04. His Thoughts and desires

The changes were not only on his appearance.
He noticed how he did not tire easily.
Which was a good thing perhaps amongst all.

At times his senses even got sharper.

Whatever Sierra had done to him, it was pure wonder.

Her blood must be the most potent drug there is.

It made him wonder if there was such an effect, wouldn't she be hunted for such?

There was an indirect answer to his question one day when he heard a commotion in the dungeons.
Some of the new help were calling amongst each other of a strange creature by the cemetery.

Klaus, who happened to just dropped by was about to proceed on his way when he heard the strange creature was a white bat.
He abruptedly stopped walking, his heart skipping a beat.

There wasn't any white bats in the area.
Only one.

He hurries without thinking towards the cemetery and finds a small crowd using a spear to poke the bat.
Klaus exclaimed in horror and rushed in between the crowd.

"Stop that at once!" he commanded.
They all paused and looked at him.

A few recognized him and quickly backed away.
He climbed the tree and wrapped the frail creature underneath his coat.
"You are not to harm her. She frequents this area to sleep, are we all clear?" he said to them trying to stand tall despite his thundering heart.

"Yes sir" they nodded.

He quickly retreats to his room and began to inspect the creature.
Its eyes are closed and it was breathing softly.
Klaus thought Sierra would return to her original form but she remained that way till he finished tending to her wounds.

Something urgent had come up so he left her in his bed and when he returned that evening she was gone.

Just like that.

xx-xx
Days had gone by.
The war went on.

There was a soft knock in Klaus' door. He mutters a reply without getting up.
Sierra enters the room and finds him sitting in his bed, in his night clothes a blanket covering half of his body and he is reading a book.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I disturbing?"
He shakes his head, "I'm just feeling cold tonight and decided to skip my lessons"

She sits in his bed, a few meters away from him.

"Are you ill?" she asked.

He puts down his book. "Am I always that ill looking to you?"
"Oh, of course not its just..." her voice faded and she looks at her hands.

"Klaus, I wanted to say thank you for saving me again"

He raised an eyebrow. "When was that?"

She meets his questioning soft eyes. "When I was in my other form"

He nods his head. "Ah, that. Well, that was nothing. You must forgive them, they were new"

"Yes. I know they were not at fault.." she said quietly.
Then there was this silence between them, without nothing to say Klaus proceeded to read and that's when she reaches out and pulls the book gently out from his hands.
He looks at her innocently, his eyes wide.
Lips partly parted.

Such innocence, Sierra thought wildly and touched his face.
He blinks back several times, unable to move. His own mind was reeling.
Sierra pressed her lips softly into his and heard him gasp.
She kisses him more intently and he stiffens.

He then tries to follow her lead, but pushes away breathing hard.
His cheeks are flushed.

"Wh-"
She shuts him up by kissing him again and straddles him, touching his chest through the thin night shirt he was wearing.
He moans softly when she kisses him deeply, her tongue darting into his mouth.

She could feel his heartbeat.
Racing so vibrantly underneath that frail body.
It made her want him even more.

They parted again, to breath while panting heavily.
He touched her face. "We can't do...this.." he said softly.

"Is that what you really want?" her lips brushed his.
His other hands were running through her silver hair, touching it ever so gently Siera could feel her body shiver.

"I don't know..its..its not r-right" he stuttered his eyes wide with pure untainted innocence.

"That's just what you want to think.."she kisses him again and he responses eagerly clasping her body into his leaving whatever thoughts that lingered in his mind.

xx-xx
Klaus woke up as he heard the light rain outside of his window. He felt unbearably cold and he came to realized he was stark naked underneath his sheets.
He quickly sat up and stared beside him where Sierra slept deeply, the blanket covering her until her nose.

He swallowed painfully, his face turning red.

It happened.
Something he could not even fanthom in this life.

Slowly he gets out of bed and changes his clothes. He looks almost too shyly at Sierra who remained asleep with a blissful look in her beautiful face.

What have I done?, he thought mournful. It wasn't suppose to be. Then he closed his eyes and felt his heart.
What am I really feeling?
Have you broke the barriers I set up to protect myself?, he shook his head and left quietly not to disturb her.

Throughout the day, his distracted thoughts has caused him mistakes in his work.
Shu patted his shoulder. "Are you all right Klaus? This isn't like you" he asked in genuine concern.

