Just Misunderstood
Chapter 26
Act 2
A Rose for a Lost One
Light fell into the room like water, Cobra's eyes fluttered open and he felt those first few seconds of morning when he was half-conscious, when he could lazily listen to the outside world, to the snow kissing the ground, to the soft wind blowing through spirited leaves. He didn't hear thoughts, his mind nothing but his own for a moment. He longed for these quiet blissful seconds of sleep. He inhaled deeply and smiled. He pulled Lucy closer than she was before. Her head resting on his shoulder, her forehead pressed against his jaw. Her hand still wrapped around his where it lay on his chest. He couldn't hear her thoughts, which wasn't new, it frustrated him to no end, but he was thankful for it on some other level. She was her own, and he was his, there were no blurred lines of where his thoughts ended and hers began. Her leg slipped under his yukata and her warm skin touched his own. He became painfully aware of a nuisance that was common in the mornings for his sex.
He winced as he slid out from under her, trying to spare her of the embarrassment they both would feel if she woke up now. He missed her warmth as he stood and escaped to his bathroom to take a cold shower despite the chilling snow outside.
Lucy had felt the warmth leave her and nearly whined aloud when Cobra got up. She cracked her eyes open to see him slip into the bathroom, she stretched and pulled the thick blanket up to cover her ears, she glanced at the time lacrima that sat on his dresser.
7:28
She felt herself go in and out of sleep for what felt like hours before her eyes settled on the clock again.
8:09
Cobra had been in there for a while, Lucy groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and releasing a yawn. She stretched and willed herself to get out of bed, she stood slowly and jumped when the door slid open. Kara stood in the doorway, her Miko garb on and her hair up in a ponytail. Her eyes were puffy.
Both women stood still in their places, Kara's eyes were wide and she quickly looked away from the tossed around blankets, she heard the shower running. Lucy realized what this might have looked like, but she couldn't find the words to explain, that or she just didn't have the energy. She really did not have to explain herself to Kara.
The silence was broken by the bathroom door opening, Cobra walked out, a towel on his hips and another being used to dry his hair.
"Nothing happened," he said as he walked to his dresser, already being bombarded with Kara's accusing thoughts. She shifted uncomfortably and placed the basket of cloth she was holding on a shelf nearby.
"So, you two are leaving today?" She tried to keep her head high.
"Yeah, we got to be at the port south of Greentown in a few days," he tried to keep his voice casual.
She nodded but bit her bottom lip. Both Lucy and Cobra could tell she wanted to say something but she exited the room before one of them could ask her about it. Cobra pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned against his dresser, "I adore the hell out of her but Jesus does she jump to some conclusions," he groaned, he slipped on some boxers underneath his towel.
Lucy turned away from him, her cheeks feeling hot. She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to get a handle on her reality so soon after waking up.
"You okay?" Cobra's deep voice said from behind her.
She nodded and turned slowly, Cobra slung on his white coat. She waved her hand over the floor and his red chest appeared.
"So, are you really, never coming back?" Lucy asked as she folded her and Cobra's kimonos and such into his red chest.
He sighed and thought for a moment, "If we really need to get away from the council, maybe. But other than that, I think the only way I would come and maybe stay is if I had children, I would want them to see and experience Rozu, it is a beautiful and culture-rich land. But, I don't really plan on having children anytime soon though," he said as he laced his boots up.
Lucy nodded as she clipped her keys to her belt.
"I just told Kara I was never coming back to keep her hopes low, if I die or get arrested I don't want her waiting for me," he said.
They both finished getting ready and Lucy waved her hand over a few boxes of old stuff Cobra wanted to keep from his old room. Her celestial room was becoming crowded, she noted. They left the old bedroom and took a walk down the wooden hallway, the thick smell of cinnamon and bamboo was almost nauseating.
