"Coming through!" a booming voice screamed outside of Oriana's room.
She didn't have time to try and get up before the doors burst open and a flying motorcycle invaded the room.
"Oriana!" Asta called.
Filled to the brim with emotions, her shoulders dropped and tears fell with the view of Asta and Magna riding the flying motorcycle. The light from the corridor illuminated the blissful in her expression. Her family, her actual family came for her. Doesn't matter what road she takes, her family would always bring her home.
"Hold on tight, we are getting out of here!" Magna stretched out his hand.
A genuine smile appeared on Oriana's face as she accepted Magna's hand and got up to her feet with difficulty due to her tight skirt.
"I'm sick of this." Oriana groaned.
She grabbed the end of the skirt and with one swing motion, she ripped the fabric up to her hip on both sides. Holding tight to Asta after taking the seat behind him, she spoke,
"Let's go home!"
"Hell yeah!" the boys screamed in unison.
Riding the motorcycle through the corridors filled Oriana with adrenaline. They would laugh in the face of stunned servants and the little yelps of surprise. Magna kept on going faster. In a matter of a couple of minutes, they were hovering over the debris in the entrance hall. The bull form of the Black Bulls base peeked inside the Kira Estate from where the door used to be. Oriana laughed delighted with the scenario in front of her. She would not miss this senseless place or the ill-mannered people inhabiting it.
"Welcome home, kid." Captain Yami greeted.
Oriana would not worry about her sister. She knew Finesse wouldn't rebel against their father, in fact, she wasn't sure if her sister believed her. Oriana was the only one who felt the bone chilling cold in these corridors. Finesse would be just fine and, hopefully, Oriana wouldn't have to come back. Ever again.
It was a costume in the Black Bulls to turn anything into a celebration. As soon as the squad reunited, Vanessa didn't even wait to be back to the Common Realm and immediately opened a bottle of wine to share with everyone and more were to come. However, Oriana couldn't help but notice Zora's absence. He was missing that night.
She wasn't expecting a knight in shining armor to come and save her, she knew that wasn't Zora's style and she liked that about him. But, fuck, giving her five minutes to explain. Was that too much to ask? Oriana had extended her arm to him, pleading, and he turned around and rejected her. How stubborn was he that he couldn't understand that the Kira family was never something she wanted?
Maybe he would understand, only if she actually had told him before. Now she couldn't forget the look in his eyes, dismissing her.
When the Black Bulls base settled back in the forest in the Common Realm, almost immediately there was a knock in the door. Oriana was done with surprises for the rest of her life and groaned at the door. It wasn't Mereoleona's roaring knock, thankfully, but it was desperate and persistent. Gordon mumbled something after opening the door to a figure that rushed in. Disoriented, a boy with a Coral Peacocks robe came in inspecting every face present.
"Suga?" called Oriana.
"There you are!"
Sugawara pushed through the other squad members and enveloped Oriana in a tight hug.
"I heard what happened! What is this story about you being a Calmreich?" Suga asked, stepping back from Oriana.
"A long story…"
"I never knew of any of this! Can't believe you didn't tell me!" he pouted.
"Who is this guy?" Asta whispered to Noelle, even though his whispers weren't exactly considered a whisper, more like a normal person speaking tone.
This caught Sugawara's attention. Turning to the common hall, Oriana and Suga were surrounded by inquisitive faces and some protective stances.
"Yeah, this was kinda rude of me." Suga apologized, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm Sugawara. Me and Oriana met during our time in Japan this last year." he explained. "It's nice to meet the Black Bulls."
Noelle interjected,
"Hmpf, if you're going to explain to your friend, you should explain to us too. We did save you after all."
Noelle had the cold Silva look in her eyes. Oriana was beyond thankful for what her squad did for her and she knew Noelle was right. No one added to her statement, but the expectant faces around her spoke for themselves. Although she wishes Zora was there, so she only had to tell this story once more and never speak of it again, Oriana took a seat on one of the stools near the bar, Suga sat beside her. She cleared her throat and told her real story. This time, not leaving any sensitive details behind. Her background, her relationship with her father, her and her sisters betrothal to the Vaude siblings and how Yami helped her come up with her new identity.
"Jeez, no wonder you didn't want to talk about it." Magna commented, earning an elbow in the ribs from Vanessa.
"Well, now you know." Oriana said.
"I never imagined it. I mean, you do have a rare eye colour, but I never guessed you were Royalty!" Sugawara disclosed. "Didn't even question it, not even once. Can't believe Hinata and even Bokuto from Fukurodani caught up to that before me."
Oriana laughed at his friend's comment. Those two were really the ones to question something out of the ordinary with no filters whatsoever.
"That's what 's worrying you?" Oriana scoffed.
