AN: This is a fan-based fictional piece. Not everything is going to match WoW completely, but I do try not to go insane with my ideas. WoW belongs to Blizzard; I'm just a poor fanfiction writer.

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter 8

By: Catriana

It had taken Kaniar longer than it should have any Troll to recover, and since she healed faster than many Trolls anyway, that had really concerned her adopted brothers. Lorkan stayed by her side for the few weeks that she was on bed rest, making medicines for her and basically being a concerned brother. After looking at her wounds, it had been decided that it was more than mere magic that had been used here. After examination her blood, the shamans and priests had complained to Rohkan that it was as if she had been infected with some sort of virus. After finding numerous roots and herbs, they had been able to find a cure, but they were still long from figuring out exactly what it was that had infected her, or why Humans would even have such a deadly thing. The virus attacked the Troll's naturally speedy healing capabilities and diminished it to almost a human level, so wounds that only should have taken a few hours to a half a day had taken almost two weeks, and that did not include the terrible fever she had acquired from the entire ordeal. Thankfully, Kaniar was no pushover. She had recovered, if not completely, to the point where she was now conscious of her surroundings. Numerous people came in and out, some healers checking up on her status, some coming in to ask questions. The female hunter, although not a leader in any sense, was an asset. She was strong and she did what she was told, in this war, she had made many accomplishments, her injuries and the unusual circumstances for her obtaining them would not be overlooked.

"It be jus as I told ya," the red headed female said, her somewhat good nature growing thin as she spoke to another inquisitor "Dey appeared outta nowhere, we fought, dey died. I still dun 'member details mon, so qui' askin meh." she spat the last two words out through clenched teeth, and her hand twitched as if wanting her axe.

Today, Kaniar would be allowed to return to her small home and within a day would be back to whatever duties were given to her. Her healing abilities now returned to her, she was becoming a little restless, and despite the fact that the healers had wanted her to stay for another day or so to do some more tests, she, in her own polite way, said that if she wasn't released today, she'd hack the place down and leave herself. She then got up and grabbed her battle axe, and it took four full grown male trolls to calm her down and take away her axe. Only one of them came out with small injuries. That was after they took away her axe. She had then been asked politely to stay in bed until the paperwork was finished and someone came to get her. Lorkan was currently out taking care of some business, which left Rohkan, and Kaniar wasn't in the mood to see him either.

When she had recovered enough to talk, Rohkan had come to visit her once. It had been awkward, since she had tried her best to avoid him with a passion in the past, but since she had no real choice being in a hospital bed, she had ended up spending the most time with him in a close space that day than she had in the past two years. He hadn't come for much at first, he had basically explained how they had been forced to dispatch the other humans because of the attack and had only ended up retrieving a small amount of information as to why they were even out there in the first place. Because of their lack of teamwork, it had been assumed that they were just a group of individuals that had gotten together on a whim, and not a serious organized group. In a sense, they had failed the mission, since they had been sent there only to scout, but they did find some vials of the poison that had been injected into her body, so that had been a good start. He explained how they had found her, and had given her as much medical attention as they could, but it wasn't enough. They had taken her to Thunder Bluff, and after they had healed her enough to travel, they brought her to Origimmar, taking the notes that the Tauren healers had given them for the Troll and Orc healers. He then began to talk about mundane things and so Kaniar tuned him out, until he asked her a question:

"Why ya be avoidin' meh?" he had asked her. At the time, he had been sitting down in a chair that had been right beside her bed, and for the first time since she had been a child, she had noticed just how tall he was compared to her even sitting, and it had made her feel nervous. She never got nervous.

She had blown it off, explaining that she hadn't been avoiding him, that he was out of his mind, and maybe he was a bit paranoid. Of course, he didn't buy it, even she hadn't believed that crap.

Instead of arguing, like he usually would have, he grinned, said that she was probably right and excused himself. Not being the reaction that she had expected, she had simply watched in dull fascination as he walked out.

