Behind Red Eyes

15.The truth

Nayna went deep into the palm forest where she sat on a fallen tree trunk. She hold her head in her hands as she rubbed her temples, her mind all over the place.

"What gotten into me? How could I let that to happen? And it's not even a matter to me... if I go on that path again...I really won't be able to return home like that. I can't do that again to them." She thought letting out a deep sight.

Suddenly she felt someone sit beside her. Looking over, she saw Koji sitting there, with his elbows on his knees, looking at the ground by his feet.

She looked at him worried, waiting for a reaction.

"Are you ok?" He asked without looking at her.

"Yes...Sorry...I shouldn't have reacted like that..."

"But what happened there? It looked like you were not yourself..."

"No...It was me...The real me..." She said with another deep sigh looking away as she hugged herself. "The one that everyone knows..."

"Nayna...I meant to talk to you about all this... You are so... different...You seem to know so many things about things that normal people have no way knowing. You know always what is to be done in almost any situation."

"What?" She said worried as her eyes were searching the ground before her.

"Your mere presence is different. It feels superior, stronger...it doesn't even feel human at times."

Hearing this she got up looking at him in shock.

"What?"

"Your white hair, red eyes...are just like..." He said slowly still thinking.

"No...This can't be... Please don't say it..." She thought as she backed away from him.

"You learned things from wolves... because you are one, aren't you? You are the White-Fire." He said finally looking at her

Hearing him saying it, she gasped, her eyes wide in terror looking at him for a second before turning to run away only for him to catch her hand, stopping her.

"By your reaction it's true." He said turning her to face him.

Her eyes still wide in terror, searched his.

"What do you want from me?" She asked shakingly.

"What? Nothing. Just... The truth."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know you. Because I want to help you "

"Why?" She said gritting her teeth, her eyes tightly shut only to open them widely in surprise when she felt his fingers tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping his hand there.

"Because...I like you." He said inching closer. "I really like you." He whispered as their lips met and he softly kissed her.

She stood there in shock, not able to react, even after he put his arm around her pulling her closer to his body, his other hand stroking her cheek.

When he broke the kiss, he looked into her crimson eyes that looked less dangerous than before.

"Please let me in. Trust me..." Whispered Koji taking her hands in his.

The girl kept looking into his eyes before letting them down to look at their hands as she parted from him, leaving him there.

He looked at her leaving before grabbing his head, letting out a frustrated growl before returning to the others.

"Hey, where have you been? Did you managed to talk to Nayna?" Asked Takuya

"Yeah...She...She needs to sort out a few things on her own...Found the Toucanmon?"

"No..." Shook Takuya his head.

"And it's getting pretty late." Came Zoe by Takuya's side. "Maybe it's best if we stay here over the night. Who knows, maybe they'll return here."

"Nice optimism, Z, but what are the chances for that to happen?" Asked JP approaching them too.

"The chances for them to return here are small but she is right. We can't go searching blindly around." Said Koji looking at them but something else got his eye.

Ahead of them, out on the beach, he saw Nayna walking on the sand, close to the waves. It seemed like she tried to walk as far away as possible from them, from him.

"Right. Then, I guess we set the camp here." Said Takuya.

"At least we have a lot of food here." Said JP a bit more cheerful at the thought of food.

"Yeah..."

Soon enough, all were around a campfire except for Nayna who remained on the beach, sitting on the beach with her back to them, watching the ocean.

"What's up with her?" Asked Takuya a bit worried.

"Koji, you are the last one to talk to her. What did you tell her?" Asked the blonde girl as she looked at the raven haired boy.

"Nothing." He said looking away.

"You clearly did say something, so you better go and apologise!" Said Zoe annoyed.

"I better leave her alone for the moment." He said looking at the girl on the beach.

"Ugh, you can be such a jerk!" Barked the blonde angered until the warrior of light sent her a dark glare.

One by one, they all went to sleep, yet Nayna never left her spot on the beach.

During the night, Koji woke up. Looking around, he saw that everyone was still sleeping but a certain white haired was missing.

"Where did she go?" He wondered scanning the beach one last time before getting up. "Nayna..."

He started to look for her everywhere, from the inside of the hut to the beach and the last, the palm forest. He saw the girl at the same tree trunk, deep in the woods.

Approaching her, he saw that she fell asleep hugging her knees, resting her head on them.

As he got in front of her, about to touch her, her crimson eyes flung open and she backed away from his reaching hand

"What are you doing here?" Asked Nayna tensing up.

"You disappeared from the beach... I got worried." He said softly as he sat beside her.

"Why?"

"'Why' what?"

"Why would you like me?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're smart, strong, beautiful..." He answered a bit amused by the question.

"So...you don't mind?"

"Mind what?" He asked again with a raised brow looking at her.

"Who...and what I am." She said looking at him unsure.

"What do you mean? Why would I mind who you are? You are exactly just what I said. And about what you are...You are what you are. From what I can see you are what you look like. You look human enough for me to like." He said turning her head to him and kissing her again.

This time her instincts took over her and she started to kiss him back.

As they broke the kiss, she couldn't dare to look into his eyes.

"Sorry, I don't know..."

"It's ok. We can learn together... If you want to." He said taking her hand into his.

"I...I'd like that." She said putting her head on his shoulder. "And, Koji?"

"Mh?"

"Thank you." She mumbled before falling asleep.

He smiled softly before resting his head on hers, falling asleep too.