It was a tearful goodbye, Kara, stained with tears, begging Erik not to leave, saying that they would be safe here. Cobra held it together pretty well, but Lucy could see the way his jaw clenched and his hands shook. He used calm and collected language to reason with her, but everyone in that room knew that no matter what either of them said, he was still leaving, and she was going to be upset about it. Lucy felt uncomfortable standing there, having to watch as she fell to her knees in front of him, she sobbed into her hands, he cast a quick glance in Lucy's direction, as if asking for help and she only shrugged and left the room, stepping into the morning snow as it drifted slowly to the ground.
She made her way to the plaques and smiled, noticing a fairly new looking one hanging upfront, in messy handwriting, as if scribbled in a haste, 'I wish to tell her what she means to me,' she smiled warmly at the nice message and she looked around quickly to find the little storage house that held the blank plaques.
She felt awkward taking one so she left a few jewels in its place. She found a marker close by, and she rested her elbow against the desk, as she pressed the pen to her mouth, thinking hard about what she wished for.
Something touched her foot and she jumped up, her throat releasing a short scream. Cubellios looked at her, almost unimpressed, and blinked slowly. Lucy calmed, and laughed nervously but offered her hand to the snake, currently almost buried in snow. The snake slithered up her arm and settled on her shoulders, her large body trying its best to wiggy itself into Lucy's scarf and collar.
"Cold?"
Cubellios pressed her face to Lucy's cheek in confirmation.
"We'll be leaving soon," she said softly.
She picked up the marker again and patted Cubellios, smiling softly to herself, she thought about Cobra, and her heart beat just a little harder. She wrote in careful cursive, keeping her handwriting neat and nice, her letters looping together in an elegant array.
"What are you writing?" A deep voice said behind her as her back suddenly got warm. She jumped and screamed again, and turned quickly, Cobra was only a few inches away, trying to read the wooden plaque.
"Oh shush, why are you jumpy, what'd you write," he asked again, holding his hand out to Cubellios. She took it quickly wrapping herself around his shoulders and nudging him lovingly.
Warmth filled Lucy's cheeks as she held the plaque behind her back, "Nothing, just a small… prayer for the spirit world, and Loke," Lucy thought it was a good lie, but Cobra raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"You're a bad liar," he smirked.
Lucy rolled her eyes and he stepped forward, trying to manhandle the tablet from her, she shut her eyes as she covered it in magic, she felt it vanish as he grabbed her wrists, forcing her hands in front of her.
She opened them with a coy smile.
He chuckled with amusement, "What are you twelve?"
She stuck her tongue out.
"You could have just said yes," he took a step back, and a devilish smile crossed his face, Lucy had about 0.2 seconds to realize his retaliation as he leaned down and picked up a handful of snow, he smashed it atop her head before she could move, the clumps of snow fell down the sides of her head. She gasped as the cold hit her body and squealed when it tumbled down the back of her shirt.
"Cobra! You snake!" Cubellios looked unamused, "That's cold, you dick!" She desperately pulled her shirt away from her body as the snow clung to her skin.
He laughed loudly as he took several steps back, watching her flail about. Lucy scowled as he nearly doubled over, he watched as her eyes flashed gold and had time to cover his face as several pounds of snow hit him so hard he nearly fell back.
Lucy laughed loudly as she leaned against the wall of the storage room, Cobra wiped the snow out of his hair quickly and noticed the naked ground between them.
"Using magic just isn't right, Blondie," he said matter-a-factly. Lucy didn't have time to run before he was next to her, scooping her up in his arms and racing to the edge of the hill, she squealed and fought against his grip, shouting his name in disbelief.
"C'mon, sledding is fun," he laughed.
"Yeah! When you have a sleigh, and you're not being thrown down a hill against your will!" She shouted, but laughter laced her yells.