But that was then. Now he was coming to pick her up and take her home. She didn't really need it, but Lorkan had insisted that someone walk her home and she rarely refused Lorkan anything. Besides that, it had been his last request before he had departed to go and see his Night Elf female. While Kaniar had no real objections to his desire to be with the enemy, he could have picked a better time.

Dismissing Lorkan for the moment, she frowned as her hand itched for her axe. It was a special prize that she had acquired from a particularly strong enemy, she had even almost gotten killed in the process. It was enchanted, so while somewhat large and dangerous, it was so light that she could wield it with one hand. The name of the weapon was Skullsplitter, ornately designed with gold, the handle dragon scale. It was actually a very picky weapon, it chose her as its master despite the fact that she had been with two warriors and another hunter at the time of the enemy's defeat, making itself so heavy that no one else but her could lift it. She had had it for years, keeping it sharp and polished so that it looked as beautiful as the day she received it. In return, it was probably the best weapon she had ever had, and when she did not feel its familiar weight on her back, she got a little edgy. Since her last outburst, they had denied her access to her beloved weapon, which made her even more edgy. It was, however, one reason to be grateful for Rohkan's arrival, since that meant she would be able to get her weapon back. Unfortunately, her happiness would be short lived, it was an almost two day trek back home on mount. She shuddered at the thought.

Rohkan, on the other hand, was practically skipping to the Spirit Rise(AN: I need to figure out if this is correct or not), obviously in a very good mood. He ignored the stares he received from others in the Horde as he walked along, a huge grin on his face. He always felt like this when he was going to see Kaniar, he was, afterall, in love with her.

Ah, to be in love.

Rohkan had loved many women, but not once had he ever been in love with a woman. He was, like most other Trolls, simply in it for the physical perks of course, but there came a time in every Troll's life when they find that one person they desire to settle down with, the one that could make them faithful with just those few little words. Rohkan had finally found that woman, and he had no intention of letting her go.

Unfortunately, she had absolutely no desire to be with him.

This thought squashed any good mood he had been in, his mind going back to the numerous moments where he had tried to make moves on her and it ending very badly; very, very, very badly. There had been times where he almost came out with a few broken bones, making him learn the hard way that Kaniar was not a woman to anger. He tended to forget that she had grown up in the wild before he had found her, sometimes that part of her showed. Around him she was defensive, alert, and depending on what he tried to do with her, violent. It was a stark contrast to three years ago, when he, Lorkan, and she were almost inseparable. Kaniar and Lorkan especially, since he was a bit older than them, the two had actually grown up together and were as close as any true blood siblings could be. He had always been the big brother figure, Kaniar had even looked up to him, and now she hated him. That thought depressed him further, because he honestly had no idea as to why the woman he loved with all his being hated him so. He had never hit her unless they were training and it was necessary, he had never treated her with any disrespect, he had never tried to make her angry intentionally, she just…hated him. It was almost as if one day she had gotten out of bed and decided that she despised him. No explanation, no warning, just a sense of deep hatred for his being that left him cold.

Now thoroughly depressed, Rohkan's hand went behind his back as he grabbed the handle of the Skullsplitter, Kaniar's prized weapon. She had once told him that the weapon could be picky about who it allowed to carry it, so he was surprised when the weapon was alarmingly light when the Healers had insisted he take it into his care. He had taken the weapon home with him, sharpened, cleaned, and polished it until it even had a slight glow. He had done it mostly as a peace offering, to perhaps get on her good side, but a part of him had enjoyed doing such a simple task for his beloved, especially when he got to see the look on her face.

His spirits brightened a bit, the Shadow Hunter plastered a smile on his face and walked into the room where Kaniar had been assigned to. As expected, when she turned to face him, a scowl graced her beautiful features, making his smile droop a bit. Determined not to get too down in front of her, he waltzed in, taking long but lazy strides over to her bedside. She looked much better than before when he had visited. When she had been in somewhat critical condition he had stayed by her side as much as he had been able, his heart never ceasing in its rapid beating as he prayed to every God he could think of to save her. When she had finally gained consciousness he had stayed away for a bit, knowing that he was probably the last person she wanted to rest her crimson eyes upon. When he finally did visit her she had been, of course, hostile, although not nearly as cold as she could be, which made him feel a little better about the visit, but did not decrease his depression concerning their relationship. This time, since they were going to be spending some time together for a few days, he wanted them to have somewhat of a good start.

