think I'd want it any other way."


Again, I hope you enjoyed! :) Please review, if you would be so kind, so that I know if this story is being read. Thanks for reading!