"Twinkle twinkle little star"
Fighting back the tears that were on the verge of spilling over, Arya kept going, the black lead of the pencil scarring the paper's pure, white surface.
"How I wonder what you are"
With a resonating snap, she tossed the pencil's remnants aside, the faint sound of the pieces skittering across the floor.
"Up above the world so high"
Tearing out the paper more delicately, she stared at the image, the monstrosity she created, gripping the edges so tightly that it threatened to cave in on itself.
"Like a diamond in the sky"
Letting it fall and brush the empty space on the floor, she gazed down upon the other nightmares that she gave life to, encircling, trapping, closing her in.
"Twinkle twinkle little star"
Closing her eyes she imagined. Imagined flames rising from the papers to consume her, to send her to oblivion forever in eternal darkness.
"How I wonder what you are"
But there was nothing but the light. The pale, yellow glow that streamed through her windows wrapping warmth around her still trembling fingers.
"What other lies or secrets do you still hide from me?" she murmured, watching the color gradually return to her skin.
Knock knock
With only the faint rustle of the papers beneath her feet, she tiptoed quietly to the door, pressing her face against the cool, smooth surface.
Knock knock
"Arya?"
"Zett?" she whispered.
"Open the door."
She placed her hand on the handle, but hesitated to turn it.
"Let me in."
With a soft click, the door opened just a crack.
"Let me see you." he said, his voice just barely a whisper.
Widening the space, she peeked her head out, the door still obscuring half her face.
"Arya," he sighed "Are you okay?"
She only lowered her eyes in response.
"Come with me." he said abruptly, snaking his hand through the doorway to grab onto her wrist as he dragged her out.
"Where are we going?" she stammered, staggering after him.
"Somewhere." he replied, looking back to send her a sly smirk.
Feeling herself blush, she looked away, forcing herself to focus on something other than Zett while he dragged her along.
"Come on, we're almost there." Zett coaxed, his hand still firmly clasped around her wrist.
"You've said that like five times." Arya retorted, stumbling on loose dirt once again "Well at least slow down for a bit."
"I promise, this will all be worth it." he replied, pulling her forward even quicker.
"This better be." she mumbled, attempting to keep up with him.
"We're here." he announced, turning back to wait for her to catch up "What do you think?"
"Hold on, just let me..." letting her voice trail off, Arya stared, marveled, at the breath-taking view. Rows upon rows of cherry blossom trees stretched out before them, the cool breeze sending a whirlwind of petals fluttering to the ground. It was unworldly, a dream even, but here it was right in front of her.
"Zett..." she breathed, reaching over to a drooping branch to let the pale blossoms tickle the palm of her hand "It's beautiful..."
Entwining his fingers with hers, he smiled just the slightest and continued to guide her through the forest.
With the gentle winds blowing the petals in mesmerizing swirls, Arya couldn't help but laugh as some of them managed to cling to her hair. As they swept past the endless trail of woven branches, the blossoms quivered like bells in their path. Though the sun shone brightly that day, the air was still cool enough to send goosebumps up her arm. Gradually, Arya shifted closer to Zett's side, her arm brushing against his through the purple fabric that draped over his shoulder.
"Where are we going now?" Arya asked, her voice echoing around them.
Pausing, he looked back, his dark eyes cold and calculating. His grip almost crushing her fingers as his body seemed to tense up. "Let's go." He said hurriedly, pulling her along even faster.
"Zett?" she called as they ran, the thick covering of blossoms beneath them muffling the sound of their footsteps "Is something wrong?"
He remained ominously quiet, too preoccupied by whatever to have heard what she said as they continued to navigate their way through the trees.
"Zett?" she repeated, fear beginning to creep in as she glanced behind her, fully expecting a Shadow to suddenly appear "Zett, is there a something following us? Answer me, Zett-"
"Emperor of Darkness."
Halting in their tracks, both of them quickly scanned the area around them, searching for the direction of the voice.
"Looking for me?"
Suddenly, a projectile shot out from behind, grazing Zett's arm as it implanted it's sharp, green form deep into the tree across, darkness pouring forth. Falling to his knees, he pressed his hand against the wound, wincing as blood could visibly be seen dripping out.