"Sup, Kan?" he asked, flashing her one of his trademark grins. She was, of course, immune to its unlimited charm, for she looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Sup." She said, her flat expression never changing.

Still, he tried to hang onto those final shreds of his positive mood that he could. "Ready?" he asked "Sorry I be a little late, got a little sidetracked."

If that didn't drop the temperature in the room, Rohkan didn't know what did. Her gaze went from neutral to hard, making him flinch. Was it something he said?

"I'm sure." Came the icy reply as Kaniar tossed her sheets to the side, getting up with surprising agility, even going so far as to stretch, shifting her body so thatshowing off exactly how nimble she could flex backwards in an attempt to take out the stiffness in her back. Rohkan found himself staring at her body, he couldn't help himself. She was muscular but slim, firm everywhere she needed to be, soft and curvy everywhere it counted. Not surprisingly, he found his mouth had gone dry. Tearing his gaze away from her he grunted softly in annoyance and slight frustration. Why did she have to hate him while he desired her so?.

"Wut dat mean Kan?" he managed to mutter, his eyes narrowing as he chanced a small peek at her. She had finished stretching and was now grabbing her belongings, consisting of a small red back pack. She wasn't looking at him, but she was clearly agitated. His previous desire gone, he turned to her again, simply staring at her in slight disbelief. What had he done? Her attitude was erratic towards him at best, he could simply open his mouth and speak and she was furious with him. Her hatred towards him was extremely depressing, he didn't know what he could do to make it right again.

Could he make it right again?

"Nothing." Came the flat reply as she secured her pack, looking at him in slight impatience "Are we leaving or not?" she looked around, "Where's my axe?"

He had totally forgotten about her favored weapon. His hand reaching behind him, he pulled the axe from his back, holding it carefully. "Here it be Kan." He said softly, almost sadly. She turned to him again, giving him a slightly confused look.

Slowly, she walked over towards him, being extremely careful not to touch him as she took the weapon from him. She examined it, her eyes widening in love and appreciation at the fine polish, the soft glow it had. A soft smile graced her lips and his heart swelled. He had put a lot of time and effort into making that weapon beautiful, he was glad that she liked it.

"I'll have to give my thanks to Lorkan when I see him." She said and with a brighter smile, she strapped the weapon to her back, instantly looking more relaxed. "That, is much better." She said with a soft sigh "I missed Skullsplitter."

The Fates were playing a cosmic joke on him, he was now completely certain of this. Somewhere along the line of his life, he had done something to royally piss them off and now he was paying the price for it. That had to be it, there was no other reason for this to be happening to him.

"I did it." He said finally. He absolutely refused to allow his brother to take the credit for his hard work, and damnit, he was tired of her ignoring his efforts. Even he could tolerate but so much.

There was a small pause as Kaniar let that sink in. She turned to him, a confused frown on her face. "You did it?" she asked, as if such a feat was something he could never conceive of. That killed any sort of good mood he had for the day.

"Yea." He said a little flatly, shrugging. Fine, if she was going to be that way, he could pretend he didn't care either. "I know how much ya like it, so I took care o' it. She polish up reel good, reel nice like."

"Oh." Was all she could muster out at first. She turned her gaze away from him, her expression shifting from confused to guilty to confused again. She spoke again: "Danks mon. I…'preciate it."

Shrugging again, he turned his back towards her "We need ta git goin, odderwise we take three days stead of two." Without waiting to see if she would follow, he took off in a brisk walk out of the building and towards his mount.

