I giggled softly as Tabby playfully swiped at my hand. Though as I paused, she meowed loudly, her little paws wiggling in the air above her head, demanding for me to commence my fussing over her once more. I complied, tickling her exposed belly and giggling again as she purred contently.
As I was cooing over Tabby's cuteness, something which I wasn't ever able to restrain myself from doing when she was within two metres of me, Ichii rose to his feet.
He glanced at the two of us, that being myself and Zero, the latter who had sprawled out rather casually across the floor, easily making himself at home. "Well, anybody wanna check out the baths with me?"
Zero with more speed and agility than I ever knew he even possessed, hurriedly jumped to his feet, squirming on the spot and waving his hand around in the air quite uncontrollably as he excitably exclaimed "I do!" in such a way that made him seem so endearing.
I, on the other hand, didn't move. While I'd never been to a hot-spring before and it was very new and exciting experience for me, I was content on staying in the room for a little while. In fact, I was dead set on snuggling up in my blanket as I curled up on the windowsill and read my book, maybe pausing to pet Tabby if she followed me over. Though that plan instantly shattered as soon as I looked up from gently tickling Tabby underneath her chin.
Both of the boys were getting undressed, apparently not too concerned about the fact that I was still in the room.
I froze for a second in which both of them had managed to remove their tops before I regained the power of movement. I barely succeeded in stifling my shriek of surprise. "What are you two doing?" My voice was high-pitched and slightly muffled by my obstructing hands, which were covering my entire face instead of the more intelligent option of just covering my eyes. "Couldn't you have gone into the bathroom to change?" I could feel both of them staring at me and my whole face tingled. My cheeks were tinted scarlet, I already knew that much.
"Stop making such a big deal over everything and go get changed yourself, Hikari." Zero replied, far too nonchalantly for me to do anything but sit there, my mouth gaping like a fish behind my cupped hands. Thankfully, I managed to raise myself to my feet without falling over.
"Uh, you guys go on ahead... I'll meet you there." I succeeded on backing away to the door, still completely blind and paused for a moment. "Oh, and don't forget to lock the door and put Tabby in the room where I set up her litter box. See you later." And with that I dived out of the door, running the whole length of the corridor before I had calmed down enough to walk at a normal pace.
"That was so embarrassing!" I skipped down the stairs after I had managed to resist the temptation to slide down the banister, though I didn't get much further than that as I stopped in the middle of the corridor, crossing my arms over my chest, barely fighting back a smile as I realised how odd I must've looked over-reacting like that.
Zero was completely right. I should've just gone into the other room instead of getting worked up. If Zero and Ichii were changing in front of me, then they must've felt comfortable to do so. I'm so silly! Running out of there like that, they must've thought I was crazy.
I almost laughed aloud as I remembered the nonplussed looks the two of them where wearing as I escaped. "I'd better get back and change. This is exciting! My first trip to a hot springs, I have to enjoy every moment of it."
"I have something even more exciting in store for you." I wheeled around so sharply at the familiar voice that I was afraid I might've induced whiplash.
Gou, Rokka's loyal butler was standing in the game's room, staring straight at me. The last time I'd encountered those two I'd had a spell cast on me that reverted my body back to a younger form, when I was nearly three years old. Crawling around had earned my hands and knees a fair amount of cuts and grazes which stung painfully when Zero helped me to disinfect them later. Not only that, but Gou transported me to a weird Child's room where I was nearly crushed when I tried to save Zura. Luckily, Ichii and Zero managed to spot us and rescued us just in time, but it was still a terrifying experience. Especially when I was almost KO-ed by a giant stuffed bunny that Rokka conjured up out of the blue.
"A-Ano..." My voice was shaking as I stood frozen to the spot by his captivating stare.
My hand slowly snaked into my pocket but as it searched and was rewarded with empty air, I was struck with a sudden feeling of helplessness. I'd left the lollipop Ichii had given me in the room. It was in my backpack, the first pocket, in the place where I was sure I'd remember it. But obviously, due to my whole running out of the room escapade, I'd forgotten all about it.
