Chapter 16: Unexpected
One of the most amazing yet the highly tensed moment in life could be when someone you like confess back to you and you stand there, no matter how brave and what a warrior you are, this side of your heart just will melt you.
Aqua held in tight to his black robe afraid of holding on to him directly. She couldn't breath properly, with her heart pounding fast.
"I do like you," he confessed. She wasn't expecting it to hear from his mouth easily.
"What?" she searched for words to tell him.
"No, I love you," he declared, correcting his words.
"Why?" she couldn't help but ask. She wished to know why, she wanted to know if its because she is the princess, though she hated doubting his intentions, since people only attached themselves to her with ulterior motives. She felt her heart exploding inside her chest.
"Why?" he chuckled. "Why?" she looked at him again. "Let me say, I honestly don't have specific reason, I just like you," then who took a moment and tried to find something to tell her. "Hmm maybe because you don't just approach people to use them, you don't exploit power, you don't avoid people, your best friend is a demon, and you still like her," he paused. "You fool around, having fun alot, I like that, you aren't like me, but you are always serious when it comes to work. You just exploit anything, more importantly, you eat well, you take care of yourself, and you don't fake, but I don't like it when you take off like you did before, I dont like it when humble yours in front of me, please be with me like you're with the rest," he stopped and searched her eyes. "Do you want more?"
"No," she replied but her voice hardly came out. He felt her fingers clutched onto either side of his clothes. He smiled at her, feeling her heart. He knew how he took her by surprise and even more given a shock with his revelation.
"Nothing to say?" he asked her.
She took a deep breath and took her eyes away, smiling. She covered his eyes with her hands and hugged him. It was her first time. And they both stood there looking outside the window, smiling, holding each other's hands.
"We should go back?" he told her.
"We should, " she said.
"We should," he assured.
"Wait," she said. "Don't tell Shifu anything, " he laughed aloud as he heard her.
"Why?"
"I don't wish to be punished, really, "
"That's it?" he asked her.
"Yeah, what else could there be?"
"Nothing," he said and climbed down with her.
"Wait," she said again.
"Does this mean?" she searched for words in his eyes.
"I guess yes, we are official," he said clearing her doubt. For the first time, she noticed a tattoo like birthmark on his left hand. But she didn't dare ask him. She had never seen anyone in heaven with such a birthmark. A different dragon. He warned her to keep away from his sword and hold on to his hands instead if she needed help.
They reached back school soon and visited Shifu's room.
"You're okay I guess," Shifu told her.
"Sorry Shifu,"
"No, you did the right thing, I was wrong, you did what i trained you to, self-defense must always come first, and he was not just any person,"
"He requested me to go back with him, and that he was he was ordered to not hurt me," she informed him.
"We have altered everyone at school. Also there must an insider who us helping them to enter and leave as they wish," he said. "How come you were fighting alone?"
"Senior Ash was injured, Jin Mi left to call for help, probably Volca followed her,"
"Volca disappeared?" Shifu stressed over it. But Aqua wasn't sure and didn't wish to falsely accuse her best friend. Shifu gave a quick glance at Huo. "Go back to your accommodation, Huo guard her tonight yourself."
They bowed at shifu and returned to their houses. Huo stood outside door, hesitating to enter, while Aqua took his hands and dragged him inside. He took a seat at her study while Aqua left to her bath area to take a hot bath and dress her wound before she got to bed. Huo by then made a soup for her and some rice and asked the servants to bring the side dishes for their dinner.
Aqua came back after sometime wearing the red coloured night robe. They settled down for dinner and had them in silence. Aqua looked tired and low. Soon he put her to bed, stood guard on her doors after transferring some his energy to her. She instantly fell asleep.
'She shouldn't be kind and innocent to everyone,' he thought. He sat down in front of her door after sometime. And he saw Volca walking towards him.
"Why are you here?" he asked her.
"Just, nothing,"
"Rest well, go,"
"Yes I will, aren't you tired?" she asked him back.
"No," and she laughed as she heard him say.
"This is hilarious, when it comes to a
princess, everybody let their guards down," she said laughing.
"You think I don't like you because you're not a princess?"
"What else could the reason be?" she asked getting all serious.
"Have you ever seen her like she does to you?" he asked her straight.
"Dont think you can make me feel guilty by saying this,"
"What if I have proofs of times I knew your intentions, what if I ask why you chose to disappear when the ninja came her?"
"You clearly know why? you know why am choosing such paths, " she acted to be helpless in front of him.
"But you always have a choice, you have conscience," he justified.
"But not freedom, is this why you don't like me?"
"This is why I like her, she is transparent as a princess should be, true to her heart, true to her words, without excuses," he said proudly.
"So what am I? A fake?" she got angry.
"I didn't say anything, you know what you are," he told her and stopped talking.
"As if you're true to anyone, you think I can't identify that birth mark on your hand. Even if the hair colour save you, you mark won't, just wait till she knows, " she said to discourage him and left the place.
He got up and checked inside to see if Aqua was awake. Indeed she was, waking up to the sounds of arguments and pretending to sleep as he checked on her. She then realised how much she doesn't know about the person she has fallen in love with. She wanted to know, and she decided to find out about him.