Origimmar was pretty large, being the prime location of Thrall the Orc Warchief. Here, all Horde were welcome, similar to Thunder Bluff, the home of the Taurens. This was also a prime location to get any type of item you could possibly desire, so it was no mystery that even Undead frequented this location. In all honesty, Rohkan trusted the Forsaken about as much as he could pick up Sylvanas Windrunner and toss her from Undercity to Desolace. They were sneaky, secretive, underhanded creatures. They had their own agenda, that much was certain, however, the Horde needed them as much as the Forsaken needed them. Thrall had opened Origimmar to the other sects of the Horde, it would be rude not to open their doors to all of the Horde, loose alliance or no. If Sylvanas was smart, she wouldn't dare underestimate Thrall, it would be her death if she did. They would be ready when she decided to drop the façade.

As they made their way out of the building he walked over to his mount, a sturdy crimson raptor. Grabbing some raw meat from his pack he fed it to his source of travel, patting the beast before he reached for the reigns. He turned to Kaniar "After you mon."

She looked at him as if he were joking. "No." she said firmly "I ride behind."

Rohkan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, did she have to be so childish sometimes? "Look," he began, sounding as irritated as he was beginning to feel. "It be easier on both us okay? If we keep ta arguing, we neva git home."

He received a glare, but he was past the point of caring. Her attitude was exhausting and depressing, he wanted nothing more now than to just go home and relax.

Eventually, she agreed, even going so far as to unstrap her large weapon from her back and give it to him. He was a bit surprised, but said nothing as he secured the weapon on the beast as well as the rest of her belongings. Assisting her onto the mount, he seated himself as well. Pulling on the reigns and giving the raptor a soft nudge on the sides they were off, the raptor's strong legs moving swiftly as they left Origimmar, heading for home.

The trip for the first few hours were quiet at best, he slowed the beast down to a soft trot, not wanting to exhaust the creature, besides that, it was growing dark and he didn't like to ride during the night, especially not when he had been riding all day just to get to Kaniar. He thought about starting conversation but then thought against it, not really seeing the point. She'd just be short and curt with him, and it'd just make him even more depressed. The question of why she hated him went through his mind constantly, but he resisted…he resisted…

He felt her body grow slack against him after an hour or so, her warmth flowing into him as she rested, her head rolling to the side against his shoulder, showing that she was now asleep. Straightening up on his seat he looked down at her a bit, his eyes softening as he took her features in. When sleeping, her face lost that hardened edge to it and looked more serene. Her expression reminded him of an adorable child and he found himself smiling warmly at her. He really did love her, and he really wished that she would realize it. It was moments like this, when she let her guard down and allowed herself to just…be herself…that he felt his courage to confess his feelings rise. Of course, it went back down to microscopic dust once he actually wanted to go through with it, but he had tried a few times, if that meant anything.

The darkness began to rise as night fell, the moon rising over the horizon but giving them little light. Rohkan had excellent vision, but his beast was beginning to become sluggish from its unusual burden, even at a trot. Looking around, he found a nice area, a massive rock formation with enough coverage for them both until morning. Shifting, he led his mount over to the area, but not without waking Kaniar. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shift and yawn softly, her crimson eyes hazed over a bit from sleep. He said nothing, she'd probably throw a fit for letting her guard down around him.

As expected, she jerked awake, moving away from him in surprise. She turned her head to him slightly, her eyes wide as they adjusted to her environment. When her eyes quickly adjusted they narrowed slightly, her expression anything but welcoming.

"Sorry." Came the flat, muttered apology before she turned her back to him, wiggling as if to widen the gap between them. He had tolerated her angry but beautiful look, but the wiggling had to stop. Not only was she quite unsuccessful in inching away from him, her lithe body was rubbing against him in just the right way and with his frazzled nerves, his reaction to it was instantaneous.

"Stop moving." He snarled, sounding harsher than he had meant to be. He had an excuse, frustration, both sexual and otherwise, depression, and her overall pissy mood were all very valid excuses.

He had tried to move away from her, to at least hide his reaction, but it was too late. Her body stiffened, but she did not move. Stifling a sigh, Rohkan halted his mount when they had reached their destination for the night, allowing her to gracefully slide off the mount. Dismounting from the other side, the embarrassed male troll tossed her belongings to her and without a word, began stalking off in another direction, towards another set of rock formations.