"Ah, you'll be fine," he said as he stepped back a little, fully intent on just full-on bowling her down the hill, but as he let go, Cubellios unfurrowed from around his neck, and Lucy's hands gripped his collar and he fell forward as she did, both of them losing their balance in the snow, and stumbling down the slope of the hill. It wasn't steep, but Cobra had to admit that it was definitely steeper than he thought it was going to be and he grabbed on to her as they slid, he laughed as she screamed and they tumbled in the snow as the slope evened out, the duo left laughing together as they tried to untangle their limbs through the inches of snow.
"I hate you," Lucy half laughed as she stood, her pants almost completely soaked from the ride down, she shivered as water seeped into her boots, "It's cold!"
"You started it," he said as he got up, wiping the clumps from his hair once more.
"I absolutely did not!"
"What'd the plaque say?"
She stiffened and looked away, "I don't remember," she muttered, amusement still lacing her features. Cubellios followed down the hill, her wings unfurrowing and keeping her out of the snow, she somehow looked entertained. They slowly made their way to the beach, passing similar landmarks as they got closer. They walked in silence, and Lucy could tell now that the fun had passed, Cobra's mind wandered to darker things. His face was set into a scowl and his posture was ridged.
Lucy knew it was hard for him to leave Kara crying alone in her living room, but she also knew that he knew it had to be done. She didn't say anything to console him, she didn't even know where to start.
The sun was still low in the sky, but the temperature had warmed up some, leaving Lucy almost too hot as they walked through the forest on the worn path.
She smelled the sea before she heard the waves, and took a deep breath, she realized she would miss it here, and her heart ached at the fact that Cobra must have been feeling the same way.
Her voice came slowly, "Cobra, I know…" he threw her a glance over his shoulder to let her know he was listening, she looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling insecure, "I know, we have talked about it, but maybe…. I don't need your help getting to the port, I'll be okay, and, I think you will be safe here, I don't think you will be luring any trouble here, so maybe, you could... Stay here, maybe you could convince Kara to let you keep your magic and-," she ran into his back as he stopped.
She saw him inhale deeply and she took a step back, "I know you said being here wasn't 'you' anymore, but maybe if you stayed, you'd find that happiness again," she stammered.
He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, "Lucy, did you forget about last night?"
"What? Our talk? I know but I though-," he cut her off.
"No, I mean how you didn't have a nightmare, for the first time in weeks, you slept soundly, throughout the whole night."
She was taken aback. She hadn't even realized it, but that was one of the first nights since she killed Brain that she had slept soundly, "I-I, what does that have to do with anything?"
"One of the main reasons we came to Rozu was so you could get some sleep and feel safe, we couldn't stay in a hotel, because you would wake up screaming, at the top of your lungs, and you know I never blamed you, but it's hard to stay hidden when you wake up the entire floor during you nightmares. We couldn't camp for the same reasons, you remembered the one time we tried," he sighed.
She looked down as she remembered the way a hunter had come to their camp to help when he heard screams, only to recognize them right away. Cobra had to… incapacitate him so they had time to pack and leave.
It was her nightmares that stopped them from traveling safely.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I'm not blaming you, I'm never blaming you, it's just, what it is."
"All the more reason for me to travel alone," she said.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well I found out what stops the nightmares," he said as he turned around to face her finally.
She looked at him in question.
"Me."
Lucy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "Awfully cocky, aren't you? You? We have slept in the same bed before, we had shared tents? It's never made a difference before," she said, but a slight blush rose to her cheeks.
He rolled his eyes back at her, "We were never actually touching, and I rarely slept, always making sure we weren't gonna get jumped," he said.
"What is your point? Me sleeping better shouldn't affect your decision to stay? This isn't about me?" She huffed.
"This is all about you, all of this, this is all for you, so just shut up and let me protect you," he huffed back, his voice dripping in annoyance.
She scowled, "I would be fine on my own if sleeping next to someone is the answer I could call Loke."
"That is absolutely not an option," his voice was louder.
Lucy rubbed her temples, "What?! You are just trying to be difficult! I am giving you a solution to every problem you have!"