"I'm afraid you've made a big mistake by coming out here tonight without Zero and Ichii by your side. So I'll seize this golden opportunity and take you away. Those two will never be able to find you again."
His words were just the trigger I needed and they sparked me into action. I spun neatly around, aiming to run as far and as fast as I could, only for the door to slam shut in my face. "How rude," Gou said, a chiding note in his voice. "It's not very nice to walk out on people like that." My fists clenched at my side, I frantically searched the room for any other means of escape.
Apparently the room hated me, because I found none.
"Summoning phantom magic: Game's Square." I winced and shielded my eyes as the room spun before my eyes. When I glanced around, my surroundings were completely unfamiliar. My eyes widened as gravity took affect and I slid down the slope. I managed to flip onto my front and clawed at the ground in a frantic attempt to halt my decent.
From what I'd seen so far, this whole place looked exactly like a typical pinball machine. I grabbed something though, and held on tight, too scared to even bother to look closely at what it was. As long as it kept me secured in place, I was fine. "Having fun, Hikari? I transported you into a pinball machine in the hot springs arcade."
"Let me out of here right now!" I yelped.
"Stop complaining." He ordered. "Or I'll make this much harder for you." The words I was yelling might've have been spoken in another language for all I was aware, since I'd lost the ability to even recognise what I was saying. Apparently they were comprehensible though, because they spurred Gou into action. "Right, well let's start the game, it's sure to be a blast. Good luck, now, Hikari." At the harsh chiming from behind me, I slowly forced myself to glance over my shoulder. Just as I'd feared, the ball was spiralling in my direction. I was certain it had the power to flatten me, so, screaming, I launched myself to the side, slipping down a couple of feet and grabbing hold of the stick thing that was helpfully placed within my reach. "Don't let your guard down just yet," Gou warned, seemingly enjoying his twisted game as he propelled the ball back up towards me.
I used the base of it as a springboard and pushed myself forward, changing position once more. As I watched the ball flying around, I struggled to catch my breath. My heart was hammering in my chest, constantly reminding me I was still alive, but it wasn't enough. I'd been mere inches away from being flattened! The instant the ball looked set on heading towards me, I moved. And how happy I was that for once I could spring around so athletically. Of course, now I've said that, it's certain that I'm going to jinx myself.
"Lady Rokka is pretty upset with you. Perhaps this will calm her nerves."
Despite me desperately reaching out, grasping at the floor and doing anything to push myself away; my hands had slipped from their secure hold and I was falling down, the ball shooting up towards me. I braced myself. The scream that erupted out of my mouth was something I hadn't been expecting. Nor that fact that I followed it with a fair amount of babbling. "Zero, Ichii! Help me, please!"
My prayers were answered when I heard that magical voice yell: "That's it, I won't let you do that! Magical Break!"
And break he did.
Not me, or Gou. Zero broke the machine with his flaming fist.
Perhaps calling his voice magical was a bit of an understatement. Though, while his methods were debatable, I was back to my original size and thankfully out of the machine, so I could give him points for that.
"Are you alright?" He asked, pulling me to my feet, keeping a wary eye trained on Gou as he did so.
I could only muster up a small nod in return. "I almost had the pearl." Gou said, though his voice held little regret.
"No way." Zero replied, spinning back around to face his enemy, fists held at the ready. "You'll never get the pearl, not as long as I'm protecting Hikari!"
"Hikari! Zero!" Ichii swept in through the doorway, his eyes scanning the two of us, searching for any injuries before locking onto Gou and his face twisting into a scowl I wasn't aware Ichii could make. "It's you." And with that, he charged at Gou, aiming to tackle him but just missing as Gou escape through some kind of magical escape portal. Ichii instead landed at my feet and while I could've guessed it would have happened, I still shrieked a little. Just a little. "He got away." Ichii sat up, rubbing his sore chin before climbing to his feet, his hand gentle as it rested on my arm. "Are you okay, Hikari?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks for asking Ichii."
"If Gou came all this way to attack Hikari, then there may be others. We can't let our guard down." I sighed. Some much for having a nice, relaxing holiday.
