Our war with the Abyss was over, and we had won.
As the party to celebrate our victory was dying down, I decided to head outside to get of fresh air.
As I looked up at the sky from the top of the stadium, I tensed up when I suddenly heard footsteps from behind me.
"Who's there", I asked as I turned around, ready for a fight.
"It just me", a familiar face said as he put in hands up.
"Kinich", I said as I calmed down. "It's just you. I'm so sorry! I…"
Before I could finish, Kinich suddenly put his arm in my shoulder.
"It's alright", he reassured me. "We were fighting against the Abyss pretty much nonstop for a while. I think it's all going to take us some time to completely get out of battle mode."
"Right", I said, before changing the subject. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you", Kinich replied.
"You were", I asked.
"Yes", Kinich replied. "Now that the war is over, I thought we should discuss that date we talked about."
"Oh", I said, taken by surprise. "I totally forgot about that."
"With everything that was going on, I don't blame you", Kinich said.
"Yeah", I said, suddenly getting sad. "You know, Kinich, you really don't have to go on a date with me if you don't want too."
"What do you mean", Kinich asked.
"It was nice of you to agree to go on a date with me to lift my spirits. But now that the war is over, you really don't have to go through with it."
For some reason, after I said this…Kinich seemed upset. Then…he suddenly put his hands on my shoulders.
"Mualani, I didn't agree to go on a date with you just to make you feel better", he revealed. "I agreed to go on a date with you because I want to."
"You…do", I asked in shock.
"Yes. So, are we going on that date or not?"
After Kinich asked me this, a huge smile came to my face.
"Alright then", I replied happily. "Let me know when you next have a day off!"
Kinich's POV
With having to deal with the aftermath of the war, it was a few days before I was able to get a day off. But once that day came, I headed to the People of the Springs.
"Kinich", Mualani yelled out, before rushing up to me. "Glad you could make it!"
"Glad to be here", I said. "So, what are we going to do for our date?"
"After everything we've been through, you and I deserve some relaxation", Mualani stated. "So, you and I are going to have a hot springs date!"
"Sounds nice", I said.
"Great", Mualani said. "I've already arranged swimwear for you. So head over the changing sheds and meet me back by the springs when you're done!"
...
Once we had both changed into swimsuits, Maulani and I got into one of the hot springs.
"A….ahhhh", she sighed out. "After everything we've been through lately, it's nice to be able to just relax like this."
"It is", I agreed.
Mualani then looked up, and let out a sad sigh.
"What's wrong, Mualani", I asked in concern.
"It's not as lively around here as it usually is", Mualani revealed. "But that's not surprising after everything that's happened."
"Yeah", I agreed. "It will take some time for everyone to heal from the war."
"Can we ever really truly heal from something like this though", Mualani asked. "We may have won the war, but…so many lives were lost."
After Mualani said this, I looked down at the water as I thought about my own past.
"You're right", I said, before looking back at Maulani. "This is a pain we will never be able to truly heal from. But even so, we have to keep going. Otherwise…all the pain that we went through would be for nothing."
Mualani looked at me in shock after I said this. But then, she gave me a small smile.
"You're right, Kinich", she stated. "We have to keep going! We have to fight for the future of Natlan that those we have lost fought so hard to protect!"
"Right", I agreed with a nod.
Then, Mualani did something that took me by surprise. She moved closer to me…and pulled me into a hug.
"Kinich, I'm…I'm so glad that you didn't die."
After Mualani said this, I wrapped my arms around her.
"I'm…glad that you didn't die too, Mualani."
...
As the sun bathed Natlan in a warm, orange light, Mualani and I walked together along the shore.
"So", she started as she turned around to face me. "What did you think of our date? It wasn't boring, was it?"
"Actually, it kind of was", I admitted. "But, with everything we've just been through, that isn't a bad thing."
"I'm glad", Mualani said.
"However, maybe we can do something more exciting for your next date?"
When I said this, Mualani stopped walking and looked at me in shock.
"Next date", she asked.
"If you want to go on another one, that is", I asked.
Then, Maulani smiled widely at me.
"I'd love to", she replied. "Why don't you pick what we do next time, Kinich?"
"Oh no", Ajaw suddenly exclaimed. "This is terrible! And it's all your fault, Mualani!"
"What did I do", Maulani asked.
"You've given Kinich something to look forward too", Ajaw replied angrily. "Plus, if you two end up falling in love, then that's gonna give him a another reason to keep on living!"
When Mualani heard this comment, her face turned bright red.
"Fall in love", she asked. "That's…that's…"
"Just deal with it, Ajaw", I demanded.
I then looked at Maulani, and smiled at her. The smile she gave me back made my heart race.
I'm glad that I didn't die in the war. I'm glad that I got to go on this date with Mualani. And…I want to stay alive so I can go on more dates with her.