Disclaimer: I do not own Avalon Code or its characters in any way.
Thanks for all the reviews! Here is chapter 12!
Aria's POV
I could hear him calling my name as I ran. My eyes stung, and it was hard to see where I was going. I almost tripped over a rock, but I composed myself, not stopping.
I knew that he couldn't follow me. He had to stay with the book. It was stupid, I know it was, and there are people after the Book of Prophecy. Someone tried to grab my arm, but I yanked it back and continued on ahead.
I ran until I finally tripped, fell, and scraped my right knee. I grabbed at my bloody knee with both hands, trying to force the blood flow to stop. I sobbed as I saw the red liquid begin to run down my calf in rivers. I moved my hands apart to look at the wound.
I gasped at the piece of glass that was wedged in my leg. I tried to pull it out, but that only resulted in more pain. I sat there for a minute, trying to ignore the hot, piercing sensation.
"What's wrong, Aria?" I tried to hide my leg from him, covering it with both of my hands and turning away, but he easily turned me so I could face him. "What happened to you?" I lifted my gaze to his, but it was focused on my injury.
"It's nothing, don't worry." I managed to choke out.
"Nothing? Nothing? Have you seen that thing? Heaven knows how it must hurt." He pulled something from his belt, but I didn't see what. I was too busy trying to hide my face. "This will hurt for just a moment." Before I could see what he was doing, I felt a stabbing pain in my knee, and then it became numb. I instinctively grabbed at my leg, which was warm and sticky. I pulled back, disgusted. "Yeah, it is pretty gross." I looked up to his face, which was plastered with a worried smile. I didn't have the energy to smile back, so I just dropped my head. "Hey, I was just joking. What's wrong?"
"Nothing; I said that I was fine." He lifted my chin up with one of his tan hands, forcing me to look into his shining, amber eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Aria." He leaned in a little closer to whisper to me, "I may be new to feelings, but I'm not stupid." He dropped my chin and pulled back. I looked at the ground, afraid of what I was about to say.
"Rempo is in love with me." His eyes widened for a moment, and I had to look away. He was silent for a moment, as if hesitating.
"I won't let him have you." Surprised, I looked up to his determined face. "He can try all he wants, but I won't give you up."
I waited for the words that I longed to hear.
"He may be in love with you, but two can play at that game." He gave me a caring smile, and he finished tying the last knot on my bandage. "I'm in love with you, too."
Before I knew what I was doing, I shot forward, embracing the swordsman. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around me, and I laughed as his hesitant nature. My knee throbbed painfully, but I didn't care.
Anwar loved me. I knew it all along, but it still meant so much to hear him say it.
"I love you, too, Anwar." His grip loosened for a moment, but he tightened it almost right away.
We were interrupted when I heard a long, drawn-out wolf whistle come from behind a tree. I quickly let go and turned towards the source. "I knew it! I knew it!"
"G-Grandpa Vis?!" I immediately lifted both hands to cover my red face, and Anwar looked around a bit confused by the situation.
"Aria… are you embarrassed to be with me?" I parted my hands to look at his cute, pitiful face.
"WH-What? No! I'm not embarrassed!" I couldn't help it! He was too cute!
"Ashamed?"
"I'm not ashamed, either!"
"But you shield your face from me and the tiny, wrinkly man."
"Hey!" I had another urge to hug the boy before me. He was staring up at me with large, amber eyes that glistened with sadness. His lower lip stuck out a little bit; just enough to make him look all the much cuter.
"I'm sorry, Anwar! You know that I love you!" His smile reappeared and he embraced me once again. Vis chuckled and began to slink away.
"V-V-Vis!"
Anwar's POV
We began to run towards the place where she had said she dropped her book. When we got there, the book was still in place, thank goodness. Aria seemed a bit awkward, and mumbled an apology to someone I couldn't see.
"Are we ready to go?" I adjusted my belt, shoulder strap, and nodded. "Okay, then. Let's move!" We started walking in the direction towards the entrance of town, but she almost immediately stopped. "Um… Ur?" there was silence for a moment. "Where are we going?" Again, silence. "What? I don't sense anything." She quickly scanned the area, and I did the same, feeling a bit strange for doing so.
There it was. No, there. Whatever it was, it was moving, and fast.
"Anwar, do you see it?" I nodded and pulled out my sword, now called the Rempo. I scanned the area, trying to find an opening. There was a flash for a split moment, and I took the chance. I jumped in and slashed my sword down, missing it by inches.
"Who's that?" I looked through the dust and saw a man staring at Aria's book. He must be an enemy.
The man had brown hair and a scar over his left eye. "Are you the one they call Aria? The Kaleilan hero?" She hesitated a moment before nodded. "I am here to retrieve the Book of Prophecy. I don't want to hurt you, so I hope you cooperate."
Darn. Now I'm gonna' have to draw a battle scene, aren't I? I apologize if it turns out bad. Not good at action, I'm afraid : / Oh well :) someone's gotta' write it! Oh, and I didn't bother editing it, so if I have a mistake, that's why. I always write these things so late at night… sigh~
I'm not exactly sure, but in the end, this story might have 18 or 19 chapters. I'm planning to write an epilogue, too, so it might be a 20 chapter story. I might make it shorter, depends on how I can fit the events in. R&R!