After we'd made a hasty exit from the arcade, something which hadn't been very easy due to the vast amount of customers who had been attracted to the noise and had gathered in the doorway, the three of us walked back to our rooms in order for me to get changed. After the situation with Gou, they were a lot more cautious about leaving me on my own. Something which I was both thankful for and a little tired of.
"Zero, did you really have to break the machine? What if we get in trouble? They might make us pay for it and I don't think I'll have enough money to if they do."
"I did what I had to do to save you, so stop complaining." Zero replied harshly. I puffed out my cheeks and turned away in response. I looked childish, but I didn't know what else to do. I was worried. Getting into trouble was something I was quite inept at dealing with. "I had no choice but to break the machine, Hikari. So just drop it." I didn't have anything else to fight back, so eventually, I did.
Splitting up into the separate baths was pretty difficult.
While one part of me was terrified of being apart from them at that specific moment in time, the other definitely didn't want to be anywhere near them. I mean, this was a hot springs. Where people bathe. I'd be wearing a towel, obviously, but that didn't matter. I mustered up my courage throughout the walk there and when we reached them, I smiled and waved like I didn't have a care in the world.
Though I did pause just before entering, rocking back on my heels long enough for Ichii to slip a miniature version of the lollipop into my hair. It was held in place by the pretty ribbon that was securing my raven locks into a messy ponytail. My little ribbons that usually decorated either side of my hair were gone. So was my locket. It was silly but my neck felt remarkably cold and bare without it.
"You've got nothing to worry about, Hikari." Ichii said gently, easily banishing my fears, "As long as you've got that lollipop, nobody can lay a hand on you."
I smiled a genuine, happy smile this time, as I waved and disappeared through the door onto the female side of the hot spring. I cautiously dipped my foot into the water to test the temperature before entering. It wasn't really necessary though, the water was so warm and relaxing. It felt so good, I decided in that moment that I never wanted to leave.
As I stretched, I caught sight of a sign just shy of the water's edge. "Huh? The legend of Haruyama lake? If you look into your reflection in the water... the face of your destined soul mate will appear? Oh, that's so... romantic! May I should I should try? Something like that sounds so exciting. Hmm... I wonder who my soul mate is?" Instantly, images of both Zero and Ichii flooded my mind. "Maybe... One of them? But... Maybe it's someone else?" I chanced another glance at the sign, my thoughts were already spinning into overdrive. "Okay, no more imagining for you, Hikari. You're on holiday, your supposed to relax!" Smiling, I sunk further into the water. "But wait... I shouldn't spend too much time in the bath... I've read that you can faint... and anyway, I can't leave Tabby alone in our room for too long-"
"What are you worried about?" The gargled voice surprised me and I almost tripped over as I stumbled back a fair few paces, my hand fluttering to my chest as it threatened to smash through my ribs. "Don't you want to play with me?" I could barely control my breathing as a shape emerged out of the water. Of course, I guessed I needn't have worried too much. It was only San.
"San? What are you doing here?"
"I came here for you, of course. So I can get the pearl and finish the final exam." I winced. I knew it. Her smile seemed so innocent and gentle, yet I knew she was anything but. "Summoning Magic: Ducky Hunt!" The little duck that appeared was so adorable, it induced the same cuteness proximity I got with Tabby. Though I didn't dare touch it, I only squealed and cooed over it."But he won't be so cute once he gets bigger."
And right she was, since it's grown form could put the ugly duckling to shame any day. I screamed loudly and dived to the side as it lunged at me. I waded through the water as fast as I could, cursing my shot height as it chased me.
Splashing around frantically and trying to run through water that almost reached up to my shoulders wasn't a good thing to do. Nor was it a particularly fast way of escaping, either. So when I tripped over my own two feet and fell head first into the water, I was a little surprised to find the massive duck/goose thing to be fully occupied once I emerged. Though when I managed to blink my sight back and saw Zero standing in the midst of the destroyed partition between the men's and women's section, I found the evident cause for it's lack of attention.
