When Karin returned to the place where Kazune was sleeping for the second time, she found that he had woken up and was now drawing something in the damp ground. She wandered over, peering over his shoulders trying to make sense of his drawings. There were many little houses and buildings and roads etched into the earth along with an old writing that looked similar to the pendants Kazune wore. She thought that the letters looked beautiful, although she couldn't read them.

"Just past this swamp is one of the largest kingdoms in the world." Kazune voiced without turning around.

"We will need to pass through it to get to the Peaceland where we will not be forced into war. This kingdom is a 2 week trip by foot, however."

"Can't we get around it? I don't want to get caught there!"

"We have no choice, it is a 2 week trip through the shortest route, going around would take months of our precious time. I don't know about you but I am going this way."

Karin wanted to argue but she knew he was right. They really did have no choice and this was the last major wall in their trip. She too, wanted to get the Peaceland where she couldn't be taken back by her wrathful mother.

"If we can make it to the entrance to the kingdom by the day after tomorrow, that should be enough time to gather furs from our hunting to bribe our way in, since we have no official papers. I was expecting to have to go around this swamp, but since I have you, I will put you to use."

Karin winced at his diction, making her sound like a tool.

"Excuse me but, I am not just something for you to use at whim! What do you want me to do, move the swamp? I'm not that powerful."

"Don't be stupid, I want you to either freeze the water or create bridges with the plant life so we can get across faster. and less wet."

Karin guessed she could do that, even still she chose to argue this time.

"What about you? You can control air, fly us over!"
"Do you want to be spotted from miles away and not gather the fur?! Honestly, you are dense, think this through a little! What do you think I have written here, song lyrics? No, plans and there is no way around them." Kazune's words sounded a little too harsh to have been spoken to someone who let him kiss her body. It make Karin's blood boil up. Keeping composure the best she could she stated, "Well, I can't read your language so it might as well be song lyrics."

This made Kazune stare at her for a moment. "You can't read this?" He questioned.

The surprise and disbelief in his voice made Karin suddenly feel alarmed. "No" she said. "I can't read it, I can only speak and read in the language we are currently speaking, I wouldn't know some wizard's script!"

Kazune sat there with his mouth dropping slightly. "Did you ever go to school?! This is required of everyone to learn. It is used in all high level reading and old texts! If you can't read this, how are you even getting by in life?!" Kazune sounded more amazed that he had met someone who couldn't read this, than the fact that it would spell trouble later if she didn't learn.

He noticed Karin's face getting flushed and angry. Had he hit the mark that she didn't go to school?

"I went to school, for ten years. I learned everything I had to and did well!" She defended. " I was never taught because by the time I would have learned it I guess, my country was seeking to change to common language and writing, not that weird other script we'd have to know otherwise!"

Kazune was still amazed by this. He used this writing everyday in spells, in research and in his plans. It wouldn't be hard to learn either, It was the same as the spoken language, it just condensed some sounds when written.

"I'll teach it to you if you'd like. While we are traveling, we will have time and it would be best to know a little bit by the time we reach the kingdom." Kazune said with one of his unusual smiles and kind voice.

Karin wanted to be contrary but she thought those letters were just so beautiful. She didn't want to cause trouble and give Kazune more to complain about so she agreed. He had been smiling at her too and that had an effect on her she had not expected. It melted her stubbornness and made her feel more willing to do as asked.

They started out on their trek over the swamp with Karin's root bridges carrying them above the water. As they walked Kazune created the symbols out of fire ahead of them and explained what sounds they made. Karin turned out to be a very fast learner and had half of the basic symbols memorized by the time they settled down for the night. She wanted to take a break, but Kazune handed her a book. It was thin in comparison to the books she had seen him reading before. When she opened it, it looked like a children's story written in the script she was learning.

"Read it out loud to me." Kazune instructed. "You don't know every letter yet, but you should be able to tell what they are talking about since it is the same as the spoken language."

Apprehensive, Karin began:

"Once upon a time, there were two little people. They traveled very far and wide to get to all the beautiful places in the world. One of the people loved ~~~~ and would always pick them along the road. The other loved to sing and would ~~~~ with the birds as they sang.
'Someday I will find a great big ~~~~ full of ~~~~ and then I will run and dance all day!" Said the little person who loved ~~~~.
"Someday I will be able to fly like the birds and ~~~~ with them where ever they go!" Said the one who loved to sing.