"Where ya goin?" he heard her voice, and a part of him fought not to answer. That side of him lost of course.

"Huntin…I be back." He muttered, not turning to face her or slowing down "Start de fire."

She said nothing else and he did not turn back to see if she would.

(AN: I really, REALLY wanted to continue this without leaving people going 'huh?' but due to the…'mature' behavior that goes on in this scene, I'm cutting it. You can read it at the website, and I'll try and give you an understanding of what happened earlier, but since FF kinda sucks with 'mature' stuff, I'm not taking any chances. I'm sorry! On with the story….)

He turned sharply, his hand now reaching for his axe. Who would dare follow him…?

Oh. She would.

Kaniar stood before him, her eyes slightly wide, her expression obviously shocked. A few things went through the male Troll's head, but he decided to dismiss them for the time being. Kaniar was here…how much had she seen? As if his earlier embarrassment hadn't be enough, now she had seen him…

"…I…was worried bout ya." she said, her voice shaky and hesitant. She was not armed, her expression indeed a mixture of worry and total shock. Unfortunately, despite the way she looked, this entire situation, for Rohkan, was the final straw.

He began to laugh.

There was no humor to it, but he threw back his head and laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. His hands clenching into fists, he stood up to his full height, which was quite a few inches taller than Kaniar despite her unusual height, and glared down at her. He smirked then, but there was no humor within it, matching his previous laughter. As he regarded her, his thoughts kept going back to her words, and it boiled him up inside. She dared to say she was worried about him? Her? The woman who treated him as if she could care less if he lived or died? Snorting, he turned his gaze away from her.

"Funny talk comin' from someone who hates meh." he snapped, his voice tight, almost a growl.

"..W..what?" he heard her stammer out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take a step forward, but when he growled his warning, she instead took a step back. "Rohkan, I..I don't hate ya..it's just…"

"Let's not fool each other ok?" he turned to her then, his anger and held back bitterness at her mannerisms towards him finally beginning to emerge "Ya treat me like de dirt ya walk on, no, worse dan dat mon. Fo years I be wantin' ta git close to ya, but…"

This time she snorted, crossing her arms, her posture anything but inviting "Sure Rohkan, lemme drop my drawers for ya now and hop inta bed witcha, dat is what ya be wanting ain't it?" she growled, taking a step forward. He blinked at her, his previous anger forgotten for the moment. What the hell was she talking about?

At his obvious confusion, she grinned, but it was every bit the same grin he had worn on his face just a few seconds ago "Oh? Cat got ya tongue now mon?" she asked, tilting her head to the side "What? Did ya honestly tink I'd be like those other hussies an' just inta bed witcha? Like, just cuz I came o' age dat made me a booty call too? Sorry mon, Kan dun work dat way, I ain't here for ya ta dip ya stick in wheneva ya get bored with da rest…"

"Wait." he held out a hand while he leaned against the rock again, trying to get her words straight. "You tink dat I…" No, he didn't even need to ask, he knew what she was thinking. It was no secret that he liked to sleep around, and it was no secret that he slept with a lot of women…sometimes at the same time. He liked sex, a lot of men did, and while none of those women could ever hold a candle to Kaniar, she was angry at him because…

No. She wasn't just angry at him…she was jealous. Years ago, when she had reached of age, he had been somewhat 'involved'. He didn't immediately try to hit on Kaniar, it had been a few months afterward that he had actually noticed her. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, it had been the first time he had really spoken to her, and she had been as cold as ice then as she was now. If he had started hitting on her immediately after she had turned of age, it would make sense that she would be angry with him, it would be reasonable that she felt he was just trying to get into her pants…but that wasn't it. She was mad at him before he had ever made a move on her. Why? Why would she be angry with him before he could even say a word to her? Now that he thought about it, Lorkan had even made mention of it in the past a few times, something about how Kaniar was most angry with him when he was around other women…