Drawing out her sword, Arya stood guard, alert as she searched for any sign of movement "Show yourself Shadow!"
"My, my, are you talking to me?"
Deflecting another shot from a different direction, she glared angrily at the approaching figure.
"I must say, it's quite impressive that you could deflect my attack." purred the voice.
"Who are you?" Arya demanded, her sword poised in front of her.
"Can't you tell?" it asked, gesturing to the thick tangle of thorns and vines that encompassed its body, along with the giant, crimson flower that bloomed on its shoulder "I am Rose Shadow."
"So you were the one following us." Zett growled "Why?"
"The answer is clear don't you think? I've come to kill you, your majesty."
"I'd like to see you try." he challenged, standing back up.
Charging forward, Rose Shadow sent forth a wide spectrum of thorns towards him, all of them easily destroyed by a wave of darkness.
"Is that all you've got?" Zett mocked, a hint of menace in his eyes.
Clearly annoyed, the Shadow took hold of its whip and lashed at him, each missed hit sending a plume of dirt and blossoms into the air. Finally latching onto his wrist, it pulled back in attempt to send him sprawling onto the ground. Keeping steady, Zett gritted his teeth as the thorns pierced deep into his skin.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you, emperor." it sneered, holding him in place as it shot out another stream of spikes.
Quickly appearing before them, Arya retaliated with her own wave of light that barreled into Rose Shadow and its attack, causing it to fall back and release its hold on Zett.
"Pesky empress." it muttered "Let's see how you deal with this."
Slowly the ground began to tremble, rumbling louder and louder as the trees began to shake violently to the point that some toppled over.
Horrified by the destruction, Arya was too distracted to dodge the monstrous vines that erupted from the ground, wrapping themselves tightly around her and Zett.
"There is no escape for you now." Rose Shadow called, forcing the vines to constrict them even harder.
Biting back from screaming as the thorns penetrated deep into her flesh, Arya gripped the hilt of her sword until her knuckles were ghostly white. Meanwhile, Zett grimaced, realizing that there were no other options left but to summon his own Shadow form. In a burst of darkness, he tore through the vines, sword in hand as he fell straight toward Rose Shadow.
"What?" it exclaimed, unable to dodge the blade as it sliced through its shoulder.
With no control, the vines soon began to collapse all around them.
"Arya!" Zett shouted, making it in time to catch her.
"Zett?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fear and shock as he set her down gently.
With no reply, he turned and went after the Shadow once again, sharp silver fingers gripping the hilt of his own sword.
It can't be. she thought, watching the two Shadows clash against each other That monster can't be Zett. But the more she looked on, the reality of the fact became more apparent. There was no denying that the Shadow she saw, the one with fiery red eyes and cracks along the darkness of his skin and sweeping silver hair, was the one that ultimately saved her, protected her. But even then, that didn't stop her body from trembling with fear.
Coughing, Arya shielded her eyes as the dust and smoke began to clear, unable to tell who won exactly. Though she was more than capable of fighting along side Zett, there was something, a feeling, that kept her rooted to her spot on the ground. Now, all she felt was guilty. Guilty for thinking that Zett was any different now that he showed his true form and guilty for having him see that she was afraid of him in the moment he saved her. As minutes passed, she started to believe that he even left without her because of that. But as she heard the shuffle of approaching footsteps, she looked up to see him, Zett, coming her way.
"Arya." he said, his crimson eyes boring down on her as he extended out his hand.
There was no emotion, no trace of anything as far as she could tell reflected in his eyes. Yet the way he said her name, so caringly but hinted with worry, was more than enough to know that that was the Zett she knew. Looking straight into his eyes, she placed her hand in his without hesitation, forcing her heart to remain calm as she stood up beside him.
Letting his gaze fall away from her to where their hands met, he took a moment to run his thumb over the small knuckles of her hand before entwining his fingers with hers. This was a normal gesture of Zett, something he had a habit of doing from time to time, especially during when Arya thought he was experiencing doubt or worry. Smiling, she squeezed his hand reassuringly before they began to walk through the forest.