The water in my ears prevented me from really hearing what Zero was saying, but I got the message when he shot a magical attack at the goose, which sent it spiralling away, where hopefully it would stay. San then disappeared on her owl, seemingly smart enough to not allow herself to get caught.
Smiling, I turned to Zero, words of gratitude and praise ready on my lips but when I tried to take a step towards him, my whole leg buckled. I disappeared under the surface for a second, before I rose back up, shrieking as I flailed around, attempting to stay above the water. The muscles in my leg were tense and taut, refusing to obey my commands and act like they were supposed to.
"Zero, I'm going to drown! Please, do something! Help me!"
"The water's not that deep, Hikari. Even you can stand up."
"No, Zero, that's not it. I have a cramp in my leg!" I was still desperately searching for a way to haul myself up, but leg was still stubbornly refusing to obey. This time I couldn't get back up. When my back touched the uneven surface of the floor, I truly appreciated the phrase of sinking like a stone. For a moment I was struck with blind panic and, stupidly, I screamed. Water flooded into my mouth. I didn't have a way to remove it. I couldn't even swim up to save myself.
I'm going to drown!
But then hands shot down into the water, clumsily searching around for a few seconds before smacking me not once, but twice in the head. Once the hands had located my back, one looped around it, the other underneath me knees as they scooped me up and quickly pulled me out. Coughing and spluttering, I must've resembled a fountain as the water sprayed out of my mouth in a steady stream. I didn't have much strength, so I compromised, leaning weakling against Zero's bare chest as he cradled me in his arms, waiting until I summoned up the energy to stand on my own two feet.
"Hikari, are you alright?" Zero's expression was almost twisted beyond recognition. Blinking owlishly, I allowed myself to stare into his eyes and I discovered something I hadn't really expected. Fear. Real, undiluted fear.
"... I-I think so." More coughing as I hacked out my lungs. "Thank you, Zero."
I was blushing now. A mix of water and saliva had dribbled down my chin. I moved quickly to swipe it away, hoping that Zero hadn't noticed it. That movement though was apparently far too fast and I felt my towel slipping loose. Blindly, I grabbed at it with one hand, the other automatically reaching out and slapping Zero around the face. That, while being incredibly unexpected for the boy, was a completely stupid thing for me to do. One, because I had just hurt my friend, no matter how unintentional it had been. The other being the fact that Zero, who was so shocked at being slapped without any apparent reason or warning, dropped me.
Instantly realising his mistake, Zero plunged back in, his hands desperately exploring the empty water above my head and I had once again inhaled a mouthful of water, evidently not learning from the first time I'd made that mistake that it wasn't a very good idea. He'd hooked his arm around my legs, though when he lifted my out, his left hand, aside grabbing my towel which I assumed had been his aim, was grabbing a certain womanly part I didn't exactly want him to be touching. Obviously, by his massive blush and stiff muscles, Zero hadn't been intending for it either. We were both frozen for several seconds, staring at each other with wide eyes, our breathing laboured and heavy. Mine, from nearly drowning twice in the space of five minutes. His, from nearly having a heart attack thrice in the space of five minutes.
"You... Have no boobs..."
Of course, that made me shriek.
I could see Ichii stumbling through the broken fence, heading towards us.
All of a sudden, Zero was shoved away from me by some magical force. I could see a barrier between us, one that I recognised to be one induced by Ichii's magic. The lollipop had decided that now it would chip in a protect me, also causing a mini tidal-wave which arched over Zero, who washed up near the opposite side of the bath. Luckily, I landed on my feet and was able to storm away, holding my towel firmly in place, my cheeks aflame.
I hugged the pillow tightly to my chest, my cheeks puffed up with air as I stared determinedly ahead. Tabby was curled up on my lap, doing her absolute best to try and cheer me up, but I could barely think straight. I couldn't even decide whether I was angry or whether I just wanted to cry. It was apparently a lot more difficult to figure out than I previously thought. When I'd entered I made sure to leave a note on the door and had promptly locked it behind me.