"I'm glad you made dear friends in Japan. Oriana's friends are my friends too. I would like to meet or see a picture so I could make dolls of them for my collection of friends." Gordon mumbled.
"What are they talking ab-?" Magna's question was cut-off by Finral.
"Oriana, I was thinking." Finral threw an arm around Oriana's shoulders. "At some point, you were to marry my youngest brother and I were to marry Finesse, although due to certain circumstances," he sped up the last part. "Our respective siblings are now betrothed to each other and we are both single. This cannot be a coincidence. It could only be destiny if you ask me."
"Don't touch me." Oriana said blatantly.
Finral immediately removed his arm in a panic and Oriana couldn't help but sneer at his reaction.
"I'll cook us some food!" Charmy said. "There's nothing better than comfort food for miserable souls."
"I'm not miserable!" Oriana spoke. "All of that is in the past. Today's incident is not really bothering me anymore."
"But you still look sad." Nero spoke on top of Asta's head.
"I have a lot on my mind."
"The Miyagi situation?" Suga asked in a low tone.
Oriana's fists closed in her lap. That was one of the first things in her mind as soon as she was safe back with the Black Bulls. She worried about her friend's safety. The battle ahead with the demon was her top priority, but it was the foe in the Miyagi Prefecture that caused the knot in her throat to grow. The one thing that would make her heart jump anxiously. The more time she wasted on this stupid sudden undecidedness of hers, the worst it would be. The faster the enemy was arrested, the faster she could go back to training, The faster she would see Zora again.
With this in mind, Oriana stood up and looked Yami in the eyes,
"Captain, if you could dismiss me, I would like to assist with the enemy in the south."
The assertiveness in her voice made Yami smile softly. Taking a few steps towards her, Yami placed a hand on Oriana's head.
"You're making the right choice, for once." Yami complimented, making Oriana open her mouth into a smile.
"You're coming with me, right?" Oriana extended her hand to Sugawara, which he took gladly.
"I had already decided on that." divulged Suga.
The last time Oriana left for the South, it was quiet and cold, but this night was filled with Charmy's food and warm laughs. Leaving at such crucial times was bitter, however, there were others voices that called for her. In an attempt to quiet down those voices for only a few hours, just so she could appreciate her family, Oriana was taking all glasses of wine Vanessa was handing her, not worrying about the bitchin' headache she would have the next day.
The morning after, Zora was still no place to be found. She dared to knock on his door, but to no avail. Sugawara was waiting for her in the capital, before leaving the Clover Kingdom, they were to warn Marx Francois that they would be accepting the mission.
Their boat would leave before that evening.
The farewell's took longer than expected. Charmy gave Oriana one more bag to carry, full of home made food, enough to keep her and Sugawara well fed for the next few weeks, probably. She was running short of time, the boat might leave without her, however, she had to ask Yami about Zora's whereabouts. She took her chance when the others were distracted with Magna and Luck's rumble.
"He came back this morning, but since he likes to wander off so much, I assigned him a mission. These damn priests keep on knocking on my fucking door."
"He probably will come back sooner than me… Can you tell him that-"
"Tell him yourself." interjected Yami. "Don't involve me in your lovey-dovey business."
"It's not like that!" Oriana screeched, waving her arms dismissively. "I'll get going now."
"Don't you dare die in the south! I'll go there and kill you myself!" disclosed Yami.
"I know, I know!"
Oriana wasn't hoping for forgiveness, she wasn't even expecting an answer at all. Only to be heard and a chance to fix their bond. Even if ragged and ran-down, mostly to Oriana's fault, she still wanted to fix it. There was no time left, though. A robotic-like voice called all travelers to their seats. For now, Oriana had no other choice but to let go.
An ancient spell book has been stolen. All Zora had to do was retrieve it. That is why he is processing why the fuck he is lying on the floor out of breath and out mana. The task was so simple Captain Yami sent him alone, he surely could handle it. So, why?
He didn't need her. He questioned it all the time, but never really reached an answer. She lied to him about everything, surely she couldn't love him. He doesn't know anymore. Zora didn't even know her name, her real name. He couldn't care rat's ass if she was a Royal, he loved her, but her dishonesty was eating him away.
He didn't need her. He didn't want her. It was so hard to concentrate on the mission when Oriana was on his mind all the time. That is probably why he hasn't moved an inch since, defeated. Maybe he would wait until the morning to move. He had a weird temper, now he was mad, but maybe the following day, seeing her smile, he would forgive her again. But how many times would he have to do this routine? How many times would he accept to play the fool for her majesty?
I don't need her.
He thought, his mind fading into darkness. In his struggle to keep his eyes open, he saw Oriana. Her body on top of his. Zora couldn't feel her hands pressuring his chest, but he could see her sad smile. He couldn't escape what he was feeling.
"I don't need you."