Chapter 10

Floran doesn't know how much time has passed. Floran just stays on the floor, feeling pain, and sad. Tears have stopped coming out of Floran's eyes, but Floran still feels like crying. Idalla is gone, the only Floran who would speak with Floran, who would treat Floran nicely, and she's gone. Floran hears Yuki's voice, Floran didn't even notice her.

"Come on, Seba. We have to treat your wounds," says Yuki, and Floran felt Yuki grab Floran's arm, and put it around her shoulders. Floran got up from the floor, even though Floran didn't care about staying on the floor. Floran keeps looking at the floor, Floran didn't know where Yuki was taking Floran, but she was the only one Floran could trust. Floran walks with Yuki, but it doesn't last long until she stops. Floran sees something that looks like a table, or a bed.

"Get on the bed, you must be tired," says Yuki, and Floran carefully gets on the bed. Floran gets comfortable, or in a way that doesn't hurt Floran's side. "I'll be right back." Yuki leaves after saying that. Floran is glad to be in bed, it is a soft bed, and Floran was tired, but was too sad to pay attention to it. Now that Floran pays attention to it, Floran falls asleep pretty easily. This might be a bad dream.

Floran wakes up, and feels someone moving Floran's sleeve. Floran opens eyes and sees Yuki, moving the sleeves of my armor, and something small with a pointy tip.

"What's that?" asks Floran because Floran doesn't like the pointy thing, it looks like a weapon.

"Seba, calm down, this is a red stim pack, it will help you heal from your wounds," says Yuki, but Floran still doesn't like the pointy thing. "Believe me, I want to help you, and this will help you." Floran looks at Yuki, then at the pack thing, and back to Yuki.

"Is it painful?"

"Yes, but only a little. It will be over before you know it." Floran looks at her for a moment, before nodding. "All right, relax your arm, and I'll do the rest." Floran doesn't know what Yuki means, but Floran simply lets the arm rest on the bed. Yuki turns my arm, so Floran's palm is facing up, and she stabs Floran in the middle of forearm. It does hurt, but just as Yuki said, it didn't hurt as much as Floran thought. She presses the back of the pack thing, and red water starts to disappear. It doesn't take long, it feels almost instantly, but the pain starts to go away. Yuki pulls a chair, it looks like the ones Idalla had in her house, and it makes Floran a little sad.

"Floran wishes this was a dream," says Floran.

"Me too," says Yuki and Floran wonders why. Yuki's eyes look tired, empty, distant, and it confuses Floran. Then, Floran realizes why she would say that, why she would look like that, and Floran feels bad for her. Yuki saw her dead friends, their dead eyes, and their blood flowing from their bodies. Compared to Floran, Yuki lost more than Floran, and Floran was only caring about Floran. It doesn't feel right, and Floran wants to do something for Yuki, but Floran is too tired to do much, except for one thing. Floran can see her hands on her lap, and Floran puts a hand on top of them. Yuki looks surprised for a moment, looks at my hand, then at Floran.

"Floran couldn't save your friends, Floran can't bring them back, but Floran promise to protect you. No matter what," says Floran. She looks surprised, but she smiles after a moment, and grabs Floran's hand with both of her hands.

"Thank you, Seba. I couldn't do anything to help Idalla, and I'm the reason you lost your home, but I promise to take care of you. No matter what," says Yuki, and puts Floran's hand back on the bed. Floran can't deny that it started with her, but Floran doesn't blame her. Floran made a choice, Floran wanted to save Yuki, and Floran doesn't regret it. "You need to rest now, it will take a while for the medicine to fully heal you, and even longer to reach our destination."

"Where are we going?" Floran doesn't know how spaceships work, but Idalla said that they could travel in something called 'space' to reach other worlds.

"We're going back to my home," says Yuki and Floran could only guess that there are going to be more like Yuki. However, Floran started to worry about going there.

"Do other, how are you called again? Hytotel, Hytole…?" Floran doesn't remember the name well, it sounded difficult.

"Hylotl."

"Yeah, that, do they fear Florans?" Floran's question might be a bad one because Yuki looks worried.

"Look, you're a good Floran, I know you are, but…" Yuki looks everywhere, but Floran's eyes. "…not everyone knows that, and there's some bad history between our races."

"History?" That made Yuki look back at Floran.

"Yeah, you don't know about it?"

" Floran was never told about history, Floran never cared about it. Florans only cared about hunting and stabbing prey, it's what kept our bellies full."

"Seba, Florans took my homeworld." Floran doesn't know what to say. Florans took Hylotl home, and Floran knows that Florans killed and ate Hylotl. It's just what Florans would have done. "Don't think too hard on it, it's all in the past, and we forgave the Florans."

"How?" Floran sits up. "How can Hylotl forgive Florans? Florans took from Hylotl, killed Hylotl, and Hylotl forgives Florans?" Floran can't understand that.

"That's just how our culture is, but you are right. While many of my kind forgave the Florans for what they have done, there are some who…" Yuki doesn't speak, and that worries Floran.

"What?" It takes a moment for Yuki to answer, but it's an answer that makes Floran feel bad.

"There are some who want to see the Florans burn." Florans hate fire, Florans are afraid of it, but Floran is afraid to go to a place where people hate Floran. At least in Floran's tribe, no one hated Floran enough to try and kill. Floran feels a hand on Floran's forehead, and Floran sees Yuki. "Don't be afraid, Seba. I made you a promise, remember? Besides, I have an idea on how to get you inside." Floran can see it in her face, she's serious in keeping that promise, just like Floran promised to protect her.

Floran wonders what kind of idea Yuki has in mind.