I knew the boys where outside as soon as I heard Ichii gently sigh and read what I'd left for them. "'I'm busy being mad. I don't want to talk about it. I also locked the door, so don't try to come in.' She's really upset, huh?" I squeezed the pillow tighter at the sound of his voice. I felt guilty for locking Ichii out but I was upset and I wasn't at home. I couldn't retreat into my bedroom like I usually would and I definitely didn't want to face Zero yet. "Guess we blew it, didn't we?"
"Let's just leave that witch alone." His words were so sharp, it felt like he'd literally stabbed me. To be honest, I think that insult stung more than the one about my obvious lack of endowment. Tabby gave a small meow and nuzzled my hand comfortingly, but it didn't help much. "Come on Ichii, let's just leave her alone and go play some ping pong!" I heard footsteps retreat and instantly loosened my posture.
Go ahead, leave me... I don't care... Not one little bit. I sighed deeply, stretching my legs out and half-heartedly petting Tabby as she nudged at my side. Zero's the one in the wrong, right? He's the one that was mean to me... But if that's right, they why do I feel so bad?
I don't really know why I did it. It was like some unseen force was urging me to. So I checked outside. "Zero? Ichii?" I almost screamed when I saw Ichii sitting out there with his back leaning against the wall and instantly ducked back to safety. Though I don't really know why inside the room was safety, since being with Ichii had proven to be very safe for me in the past. Twiddling my thumbs, I stared at the closed door for a moment, before I managed muster up the courage to speak. "I... I thought you went to play ping pong with Zero."
Ichii chuckled. "You know we can't leave you all by yourself." I stayed silent, twisting my hands nervously in my lap. Tabby mewled at the sound of Ichii's voice, and cheerfully padded over, prodding at the closed door for a second, before collapsing onto my lap. "Listen, Zero can be hotheaded and can come across as a jerk because he says what's on his mind sometimes. But I know that all he really wants to do is protect you."
"Ichii... I... What if he's just protecting me because I swallowed the Crystal Pearl?"
"No, that's not the only reason. Zero and I care about your safety." I couldn't help bout doubt him. How could Ichii really know what Ichii was thinking? But, as if he had read my mind, Ichii continued on. "I know I'm right because I know Zero and I know that he really cares about protecting you." I hesitated for a little while longer, before slowly edging out of the door, gently cradling Tabby as I did so. Ichii smiled, and carefully scratched her behind one of her soft, silvery ears. "It's good to finally see you again."
"Ichii... I'm not... sure..."
"Just go downstairs and follow the signs, it's hard to miss the ping pong room. You better hurry, Zero's waiting for you." I nodded shyly and carefully handed Tabby to him. "Go on now, good luck." I thanked him justly and headed off.
Zero... He saved me so many times today... But... I didn't once... I didn't once really and truly thank him... All I did was complain!
I decided that this time I would slide down the banister. Though, unlike every other time I'd indulged myself on my childish tendencies and gained a fair amount of enjoyment after. This time, all I could think about was Zero and how vile I'd been to him.
What's the matter with me? So what if Zero broke the machine... He saved my life in the process. So what if Zero accidentally... Accidentally... Well... It wasn't really his fault, anyway. I was the one that slapped him... All I had to do was just grab a hold of my towel, but I over reacted, just like I always do. I glanced at the sign of the wall and quickly followed the direction the arrow was pointing in. I couldn't afford to wait any longer. I just had to apologise! He saved three times. When San attacked me, he stopped the giant goose/duck thing. When my cramp kicked in, he carried me so I wouldn't drown. And then when I hit him, he still pulled me back out.
Bursting through the door, I was met with the cold night air as I stepped outside. It was dark. Darker than I was used to. Of course, that was because there were no handy street-lamp lighting the way for me. I hesitated, my back pressed against the door, staring out into the inky blackness.
Zero knows I hate walking alone. Especially in the dark... I bit my lip. Hard. The taste of iron was harsh against my tongue, but I didn't stop. Zero must really want to talk to me. Just me. I have to do this. I have to apologise. If that means I have to... to... to go into a situation I'm not entirely comfortable with, then so be it! I have to learn to be braver! I'm not going to get anywhere if I stay this shy, quiet little girl.