"I'm all right, sir" he swallowed. "It just have a lot in my mind"

"We must add more effort to our work to win this war" Shu told him firmly, "but not to the expense of your body. I need a sound mind and body, son. If you are tired bygones do tell me and I won't mind if you need a day rest"

Klaus smiled gratefully at the older man.
"Thank you for your concern" he bowed, "I truly appreciate everything you have done to me"

"Nonsense" he chuckled. "Now straightened those thoughts and let's defeat those bastards"

"Yes sir!" Klaus exclaimed, hope rising admist the fog of thoughts in his mind.

xx-xx
He came back to his room later that evening to find it empty to his relief. His bed and the sheets were clean as if nothing had happened.

Remembering last night made his face flushed again and he bit his lip and paced around the room trying to recollect his thoughts.

He didn't know if he could even face Sierra.
He wanted to stop it.

But.

He wanted it.
Somehow.
He gave in.

Sitting down in his bed he buried his face in his hands and groaned.
He made a mistake.

He felt it was a terrible one.

That morning some troops were sent to defend a small town and Sierra was one of them. Accidentally, they meet in a deserted corridor and she had a small smile in her beautiful mysterious face.

He bit his lower lip and looks around apparently trying to find another way out.

"Klaus?" her sweet voice made him took a step backwards.
"Ah, S-Sierra.." he managed to say not meeting her eyes.

"I'm off to fight again" she tells him and he barely nods his head.
"Well, try not to die" he said which made her laugh.

"Of course" she walked towards him.

He looks up with a startled expression and unexpected blush in his usually pale cheeks.
"Well" he clears his throat, "I better get going I have things to do" he hurriedly said and walked pass her without looking.

"Klaus"

He slows down, swallows hard and mutters a low yes without looking at her.

"Is anything wrong?" she asks softly.

"No.." he clears his throat, "nothing's wrong"

"You know you can't lie"

His jaw tightens and he turns to look at her.
"That's right. I can't and I'm tired of doing so" he gathers the courage to steady himself. "Sierra, let's just stop this. I can't do it anymore because its driving me insane. I-I can't even th-think well when I have to focus all my attention with my work and studies. And here you are a distraction..." he bit his lip and looks away. "I can't even understand my feelings and your feelings. Are you just making fun of me?
Or is this just like a little fling and when the war is over..." his voice drifts off.

Sierra's own expression is calm and unwavering.

Her beautiful soulful eyes were hard to read even for a strategist like Klaus.

If the art of war was something he thoroughly understood with enthusiam, feelings such as love was as intricate as ever.

And of all people who had shown interest in him, it was Sierra the coven mistress.

Until this moment even though they had been together he could never really understand her.
There had always been this doubt in his mind.

Lingering like a disease.

Sierra was quiet for an awfully long time that Klaus felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.
He then wished he could have just shut up.
She was about to fight for heaven's sake!

"I'm s-sorry" he stuttered and walks away.

As evening fell, Klaus absentmindly began playing with his food.
Apple, a fellow strategist like himself sat across him with a concern look in her face.

"No appetite Klaus?" she asked in warmly.

He sat up straight. "Ah, well. I have a lot in my mind"

"War can really get a toll on people. You must remind strong" she tells her.
Klaus nods his head. "You went through the Gate Rune Wars, I will take into consideration your advise"

"Don't just take it. Do it" then she cleared her throat making him look up at her. "A strategist must conquer all types of emotions. You for once should not falter"

His eyes widens.
Then there was this light in her eyes and a faint touch of amusement in her lips.

"She will be fine"

That made him groan. "Why is everyone pressuming that my thoughts are all filled with Sierra?"

She continues to smile. "I know what's troubling you"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You are unable to accept the fact that Sierra Mikain loves you. Instead of trying to resist it just give in. Not everything is all about strategist, or about the absolute sureness of an outcome.
Sometimes we all have to leave it to fate to decide. It would be wise to go with the flow, Klaus" she told him with her hands folded.

Klaus looks at her and sigh.
A girl, who is a year younger than him is giving her a sound advise.
Not just any other usual advise.
Matters of the heart.

He bit his lips and thought dreadfully.
I'm still young after all, his mind reeled.
Sure, he didn't grow up conventional way but was thrown into war in an early age.

But he has other feelings as well.

Admitting defeat, he nods his head and continues eating.

Apple continues to smile at him.

xx-xx