Chap OST: Everything I Need by Skylar Grey

'If this was dream, I wouldn't want to wake up from it,' both of their thoughts overlapped, still relishing in the warmth emitted from each other.

But the sentimental moment didn't last long as all of a sudden, Aguero gripped both of Amelina's shoulders and she shrieked internally, the boy looking at her from head to toe (also taking note of the evident blood traces on her), confusion clear in the usually confident boy's eyes. His tired-looking eyes.

'Ah, how rare… Aguero's got eyebags under his eyes,' Amelina thought, suddenly feeling the urge to touch those eyebags. 'No. I shouldn't-', she retracted her hand.

Was she afraid? Of him? No, it was more to she was afraid he would push her away.

"Why- I thought you're supposed to be climbing the Tower now? When did you come back? Have you gone to the Royal Palace for the official appointment to be the Jahad Princess? Did you get hurt?"

Amelina brought up her arms in surrender, hoping to have the boy slow down a bit from his myriad of questions. Although she was definitely glad and happy- clear with how her eyes light up- she too was puzzled at Aguero's questions that didn't make any sense for her (except for the last one that only made her want to tear up). And she was sure he has more than those stored for her.

'But… Aguero's not pushing me away…' A little light called hope blossomed in Amelina's heart.

"W-What are you going on about? You of all people would know that I don't ever want to become a Jahad Princess and will never become one-!" Amelina let out a gasp as she covered her mouth, refraining another outburst of hers. That was embarrassingly emotional of her, she thought. Amelina felt that she shouldn't sound so selfish and pushy right after their meeting in a long time.

Contrary to her expectation, Aguero only stifled a chuckle then sighed, "You really… never… changed." Amelina didn't catch the sad glint in his eyes when he uttered those. "Anyway, I think we need to catch up a lot of things here, and also clear up some things that just doesn't match up," Aguero's eyes turned serious as they both settled down on the surprisingly- or maybe not since it's Aguero- clean and cold floor.

'Has he been staying in this cold room ever since...?' Amelina shuddered at her unspoken thoughts, prompting to push it away as she heaved a heavy breath. Now wasn't the moment to think about unnecessary things.

Amelina then proceeded to tell Aguero everything that happened to her, right after Eira and Miru left her for their supposed marriage, her attempt in contacting him, her training outside the Khun family ground and finally her arrival. The girl contemplated on revealing the fact she actually went berserk at the training facility, but the boy beat her to it.

"And I guess something major happened right after you arrived."

"Y-yea." The girl looked away, realizing if it was the boy in front of her, he would've come up with a better solution where no one would get hurt. Aguero has always been the strategist, after all. Not to mention the best one.

"Really," Amelina tightly closed her eyes, afraid of Aguero's reaction. The boy was no fool, she knew of it. He could more or less guessed what happened just by looking at her messed up figure and attire. But surprisingly, Aguero only patted her head with a sigh. "You must've gone through a lot."

Amelina felt like crying just from the gesture, as she looked down at her hands, trying not to actually let her tears fall down. If he found out the horrible things she just did, would he pat her on the head like that now? And why do her tear glands seem so weak lately?

Then, it was Aguero's turn to tell his part of story. Especially highlighting that he did receive a hidden message in the letter written by Amelina herself, but the one who sent the letter to him wasn't some maid.

It was Maria.

It was from that point in his story where everything mismatched, and no one needed to say anything about the obvious.

Turns out, Aguero did wait at their usual gathering spot right after receiving the letter, but Amelina never showed up, only to hear from Maria days later that Amelina would be taken under Princess Maschenny's wings as a Jahad Princess. At first, the boy couldn't believe it. Surely the selections couldn't be this early at the time? Then Aguero did check if the information was true, as he hijacked a ship's information database and confirmed that Princess Maschenny really took a girl with her to nowhere Aguero could know nor reach.

That was the last thing Aguero ever knew about Amelina.

Continuing to elaborate on the fall of his branch, Amelina realized Aguero left out the part about Maria and his blood sister, even though that was the part Amelina dreaded the most.

Would it be alright if she asked about it? 'But maybe he doesn't want me to know about it…'

"Is it really… okay for you? After all those things happened?" Amelina muttered, trying to find any regret and hesitation in Aguero's eyes.

"It already happened anyway, so I have no choice but to go through this," Aguero's eyes shone in a different glint, contrary to what Amelina expected. A determined one, she realized.

It was as if he finally found an answer to a very difficult question that couldn't be solved for a long time, his tired feature nowhere to be seen.

'I don't think he caught on what I intended to ask… but-' Amelina asked again, this time more clearly. "Then, what will you do next?"