As I plunged forward, I was struck with a sudden though.
Zero's always helping me. Even now, he must be trying to help me get over my anxiety. I glanced at a nearby tree, noticing the arrow was pointing straight ahead and followed it. As the trees began to thin out, my heart soared. This must be where Zero was leading me. That means I can apolo-
My foot penetrated through an icy blackness.
Water!
I stumbled back, my eyes scanning around me, widening as I recognised the site before me. "Lake Haruyama? What's going on?" I backed away from the water, in fear that I may clumsily tumble into it. "Hold on... Zero? Zero? Where are you? Zero!"
A pretty melody drifted up from around me. By the time I realised it sounded familiar, it was far too late. The flute had already hypnotized me, forcing my legs to walk forwards. Into the lake. Outwardly, my body didn't shiver as the cold attacked my senses, but inwardly I was dying. The water was waist high and rising, slowly but surely waiting until I fully immersed myself in it and drowned, trapped inside my own body, forced to watch it happen but having no power to stop it.
"No!" The cry was so sudden that it shocked my out of my trace. Though I wouldn't doubt that it was the person the voice belonged to, that really dragged me out of the darkness. Zero's hands rested on my shoulder, shaking me, a little roughly. The same look was held in his eyes. Utter fear. "What are you doing? Snap out of it now!"
Did he think I was trying to...?
"We were so close!" Forte's anguished yell instantly caught Zero's attention.
"Forte?" He scowled at the boy, his hands tightening on my shoulders, edging me a little closer to him. I didn't complain. I was done with being scared and quite honestly, I was freezing and Zero was, well, warm. At that moment in time, I wasn't really all too concerned about how were we in such close proximity to each other, I was more focused on borrowing his body heat.
"I think it's time I finished both of you off, once and for all." And with that dramatic deceleration, Forte once again commenced playing his flute of death. Did I mention how much I really hate flutes? Now I'd like to take the time to express my utter hatred for the instrument. The owl, as commanded, rose up from his hiding spot and hurtled towards us. We manage to duck, though, and it sailed right on by us.
"This is going to be so much fun!" San exclaimed. "Summoning Magic: Wild Catfish!"
The creature was nothing like I'd ever seen before, for it flicked it's large tail out and struck Zero down, roughly shoving him underneath the water. I screamed loudly, instantly using my hands to try and find him. I was so caught up, that I missed what I assumed to be Forte's ending one liner. Something about meeting your match, I wasn't really paying attention.
The owl squawked loudly, it's talons outstretched. I glanced up. I didn't even have the chance to move. Though I didn't need to, as Zero emerged out of the water, throwing his arms up to protect me as he cried, "Look out!" I couldn't see much, from the amount of water that splashed up, but I think I heard Zero give a little gasp of pain. I wasn't really sure. He reached out, taking my hand and pulling me closer. He didn't let go.
Our attackers were closing in, and fast. My fear was intensifying by the second.
"Zero, what are we going to do? How do we stop them?"
He clenched his hands, stopping when he realised that it was hurting me."I don't know! But don't worry. I'll figure something out. Just stay behind me, I'll protect you!" The owl swooped down, ready to dive bomb us. My breath hitched in my throat as Zero looped his arms around me, using his body to shield as much of me as possible. "Brace yourself." I inched closer, burying my head further in his chest, whispering I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry over and over again, so quietly that I wasn't really sure he could even hear it.
Though when the pain never came, when the owl apparently failed it's attacked, me both straightened up, glancing around and locating our friend, who had once again swept in and saved the day right at the moment we needed it.
"Ichii!" Zero had never sounded happier to see him.
"Now's your chance! And don't hold anything back!"
"You don't have to tell me that." He turned, scowling towards San and Forte, his demeanour deadly. Zero was dangerous when he truly got mad, I knew that much. "I've had just about enough of you two idiots attacking Hikari. This ends right now!" San and Forte gasped, and made to run, but they wouldn't have made it two feet. Not with the mood Zero was in. "Destruction Magic: Magic Cannon!" The two, as per usual, were blasted sky-high. This time I didn't even fool myself into hoping they'd stay there. It was only a matter of time before they came back.