The two traveled very far and eventually came to their dream lands. They were both very happy but something was ~~~~. The birds would fly down and eat the ~~~~ that the first little person loved and that made her mad. After the birds ate, they'd try to fly away but those ~~~~ were poisonous and made the birds die in the air, making the second little person angry too.

"Your ~~~~ are evil!" Yelled the second little person. "Without the birds, I can't ~~~~ and fly with them!"

"If your birds eat all my ~~~~, I can't run and dance!" Shouted the other little person.

The two began to fight over their dreams, growing hate between each other. The first little person ran away.

As night fell, the second little person was getting worried. His friend hadn't returned. The little person went out searching. He followed the scent of ~~~~ and found her trapped in the middle of a dark ~~~~. She couldn't see the way out. The second little person wanted to help but didn't know how. He heard the second little person call out.
"It was the ~~~~'s fault that those birds died, they were bad ~~~~, I'm sorry!"

The second little person tried to call out but the ~~~~ carried his words away. He had to guide her out somehow.

The little person ~~~~ with all his strength and it cut through the air. The first little person heard the ~~~~ and followed it. She got out of the dark ~~~~ and reunited with her friend.

"It was my bird's fault for eating your ~~~~. I am sorry too."

The two decided to continue on their travels in hope for a land where both their dreams could come true. They never wanted to fight like that again.

Karin finished the story and looked at Kazune. "That was a very weird story." She said

"Yeah, but it is easy to read, right? And there is a lesson behind it too, so it is worth it."

"What was the lesson?! It was a story about birds eating whatever it was and dying!"

"Look past the surface, would you? It is about how different points of view can go head to head, but unless we learn to see the other side of things, there can never be peace. Everyone wants different things and sometimes those things conflict."

It was a deeper story than Karin had thought, but looking back it made sense to her.

"If you know that story, why do you have to always butt heads with me then?" she asked smugly. "It seems like you are pretty bad at seeing the other side of the argument."

"So are you." Kazune smiled. "That is what makes us the same."

Surprised by his answer, Karin melted again. "Do you think that we will ever be able to see eye to eye like those two little travelers?" She laughed.

"I hope so." said Kazune in an airy breath. He was looking at the tree tops and he turned his head to face Karin. "The way we collide, you'll have no choice but to become stuck to me."

"I thought when two masses of equal weight hit, they repel." Karin said hinting at her sassy undertone.

"Sometimes they stick." Kazune said smartly. "Sometimes they become one."

His words sounded soft and beautiful.

"You just have to turn everything into logical science, don't you." Karin complained.

"Do you want me to say something illogical like, the way we fight, we might as well be soul mates?"

The word "soul mate" made Karin's heart skip a beat. It hadn't crossed her mind that they were even remotely compatible.

"There is no fate or destiny in my world, just perfectly suited situations and people."Kazune whispered to anyone who'd listen. He was drifting into his thoughts about opposition and attraction once more.

They were the same competitors and they were the same opposites.

Man to woman, fire to ice, earth to air, stubborn to stubborn; if only they could become one. Kazune rolled over to where Karin was sitting. She looked at him with those mesmerizing eyes. His own deep gem eyes reflected the little moon light in such a way that he seemed to have all of the universe in his soul. Those red cheeks on those emerald eyes, those strands of golden thread that fell on him like a glimmering waterfall.

"I am sorry for how I treat you during the day." Kazune crooned. "By night I come to think you are wonderful."

There was no response but Karin leaned over towards Kazune's face.

"You calm down quite a bit at night, I think you are wonderful this way too."

"I do not calm down." Kazune breathed."I am merely inhibited.

Kazune's blonde hair was white in this light , making him even more beautiful. The emotion that was slowly welling up in Karin's heart was not how she expected herself to feel. She was anxious and restrained, yet calm and melting. Her body warmed up but ice formed in her hair, making it shine as if diamonds were woven in.

Kazune gathered a soft yellow glow around him, making him resemble a candle about to go out. Karin sat there watching him watch her. He was bright like a firefly but not hot to the touch. It just felt like him. His sunbeam hands crept up to her face, cupping it on one side. Those pine eyes disappeared behind eyelids and those pink rose lips were left to display her beauty.

Leaning into her, Kazune shared his bright kiss with the cool mouth that beckoned him.