Yuma wakes up the next morning, though it's closer to the afternoon than morning. Thankfully it's the weekend, so there's no reason to rush to get out of bed; he doesn't feel like getting up anyway. He is far too comfortable laying in his hammock with Astral laying in his arms. He looks around to see if there was any sign of Shing, but she's obviously not here. There's no sign that she came over or snuck in, and that is a little disappointing. But if she wanted her pace then Yuma would have to respect that.
Eventually after he no longer felt like laying in bed, he starts to sit up. However a weight pins him down. He looks down and notices Astral asleep as he lays on top of him. Despite the disappointment of Shing not coming over, he can't help but giggle.
Look who's asleep now, he mentally teases even though Astral won't hear it. Slowly Yuma lifts Astral off of him and slips off the hammock without making a sound.
Unfortunately he isn't as sneaky as he thinks he is. As soon as Astral feels Yuma slip out, he opens his eyes and sits up on the hammock. "Yuma?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes.
"Didn't know you could sleep," Yuma teases. "And you always scold me when I sleep in, and you slept as much as I did."
At this Astral blushes in slight embarrassment. "Never mind that Yuma." he stammers. He clears his throat and regains his composure. "Are you planning on going anywhere today?"
"Yeah I'm going to go look for Shing. I think she went into the forest."
"Very well, I'm going with you of course."
Yuma nods and gets dressed, kicking Astral out of the room while he does so of course. As soon as he is changed and ready, he eats a hurried breakfast before sprinting out the door, much to Kari and Haru's disapproval. He ignores them and starts racing towards the woods, where he saw Shing run off to the day before.
As soon as they enter the woods, they hear a loud chirping sound. "What is that?" Yuma whispers, keeping an ear out for the chirping which sounded again.
"I don't know," Astral replies, "But it does not sound natural."
"Maybe it'll lead us to Shing!" Yuma exclaims, and before Astral can protest, he takes off running in the direction of the chirping.
Within an hour, they're well into the woods. Now picking their way through the thick branches and foliage. They eventually happen upon a spring in a bumpy little clearing.
"Looks like she's not here," Yuma sighs. He is feeling unexpectedly disappointed again; he is finding himself missing Shing's company and feels a strange longing to see her again.
Astral can sense this longing, and it makes his heart hurt. Is he starting to develop feelings for the girl? Not now, he tells himself. Now is not the time to get jealous. "It's been a while; you should rest." He says instead.
Yuma smiles at Astral. "Yeah you're right." He looks around and sits on one of the little bumps in the clearing, this one is covered in fallen leaves and is hidden in the grass.
As soon as he does though, he feels a sharp pain in his rear end. He yelps in more shock than pain and shoots straight up off the bump.
"What the heck?!" Yuma shrieks, turning back to the bump, which turns out not to be a bump. It seems to be some kind of blanket, which is hiding something or someone.
Shing suddenly pokes her head out of the blanket; it is obvious she isn't clothed by the way she hides her body. "That'll teach you to sit on me!" she exclaims.
"I didn't see you!" Yuma argues pitifully.
"Don't sit on me!" Shing hides right back in the blanket, curling up.
Yuma's heart pounds with adrenaline, but it takes a few calming breaths before it slows back to normal. Once he is calm, he crouches right in front of Shing and pulls back the blanket just enough to expose her head only. "Hey it's you."
Shing hisses as though she doesn't know who is pulling the blanket back, and immediately yanks it back and hides herself again.
"Are you alright?" Yuma asks. He sits right where he is to keep her company but also to be there for when she feels like coming out of hiding.
Shing doesn't answer for a while, but she finally realizes that it's Yuma who's speaking to her. She bites her lip slightly, afraid to show her face. But she knows that eventually she has to face him again. It was either show up willingly or be tracked down by him endlessly. So she pokes her head out and lays it on his lap.
"Are you sure you and the others aren't upset with me?" she asks shyly, not daring to meet his gaze.
Yuma shakes his head. "No, from what Astral has told me and how everyone else is talking about you, they were done being mad at you a while ago. They're actually grateful that you brought me back, you know, Especially Astral."
"It was really Yuri's idea…"
"No it wasn't," Astral butts in, sitting beside Yuma and leaning against him. "He didn't even remember."
"Well he had something to do with it."
Something, but you still had the idea and did the deed."
But Shing pulls her head back under the blanket. A sudden thought taking the forefront of her mind, and it makes her blush intensely. I'll never be able to make him mine…
Yuma shakes her to get her attention. "Can you at least come with us? I don't want to go home knowing my friend is sleeping in the woods."
She is silent for a moment, but when she finally speaks, her question is out of the blue. She blurts it out without thinking. "You won't come with me, will you?"
"Back? Back where?'
"Back home with me as my third king…"