"Of all da bullshit…" he spat. She treated him like shit for years because she was jealous? Far be it from her to actually come and talk to him about anything like a reasonable person, she hated him because he liked to be with other women, but she hated him when he tried to hit on her as well, because she didn't want to end up like those other women that he messed around with. Okay, that was reasonable, Kaniar was different from other women, but if she had just talked to him about it, he would have told her the truth, how he really felt…

"It ain't bullshit!" she snapped, dragging him out of his thoughts "Fo years I've watched ya sleep around with just anyone! Den ya decide that ya wanna add me to ya list well guess what! It ain't gonna happen! I told ya a long time ago how I felt bout dat shit, how I won't gonna be nobody's play thing!"

He slammed his fist against his resting place, cracking the rock a bit. His bright eyes glared at her, his body shaking, but with rage "You…" he growled "Kaniar, I found ya, I took ya in, I took care of ya when nobody else would. When everybody else picked on ya, Lorkan and I were dere for ya, cuz ya was family. Even when ya cried, dose rare times, we were dere for ya. Kan, I've known ya for years, how could ya even tink I'd stoop so low as to use ya like dose other women? Ya mean more ta me den da world itself, I'd kill for ya, I have killed for ya. I've fought with ya, did missions with ya, ta tink that ya'd tink so lowly of me that I'd actually hurt ya…dat shit hurts more den ya hatin me. I ain't neva treated ya like dose other women, I love ya too much for dat." when her eyes widened, he chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah Kan, dat right. I love ya, I'm in love witcha. All dese years, me be tinkin I did someting wrong, someting ta hurt ya bad…" he turned his back towards her, sighing "Mebbe it be my fault, mebbe I shoulda' tried harda ta make ya see how much I cared bout ya, but wut's dun is dun. Come morrow, I git ya home, den ya can forgit I exist, just like ya been wantin' ta for da past few years. Goodbye Kaniar." without looking back or waiting for her to speak, he walked away from her, at the very least to walk around and think for a while.

He was heartbroken. He couldn't get over the fact that she could even think that he'd do something so horrible to her. He was well aware of her feelings on being with another man, if she had just given him an opportunity, he could have shown her that she was the only one he wanted to be with. He could have told her everything, how he loved her, how he wanted to make her dreams come true. He wanted to give her that family that she had always wanted, he wanted to give her the life that she had always desired but was robbed of as a child. Even as she grew up, he tried to make her happy, because he cared about her. Granted, those feelings of brotherly affection turned into something much deeper, he had never shown that he wanted her to be anything but happy around him. It hurt, it was as if she had struck him in the chest with her prized weapon, pushing deeper and deeper until there was nothing left but pure, excruciating pain.

It was time to let her go. She could never be happy with him if she couldn't trust him, and he would never be happy if she was always looking over his shoulder to see if a woman would be trailing behind him. He thought eventually he could win her over, he thought eventually that if he tried hard enough, he could make her see that he wasn't a bad person, that he could be good to her. It was obvious now; she had never thought he was a good person. Ever.

Silently, he wept as his heart shattered into oblivion.

When Rohkan returned, Kaniar was sitting by a campfire that she had started, he assumed that, since one of her specialties was cooking, that she had some flint and timber. After walking a good distance away from their little 'camp' he had found himself returning to his point of origin, his heart dragging along with his feet. He didn't want to face her, he didn't want to look at her, he didn't want to be near her. Never, in his darkest hours, had he known despair such as this. Never in his life had he ever felt so…helpless. His love for her still burned as hot as the sun, yet her hatred somehow managed to dim its light, casting a shadow over his soul. She was his mate, he knew it in his bones; she was meant to be with him. He knew that there would never be another woman for him, he knew that he would never feel complete without Kaniar. What was he to do, now that he had accepted the fact that she would never feel the same, that she was repulsed by him?

Her voice, surprisingly soft, brought him half way out of his thoughts. "Rohkan…" she began, her crimson eyes were tinged with gold, the fire giving them an almost ethereal glow "…I…I'm sorry."

He shrugged, not really paying attention. "Fer whut?" he asked. Sitting down, he turned away from her, looking out into the distance of the night.