"Oh my god, this entire conversation is pointless, I am going to Enca, with you, I am not staying here," he turned around to continue walking.
"Why not?!" Lucy yelled.
He whipped around, pointing his finger at her, "Because that's the best I have slept in years, and I didn't have any nightmares and neither did you, so shut up! We are gonna sleep together, in the same bed, every night until we get to Enca, like a shitty cliche romance!" He shouted.
Lucy stared at him wide-eyed as he huffed loudly.
"Okay?"
"...Okay," she whispered.
He turned around, choosing to ignore how both of their faces grew red.
~JM~
Cobra turned to face Lucy as he planted his feet in the sand, "Don't miss this time," he mumbled.
She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, she grabbed his hand and let her fingers linger longer than necessary as she created a purple orb, "Don't forget to bend your knees," she whispered.
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up."
She rolled her eyes, "I might just drop you in the ocean."
"I'm sorry, what was that."
Lucy smiled widely as he disappeared in a shower of sparks. She covered herself in magic, laughing to herself as she felt her magic pulsate around her, happy to be used again, she followed Cobra. She landed on her feet, the ground a little closer than she thought and she bent her knees to absorb some impact, she turned to see Cobra laying on the ground, his hand lying lazily on his head, he watched the sky.
"The weather is nice," he said.
"You're going to get grass stains on your jacket."
He squinted at her, "You're bright," he noticed the way the sun bounced off of her pale skin and shiny hair, she also had a thin film of gold magic covering her skin. She smirked and looked at him, taking in the sight of Cubellios basking in the sunlight, it was a little warmer here. No snow had fallen.
She cocked her head for a moment and smiled, looking towards the edge of the cliff, she walked towards it and leaned over, taking in the sight of the waves crashing against the rocky cliff, "I'll be right back."
"Huh?" He said as he sat up, she was already gone. He stood up and ran to the edge, "Lucy?" Came his frantic response, he looked around the grassy clearing, "Lucy?"
He felt the shift in the air before he heard her and turned around to see her standing there, three white roses in her hands. She smiled softly, and she blushed, "I thought maybe we could do something nice, for Rose and my mom, maybe…" When he didn't move, she walked to the edge of the cliff and took one rose in one hand, she kissed the soft petals, and she closed her eyes.
"For my mother, whom I still love very much, I miss you every day and I hope you are happy wherever you are," she said, she wanted to say more but Cobra was beside her, plunking one of the roses from her hands. She smiled and threw the white rose off the cliff and into the crashing waves below.
He looked at the flower, his face passive. He took a deep breath and brought the rose to his mouth, he looked at it, "To my mother, Rose and my father, Vincent," his brows creased, "I really hope you are okay, I hope you are together, and I hope you can forgive me if I have ever disappointed you, I wish to see you again someday," he dropped the rose over the edge.
He lifted the other one from Lucy's hand as she offered it, he didn't kiss this one. "To Brain, Zero, I never loved you, and I don't ever think I'll be able to forgive the things you have done, some things just can't be forgiven, but I'm not blind to see that you did indeed give me a family, one I do love, without Sorano, Midnight, Sawyer and Richard, I would think nothing of you, I would think of you lower than dirt, but you did give me something I can cherish," he threw the rose.
"Burn in hell," Lucy murmured at the flower.
Cobra smirked and ruffled her hair, "I'm not a kid, Cobra," she huffed as she smacked his hand away.
He laughed, "Yeah you are."
She puffed her cheeks out, "Am not."
"What was on the plaque then?" He smirked as her cheeks grew red.
"That has nothing to do with anything!"
"Only a child would be so embarrassed about such a trivial thing," he teased.
She crossed her arms over her chest, "It's not trivial."
He thought about his own plaque that he'd written in a haste the night before, "You're right."
She rolled her eyes, "Don't make fun of me."
"Never."
