"Ouch. If they had listened to you, they would all be alive," I pointed out.
He rested his head against the tree, looking at the sky. "Sometimes...late at night, I wonder if I could have done anything. I tried to protect them, to stop them from getting attacked and murdered...but, it was as if they refused my help. They didn't want me on their team to begin with, so any little offering of assistance seemed to be an omen to them. That outlook cost them their lives. It took a while and some therapy before I stopped dwelling on it. The guys helped as well. I just had a lot of guilt built up in me and used violence to solve it. I wasn't trying to solve the pile building up within me. I was just shoving it aside for a later time."
"Have you finally faced the pile?"
"Yes. I had no choice. The guys noticed what I was doing to myself and were the first to confront me about it. I tried to brush it off, but they wouldn't allow it. We actually got into a fistfight."
I gasped, giving Ethan a good up and down look. "You did not."
"We did. Me against all four of them."
"Who won?"
"Me."
"What? You...beat all of them?" I asked.
"Yup. I was limping for a good two weeks, and none of us could work for at least a month. Kendrick was hella pissed and wanted me kicked off the team." He chuckled.
"Oh no."
"Ya, it was pretty bad. It was the first time a team from PINC went full-blown spirit fight mode, and we kinda damaged some old lady’s property that the organization had to pay for. Either way, the higher ups wanted me out. I was fine with it, or I pretended to be fine with it. In reality, I just wanted a team who'd accept me. I'd lived a life where I was hunted for being different. Then, I jumped right into a field where you were only important when in battle. Once everything was done, you were just a soldier. All of my colleagues had friends and family to return to. I had nobody. And then, I entered PINC thinking I'd finally find a place of acceptance, yet there I stood, in their office surrounded by the heads of PINC, ready to present my badge and walk out."
I felt tears flow down my cheeks as I stared at his face; those lime green eyes glossed up as he continued to stare aimlessly at the sky.
"At that very moment, the doors burst open and Jaxson with his black eye, Michael and his broken arm, Junho with his limping leg and Christian in a wheelchair stampeded in and declared I was a part of their team, and they would resign if they forced me to leave."
I practically squealed, turning my body and gripping his arm.
"They all came to the rescue!" I beamed; happy tears rolled down my cheeks.
He turned his attention to me; tears fell down his cheeks as he chuckled, shaking his head. "I was stunned. No one had ever fought for me or defended my actions and behavior. All the higher-ups were shocked and thought I'd punched them too hard or had used some magic on them, but they stood their ground. The higher ups had no choice but to honor their claim and I stayed on their team. The moment we walked out of their office I broke down and apologized. They all said they knew I wasn't acting out on purpose, but was trying to cope with whatever I'd gone through. We've been a team since," he concluded.
I pulled him into a hug; my heart overwhelmed with joy at the happy ending as I cried. He kissed my neck, rubbing my back.
"I'm so glad they kept you," I whispered.
"Me too. I got to find where I belonged and met you," he replied.
I pulled back to meet his teary eyes. "If...anything ever bothers you...let me know, okay?" I whispered.
He nodded. "I will, Scarlet. Sorry, I made you cry on our first date. What kind of a boyfriend am I?" He chuckled.
"It was a good cry, and I wanted to know more about you, Ethan," I whispered.
We pressed our foreheads together, enjoying the silence.
"Scar?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I kiss you?" he whispered.
I lifted my eyes to see his; both admiration and a glint of lust flickered in those green orbs. "Sure," I replied, smiling at his request. I'd never experienced someone asking to kiss me. It was usually a mutual agreement with body language or eye contact. It felt nice and different to be asked.
He leaned forward; his hands cradled my cheeks as his lips brushed against mine. It was a gentle start; our lips lingered on one another with no movement. He pulled back an inch, allowing a moment to pass before he kissed me again.
This was deeper; my body felt his love for me as if nature wanted to let me know that his love was pure and fruitful. We kissed for a long time, under the large oak tree with Mother Nature around us.
It was one of the moments I realized that I too, had finally found where I'd belonged, and was thankful to the Starlight gods for bringing these men into my life.
MAKOTO
"Nightmare? Moonlight. Ugh. I'm not getting both of you down. If Scarlet gets mad, she can't blame me!" I called out, staring up at the large tree before us.
I watched the two familiars continue to climb the tree; attempting to keep track of the balls of white and black bouncing higher and higher, both of them disappearing from my line of sight.
"Nightmare. Moonlight," I called out.
"Mew..."
"Meow..."
I groaned, slapping my hand on my face.
"For Starlight sakes, I told you two! I'm not coming," I called out.
They were silent for a few seconds before they began to whimper, causing me to sigh.
"What's wrong?" Elias questioned; his arms slipped around my waist as he pressed a tender kiss on my neck.
"I feel a recurring sense of Déjà Vu," I mumbled.
"Where's Nightmare and Moonlight?" Elias questioned.
I pointed to the sky. "Up there. See what I mean?"
He chuckled, shaking his head as we took a moment to listen to their ongoing whimpers.
"We're coming, stop crying," he called out. They both went quiet. He moved around to face me, grinning.
"You can’t be too mad at them, you know. They like an adventure," he reminded.
"I'm adventurous, but I don't cause trouble." I crossed my arms.
He raised his eyebrow, giving me a look.
"I don't! Not intentionally," I whined.
"Uh huh. You're a walking magnet for trouble, as was proven yesterday," Elias pointed out.
I groaned. "Whatever," I mumbled.
He chuckled; his hand lifted my chin up as he lowered his lips to mine for a swift kiss. "Let's go get those two so we can go home for breakfast. I'm famished," he admitted.
I nodded, tapping my feet as I took a calming breath; magic gathered beneath my feet with ease. "Race?" I asked, jumping to my feet.
"You'd win."
"You're not trying hard enough. You have to BELIEVE in yourself. That's what the books say."
"Fairytale books."
"They give good advice, you know," I advised.
He snickered. "Fine, Firefly. I'll believe with my heart and soul, I'll beat you," he announced, pushing off the ground and leapt into the tree above.
"HEY! That's cheating!" I shouted, pushing myself off the ground and beginning to make my way up, avoiding the multiple branches.