"…I…" she paused, as if trying to think of what to say. She looked away from him then, her expression troubled. The silence finally fully snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her, and then looked at her. In all the years that he had known her, she had never looked so…forlorn. She looked as if she were troubled by some heavy burden that only she could carry alone. A part of him went out to her, his love for her overshadowing his deep depression.

"Whut wrong Kan?" he asked softly, "Whut be da matta?"

"….You…did ya meant what ya said earlier…all dose tings?" she asked softly, her gaze still on her hands in her lap.

The question threw Rohkan off guard. If she was talking about their earlier embarrassing and upsetting encounter, she was a little late with the question. Their brief argument had left him feeling the worst he had ever felt in his entire life. The only reason he was returning was because he had promised to take her home, and for that he needed to get some rest, otherwise he would be useless using his mount.

He really wasn't in the mood for games anymore, he knew his heart couldn't take it. "Look mon, I know ya hate me, I know ya tink I be da scum of Azeroth. It be in ya body language, da way ya talk to me, da way ya look at me…I'm no fool Kan, I know hate when I see it…"

"I dun hate ya Rohkan…" she interrupted, her bright gaze meeting his own. She looked somewhat pleading, but it only made him think of how much she hated him, and that look only depressed him further. He turned away from her.

"Dun lie…" He said "I know how ya feel, it obvious mon…"

She decided to interrupt him again "Rohkan!" she implored "I dun hate ya! I mean…ya be fustratin and flirty…and it really makes me mad…but I dun hate ya. When ya said dat stuff back dere…I wanna say sorry, I ain't be treatin ya fair, I know dat. Ya dun a lot for me over da years, and I ain't been very grateful." Sighing, she got up and walked around the campfire to him. Startled and surprised, he could only stare up at her until she sat down beside him, her expression devoid of any true emotion but still so serious at the same time. Their arms were touching and she looked at him intensely, as if hoping to convey her seriousness.

"Kan…" he began, almost in warning.

"Shhh…" she placed a finger on his lips to silence him "Look mon, I stood back dere and listened to every word ya had to say, so ya gonna listen ta me now." She sighed then, closing her eyes for a moment, looking like she was trying to gather her courage. When she opened her eyes, it was as if he had looked at her for the first time in his life. There was no anger, hatred, jealousy that had flared her senses before. What he saw was something he had missed, the real Kaniar, his Kaniar. The one who had trusted him with her life, the one who confided in him when she needed it, the one who would flash him brilliant smiles whenever he told a joke. His heart began to pound, how long had it been since he had seen her look at him in such a manner? It would be no mild exaggeration to say that he had missed that sight.

"Rohkan, I dun hate ya, quite da opposite." She leaned back a bit, if only to give herself some breathing room "You and Lorkan be da only people in da world I care about wit all mah heart. When Lorkan and I came o' age, he was out wit all de women, tryin' ta be like his big bro," she poked him in the chest. "I din' wanna be like dat, runnin' round wit all dose men, not lovin' dem at all…da truth be told…I din' wanna be with another mon cuz…"

Lightly, she grabbed his arm and leaned forward. Completely shocked, he could do nothing but sit there on his little rock as she tilted her head, kissing him lightly on the lips. His brain stopped functioning, he could no longer think as he marveled at this complete 180 that she had managed to pull on him. He knew that he had never understood women, but Kaniar took the cake.

When she pulled away, he opened his mouth to speak but no words emerged. What the hell could he say? His heart had been in the pit of despair because he thought she found him to be the most vile creature alive, now she was kissing him. In all honesty, what could he say?