As they walked, Zett kept his distance from Arya, making sure their hands were the only thing touching. He was silent like always, but glanced her way every now and then, even squeezing her hand softly to reassure himself that she was still there. Arya didn't know why he was still in his Shadow form, but forced herself to not worry about it so much. Zett was Zett, and that was all that mattered. But as they drew closer and closer to a wide clearing, she felt his grasp slowly leave hers, both of them now face to face as he stared down on her.
"Zett?" she questioned nervously.
Returning to his human form he smirked, leaning down to whisper in her ear "Catch."
"Catch? Catch what? Zett? Zett!" feeling his weight come barreling down on her, Arya clumsily tried to steady him but somehow ended up falling along with him, her body seemingly acting as cushion.
Pushing him off immediately after they reached the ground, she demanded angrily, her face bright red "Zett! What do you think you were doing?!"
Laughing as he rolled onto his back, he replied teasingly, "I said catch didn't I?"
"But you didn't say what I was suppose to catch." she huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Though smiling just moments ago, Zett's face soon twisted into a pained grimace as he clutched the side of his face. A flash of his monster form returning before settling back into his human features.
"Zett, are you okay?" Arya asked quickly, placing a hand comfortingly on top of his.
Though he seemed to have returned to normal, a faint red hue still lingered in his eyes.
"I'm fine." he mumbled wearily, letting his hand fall back to the ground as he rolled onto his side to meet her gaze.
"You are definitely not fine." she insisted "What just happened?"
"It's normal, it happens whenever I'm tired or exhausted." he replied sadly, offering a weak smile "Which happens a lot more than I care to admit."
"What makes you so exhausted?" she said softly, laying down beside him as she rested her hand on his cheek.
"Light, darkness, keeping this form." he listed off "That's about it."
"So this isn't your real form?" Arya asked.
Sighing, he moved her hand away, rolling back onto his back as he stared intently at the features of his hand, curling and uncurling his fingers into a fist. "No, it's not."
"So why do you keep it?" she asked, watching his every move.
Turning back over, he let their eyes meet before answering, "Because it helps me stay in the light a little bit longer."
"Oh..." she responded, averting her eyes from his intense gaze.
"Besides," he continued, gently plucking a loose blossom from her hair as he twirling it between his fingers "I've actually grown quite fond of this look."
"Is that so?" she replied, a smile playing on her lips "Well I have too, I must say."
"More than my Shadow form?" he teased.
"Well, that one will have to have a lot of time of getting used to." Arya admitted "But any form is fine as long as I know it's you."
Just about to respond, a ringing came out of nowhere.
Biting her lower lip, Arya shot Zett an apologetic look before sitting back up to answer her phone.
"Hello?" she answered, glancing back at him.
"Yes, I'm fine Conductor. Yes, Zett is with me. We've already handled the Shadow. We're by some cherry blossom trees right now, stop worrying! Look, I promise we'll be back soon, okay? Bye."
Tossing her phone aside, she then settled back down beside Zett, his smile from before gone.
"Arya," he began "Are you happy?"
"What? Why would you ask that?"
"Just now, you seemed unhappy."
"No, it's not like that." she explained "It's just that it bothers me that Conductor is always worrying about me, that's all."
For a moment both of them were silent, Zett's eyes staring deep into hers, as if deciding if she was telling the truth.
"Are you happy?" she then asked.
"I don't know." he replied "I don't know what happiness is."
"I guess it is kind of hard to explain." Arya admitted, flopping onto her back in deep thought "I guess it's more like a warm feeling in your heart, something that makes you smile without knowing it. It makes you feel, I don't know, good inside. If that makes any sense."
"So, like right now?"
"I don't know." she replied, smiling "You tell me."
Smiling just the slightest in return, he shifted closer, their faces just centimeters apart. "I think that as long as you're happy, I'm happy."
Feeling warmth flood her cheeks, she pressed her forehead against Zett's, smiling broader than ever as she whispered back "Me too, Zett. Me too."