"I will become the Khun Family Head," Aguero declared, causing Amelina to widen her eyes, "In order to do that, I will have to climb up The Tower, become a High Ranker or more than that and defeat him, our father. So, Ame," he looked at Amelina with a hidden desperation. "-will you wait for me-"

'-so I can free you?' Was gone unsaid.

While Aguero's heart was beating fast, anticipating Amelina's response- a cry, a nod, anything- Amelina felt her body froze as she heard the familiar words.

The girl then trembled, her lips automatically biting down her chapped lips. "No, I refuse!" Aguero was taken aback by the girl's sudden outburst, well- even Amelina was taken aback by herself. But hearing those familiar words- albeit spoken by a different voice and phrase, Amelina knew she can't just stay silent.

Not this time again.

"I'm sick hearing of those words and being the one who sits and does nothing in this cage… Besides, telling me to part with the person I hold dear once again, I definitely refuse to do it! I don't want to! So please, Aguero," Amelina's rounded, big electric blue eyes locked onto Aguero's, shock mirroring desperation, "-let me come with you!"

When Amelina was having her solitary training in Maschenny's ship, there were times when the darkness consumed her, nightmares flooding her mind every night. And the frequent content of those dreams were the vivid images of Aguero's back leaving further away from her, and when her outstretched hand caught up to him, the figure would slap away her rough and scratched and blistered hand.

'Even if you push me away,' there was a hateful look on Aguero of her dreams, '-or even if you hate me… ', then he would scream at her to go away and leave him alone because he hates her, '-I will still follow you-! Because Aguero, you're… you're everything I need.'

"Do you even understand the weight of what you just said?"

"I do."

"Even if it was against your wish, you're still potentially going to be a Jahad Princess. Even if you don't want it, there's someone who's willing to force you down on that path you decline!" Aguero's voice rose with each words he spat.

Yet Amelina's gaze on him never wavered, as if she expected this reaction from her half-brother. "I never wanted to become one and will never become one. Of course, I am willing to do everything I could!" Amelina gulped, 'Even if it means I have to beg father for it.'

"You're still a child!"

"Ran climbed the Tower earlier than any of us, and he is younger than us both! And I am strong enough to survive on my own outside!"

"You're the favourite child of Khun Eduan! Do you think he will let you go easily?!"

At those words, Amelina visibly flinched. "That… I don't know," -but her eyes remained fiery and determined. "But-! My whole life which had always been in the hands of other people… this time, I want to be the one who decides who I will be. And now, the only answer I could see... is in your eyes and no one else, Aguero."

'Aguero…'

'Aguero…'

'Aguero…'

The boy widened his eyes, as various memories of the girl in front of him calling out to him flashed through his mind. Sometimes it was loud that he could hear her from far away as she ran into him in the forest, sometimes it was quiet enough that he couldn't even hear it if he wasn't paying attention, sometimes it was cheeky, sometimes it was gloomy.

Right, he had been forgetting one simple thing because of their parting.

Amelina was his little sister. No, she is still his little sister. And a little sister depends a lot on her older brother. And Aguero is her older brother, forever and always-as he could see from her pure, untainted electric blue eyes.

'If you knew of what I did, would you still call me lovingly with that name…?'

With an exaggeratedly loud sigh, Aguero laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. Wow, he just noticed there were small carvings decorating it. Must've been hard for the people who build his former home only to have it abandoned years later.

"Ahh, I really can't convince you otherwise, can't I?" he suddenly became silent, as Amelina kept her determined yet nervous gaze on Aguero, slightly fidgeting on her spot. "You do know that you will probably live in hiding, or continue running away as a fugitive forever, right? Or at least, until I become the Family Head…"

"I am more ready to do so."

Chuckling, Aguero sat up as he ruffled Amelina's hair. "Fine, let's do this then." Those very affirmation made Amelina smile widely.

"Yeah!"

"Now I have to figure out how to get you out from here," the boy sighed for the second time, this time more dramatic as he ran his hand through his silky hair.

"Can't I just escape through the gate…?"

"Do you think anyone would let you through easily? After what you did?"

"Ugh…"

Just as they both were about to walk around to rummage for ideas on how to smuggle out Amelina, a glint on the floor just near the girl's fallen bag caught their eyes as they looked at each other in synch.

"Isn't this…?!"

Author's note:

Yayyyyy!!! I finally finished my exams!! I really want to hurry and finish this arc cus the anime for TOG season 2 is coming out, but yea- insecurity and anxiety always keep me from posting it lmao.

Anyway, thank you for all the support!! Feel free to let me know what you think in the comment!

Arigatou! Love chu guys!!