"Rohkan…" she began and sighed, scooting closer to him. He almost backed away from her; what the hell was going on? "Back dere, when ya said dose tings…when ya said ya loved me, it was as if my heart just…" she shrugged, not being able to come up with a suitable adjective "It was like ya had just granted me a wish…and I knew den dat I couldn't deny it no mo. Roh, I thought I hated ya, I thought I hated ya lifestyle…I thought about all dose women…dose women…" she spat out the last part, making him flinch "An' all I could tink about was dat if it happened ta me, it'd be unbearable…cuz I…I din' wanna be like dose other women, I din' wanna be just another good lay…I din' wanna share ya…"

His slight panic at her change in attitude turned to curiosity. He relaxed a bit, looking down at her. She was resting her head lightly on his arm, as if too shy to look him in the eye. Intrigued and slightly confused, he reached and tilted her chin up to face him with his finger. Her crimson eyes were deep and dark despite the firelight, her expression was…

"I din' tink ya could eva love me…not da way I wanted it." she finally confessed, her body shaking lightly "I felt stupid fo' fallin' fo ya, but I couldn't help it. I din' wanna believe it, cuz I thought I knew what would happen. I thought dat I'd be like da other women, dat we'd just sleep round till ya got bored, and I wanted a mon who would be wit me and me only, but I couldn't move on, I couldn't git ya outta my head, and it made me angry…I din' wanna love someone who'd just break me heart."

He couldn't believe it. Were his ears deceiving him or was she confessing that she was in love with him? Clearly, he was imagining things, because this was something he had only been able to dream about. Even the mood was right; the full moon above them, the campfire keeping them warm, her dark eyes looking into his with all the love and adoration that they felt for each other…it was just a dream, something that he had only been able to come up with in his wildest fantasies. It was impossible, she could not be telling him that she loved him. Could she?

"Kan, I'd never…" he began, but she shush-ed him by placing her finger on his lips again. He briefly decided that if she did that again, he'd nip them.

"I know dat now…" she said and sighed, looking away from him "Rohkan, I din' know at first dat I loved ya, when I figured it out I tried to deny it, but it was so fustratin dat I started ta take it out on ya, and it wasn't fair. I know ya tried ya best to tell me how ya felt…now dat I tink bout it, I see all de signs, I just din' wanna believe it. I hurt ya real bad, I dun know what I can do ta make it better, I've been jealous fo so long…" she sighed again, her expression turning downcast "I hate dat part of myself, I dun wanna be hateful to ya, cuz I love ya." she turned to him, her gaze pleading "Rohkan, I can't share ya, I wanna be with you and only you. I can't handle ya flirtin, or sexin' wit' other women…"

Without thinking, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, startling her. All these years of uncertainty, all these years of confusion, if only they had been able to really sit down and talk, it would have been better, they would have been together. All that had stopped them was misunderstandings and assumptions. No more. No more would he let something so simple come between them. Not now, not ever.

Pulling away from her, he sighed, but it was of happiness, not despair "Kaniar," he began, making her look up at him so she could see how serious he was "I promise I won't look, touch, hug, kiss, mess with, whatever, another woman if ya tell me right now dat ya'll be mine. I mean it. If ya say yes, ya gotta mean it, and it gonna mean dat ya gotta trust me. Ima tell ya right now, ya be da only woman for me, ya da only one I want. Ya gotta trust me, cuz I ain't goin anywhere 'less ya tell me ta git. We need to be havin some understandin' goin on round here, cuz otherwise, we neva gonna be happy. Now we know how we feel, we gotta make it work…if dat what ya be wantin…" he trailed off, waiting for her response.

"I know Rohkan…" she nodded "An' ya ain't gotta go dat far ta prove yaself. I can't be jealous all de time, I gotta trust ya, and I haven't cuz my jealousy. I guess…as corny as dis gonna sound, if I can trust ya wit my life, I guess I can trust ya wit me heart." she gave him a look "I ain't gonna be easy ta deal wit', ya know dat."

Nodding, he put his arm around her, smiling as she put her head on his shoulder, trying to move closer to him.

"Kan, I knew from de first day I met ya dat ya was gonna be a handful, if I could handle ya as a wild ting den, I tink I can handle ya now." he leaned forward, resting his head against hers "Cuz now dat I got ya, I ain't lettin go, not now, not eva."

He felt her shoulders shake as she softly laughed "Dat was all I had ever wanted ta hear."

End Chapter.