Once we reached the bank, Zero finally allowed his body to shown the full extent of his injury. Though He claimed it was just a scratch, it was obvious he was in a lot of pain
. Zero hurt himself protecting me. How many times am I going to ignore what he's done? I came out here to apologise, so that's exactly what I'm going to do!
"Listen-" Both myself and Zero hurriedly stopped talking, faint traces of blushes spreading across both our cheeks. "I've been think-"
"Ah- Sorry!" Zero exclaimed, before I even had the chance to apologise myself.
"What?"
"I'm sorry." Zero repeated, raising his head. His cheeks were fully pink now, something which even I couldn't miss. "I thought I should apologise... for making you angry." He wanted to make up with me, too.
"Thank you, Zero." He seemed just as surprised at those words, as I was at his apology. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't thank you for saving me all those times... In fact, a lot of the time I was pretty mean to you... And I slapped you, which I shouldn't have done. At all. I mean, it was so out of line... So I'm really sorry, too. I hope... You'll forgive me?"
"Okay then. That's enough, no more fighting for us." He quickly stood up, though he was still a little shaky on his legs. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed it before, but an awkward Zero was pretty endearing. "Lets get back, come on, Hikari." He didn't wait though, too busy feeling awkward and embarrassed to really think straight. Also, he was nursing a pretty serious injury, so he could be excused of almost anything right now. Ichii, smiling a little, followed him.
Though I hesitated, and edged towards the lake, kneeling down and peering into the water at my reflection.
I could see both Ichii and Zero were looking back at me from the shimmering surface of the water. There was a pressure on my back. Zero was leaning on me. I smiled and looked up, nodding in agreement as they suggested we get back and took Zero's hand as he gently helped me up.
For now, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad there both here, and I can enjoy being with them.
Having a face looming over you once you'd jerked yourself out of a nightmare isn't one of the most pleasant feelings ever. Having two is even more so. But that feeling is easily extinguished once you realise that those faces belong to two of the most important people in your life.
Zero, not so helpfully poked me in the forehead a couple of times, only stopping when Ichii slapped his wrist in a warning. The said boy then helped me to sit up, wrapping the blanket that Zero supplied him with around my shoulders and regarding me with a worried expression as Zero sat back on his haunches, studying me just as intently.
The two of them being there eased my nerves significantly, especially since I hadn't the faintest idea where I was when I'd opened my eyes. Tabby mewled, sleepily padding over and promptly forgot to stop, causing her to head-butt my knee. "You okay?" Ichii asked, concerned. I nodded my head, allowing my hands to glide over the futon supplied by the hot springs. It was a lot comfier than any futon I'd ever slept on before.
"I just had a nightmare about what happened today." Though I didn't seem it as I lunge forward and checked the bandages neatly wrapped around the wound on Zero's back. The skin was warm, and a little sweaty, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When I pulled back, I was met with expecting looks from both of the boys. "Zero bled to death." I whispered, choking slight on the words.
"That's it?" The boy replied, rather nonchalantly. "You know I'm not dying any time soon-"
"I know, you made a promise to protect me." I said, smiling.
Zero snorted. "No, I've got way too many things I need to tease you about! Seriously, my life will not be complete until I get to fulfil my wish." We stared unblinkingly at each other for a couple of seconds, before Zero sighed. "I'm a jerk, right?"
I started to laugh. "No. You're just you, Zero."
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is reading this, I really hoped you enjoyed this new chapter.
Also a big thank you to LoveInuyasha22 for your continued support: You're awesome and I really hope you like this chapter!
And to JJ: Thank you for the reviews! Though I didn't really understand what you meant when you were talking about Forte. And you pointed out something that nobody else had mentioned yet, the absence of Hikari's father! I already have quite a good idea of how I'm going to play out Hikari's backstory, I'm just not really sure when I'm going to include it. I'm going to do exactly what you said though, gradually; Hikari will gain more confidence as she's influenced by both Zero and Ichii. That's one of the reason's I made her so shy and dependant on others.