Chapter 13: New and Renewed Friendship

Lei tightened his embrace around the quivering form of one Azami Koizumi. Everything was just so unnatural. The girl who was pouring her heart out, sobbing in his arms and the one that seemed so vulnerable right now was the same one that had threatened to end his life on multiple occasions with utter impunity. "And then what happened?" he asked in a soothing voice.

The girl's eyes were downcast, her bangs preventing him from looking straight into her eyes. "I received a letter just recently… Rebels had attacked Payon just the other day, they had attacked all the government officials there, My father… He governed a village there and… Reinforcements came too late!" she broke into another fit of sobs. Lei sighed and lifted her chin up. "Everything will be alright… You still have your friends" he tried saying convincingly.

She suddenly went limp and silent, yet tears flowed endlessly.

He looked at her lips, her words came out as a whisper "They all died back there… I never really had many friends…" the young mage shook her hard snapping her from her stupor "Then what do you call me?" she smiled at that.

"Everything will be fine, you'll pull through." He wrapped his pinkie around hers "Trust me." he said convincingly this time.

"I believe you Yang." forcing a smile.

She never expected Lei to be so… dependable. She caught herself smiling at him dreamily. Lei looked at her with a conspicuous gaze "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked placing a hand on her forehead "You seem unusually hot." He muttered. She blinked at that statement, for a second there she'd perceived the statement as something perverted… 'This is bad! His perversion is starting to rub off on me!' she thought. 'But he really does look hot right now.' Not realizing it, she was already drowning in his gaze.

"Azami!" a bewildered scream from the direction of the door pierced the silence.

"Eh?"

"Why is the door looked?" came a strange voice from the other side.

Azami quickly bolted towards the door "Stop!" Lei shouted. The girl stared at her friend, puzzled and confused. "Why?"

Lei's face turned red, a finger pointing towards her undone hakama. Azami quickly secured the ribbons fastening her clothes in place. She leaned in towards the mage "So the reason why you've been comforting in all along was to stare at my breasts huh?" he took on a defensive stance "Course not!"

Azami blushed furiously. Avoided his gaze she suddenly asked "Did you see them?" Lei suppressed the urge to run, that would be a dead giveaway, instead he feigned innocence. "Yeah… I didn't." She smiled at him "Good. It seems as much as I hate to admit it I have a made a friend." she said cheerfully.

Someone knocked on the door. "Coming!" Azami hollered.

Lei looked at her skeptically 'If I sad I did you'd kill me, regardless of my injuries.' he thought bitterly.

As she approached the door, she pivoted on one foot, gracefully turning around with an almost hypnotic movement. Maybe it was just the light of a full moon dancing through the windows, maybe it was the gentle breeze, maybe it was her hair twirling mid-air and that gentle smile on her face or even that odd twinkle in her eyes. Whatever it was it caused Lei's heart to skip a beat and blood rush up to his face.

"Nothing happened ok?" she placed a finger on her lips as she opened the door to a shivering Yukino and a terrified looking redhead who's hands were wrapped around Yukino's arms. "I kinda left something here again…"

Azami half-bowed and invited them in.

Lei greeted them, he quickly noticed a rather cute girl fashioning a long pigtail. Her azure eyes met his and lingered on his for quite awhile. "Hi." He managed to say breaking the awkward silence. The girl shuffled her feet and only nodded in response.

Rae tapped Azami's shoulders and leaned towards her ears "He's soooo cute! Is he like, your boyfriend?" she asked. Azami''s mouth hung open, she quickly put on a flustered look "Of course not!" she cried out defensively. Lei looked at the two with suspicion "Uhh… What's going on?" he asked. "Nothing." Azami blurted out before excusing herself out of the room. She quickly returned with a tray, four cups and a pitcher of hot green tea. She handed Lei and Yukino theirs.

"Would you like some tea? offering Rae a cup of the steaming beverage.

"Sure." She answered.

Yukino sat on Lei's bed sipping her brew with a vacant look in her eyes. Lei took small careful sips as not to spill the steaming beverage "So Yukino who's your friend?" Yukino set her cup aside and took in a deep breath "She's... Well our new roommate."

"Roommate!" both Lei and Azami uttered in perfect unison.

Lei woke up with a start, someone pinched his ears and screamed—more like screeched into them.

"Youwch!" he squealed.

He found Azami's menacing eyes on his. "You-are-late." the girl placed a hand on both hips and leaned in closer until their noses nearly touched. A crease formed on his brows "Well?"

He rubbed his eyes incessantly "Late for what?" Lei asked.

"Play practice."

And it dawned on him… It would be the first of December in a week. Meaning the real play was just seven days away.

Sorry I couldn't update as often as I'd have liked to. My had to be fixed. Plus ive just recovered from a bad case of fever. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this.

Thanks for reading, it really warms my heart that people actually read these things I write,