Unnatural Disasters: The 100 Year War (Fin)

Chapter Eighteen; Part Two

Kazane averted her gaze, face somewhat flushed, but it was clear something was bothering her. "Did you continue to cry so much that your eyes are still red even now? Or did you perhaps keep crying when you were alone in your room?" Agni teased as he walked over and leaned back on the wall across from her. "If it makes you feel better, yes we can talk."

The only reason he took on such a teasing and passive tone was because that was how he always was with Kazane. The words that came out of her mouth quickly made him realize his blunder however. "I actually just finished a quick little cry...right here while I was waiting for you." Kazane giggled softly, though her lip quivered.

Realizing just how bad of a state Kazane was in, Agni knelt down right in front of Kazane, placing a hand on her cheek so she would look into his eyes. "What's the matter, Kazane? You can talk to me about anything. I'm not going to push you away."

Kazane's smile quickly faded and she nearly knocked Agni over as she slammed her body against his, hugging him tight. "I'm crying because of you, dummy!" Agni's eyes widened, arms awkwardly spread out as Kazane held onto him. "I thought you were gonna die... I kept trying to push past Isek, but he wouldn't let me get through no matter what I tried... I thought I was gonna lose you Agni. I keep seeing flashes of that horrible situation you were in, and how I couldn't do anything..! I'm was your teacher, but I couldn't-"

Agni finally hugged her back, making Kazane go silent as she felt his warmth embrace her. She realized that he was still here, and that he was okay. At that same moment, Agni realized just what Jinny was feeling for Sanda. It was the same as Kazane felt about him; a teacher worrying about the well being of their student, worrying that that student may very well die on them. "It's okay, Kazane. I'm fine, Sanda's fine...everything's going to be okay."

Kazane shut her eyes tightly and gripped onto Agni as tightly as she could. It would be an understatement to say she was simply worried. She was downright terrified she might have to one day watch one of her friends die, though when the thought of Agni dying or ending up in a state as bad as Sanda was in crossed her mind, she just couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "I was...so scared..." Kazane's voice shook with fear.

Agni had never seen Kazane like that before. She was always cheerful, always smiling, even when fighting Isek, the gas elemental. Seeing her like this made his own heart hurt for reasons he couldn't explain. It reminded him of his younger sister whenever she would cry, though what he was feeling at that moment was much more intense. "You always act so cold and cool...yet you care so much about everyone that you forget to take care of yourself sometimes..." Kazane sniffled and pulled away from Agni slightly so she could look at his face. "You're so stupid Agni..."

Normally when she said something like that, she would pout. However, she simply smiled as more tears stained her red cheeks. Looking into her eyes, Agni's heart skipped a beat, but he willed himself to ignore what he was feeling at that moment. "You're one to talk, crying for so long over something so small..." He reached one of his hands up to wipe away her tears. "Still such a child, aren't you, Kazane?" Agni chuckled.

"I am not a child... I just have really strong feelings." Kazane looked into Agni's eyes as she spoke. Though it was hard to tell due to how dark the room currently was, he swore he saw her cheeks getting redder. "Why bother bottling everything up inside...when I could just show those strong feelings and let everything out...you know..?" Kazane leaned into Agni's touch, as he had yet to move his hand from his cheek.

"What do you mean by that?" Despite how Kazane was making him feel, Agni didn't falter or show any sign of how nervous he was.

"...I saw you talking to Jinny in Sanda's room. Heard your conversation and everything." Kazane swiftly changed the subject, though her motive seemed to be the same. "Would you mind if...you do for me what Jinny is doing for Sanda..?"

"W-What do you mean..?" Agni tried to act like she didn't know what she was talking about, though he knew exactly where she was going with this.

"I feel like...if I sleep and have nightmares about you and Sanda nearly dying the other day..." Kazane held Agni's hand against her cheek, ensuring that he couldn't escape her intense gaze. "What if I lose control of my element..? When I wake up, I wanna be sure that you're right here, right by my side...and that you aren't going anywhere." It was clear that Kazane was getting quite embarrassed at her actions, but she didn't falter. "Please Agni...will you let me stay with you tonight..? I don't...I don't wanna sleep alone..."

Seeing that sad look in her eyes mixed with the blush on her face, Agni's heart skipped a beat once more. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he couldn't turn her away. Not when she was pleading to him with all her heart. "...If it will help you feel better, then that's fine with me."

Kazane's eyes lit up and she quickly created a burst of wind under them to knock them both onto the bed. Finally, Kazane smiled up at Agni again before burying her face in his chest, snuggling as close to him as she possibly could. "I knew I could count on you Agni! I love you!" Kazane sighed happily as she relaxed into his warmth.

"Y-Yeah yeah, don't get used to it..." Agni grumbled a bit as he pulled a blanket over the two of them, keeping his other arm loosely wrapped around Kazane's waist. It grew harder and harder for him to keep his cool, considering all Kazane was wearing at the moment was a robe. Though it was wrapped tightly around her, Agni's mind betrayed him, and his thoughts wandered. "I belong in a prison cell for thinking about a minor like that..."

"I hope Sanda does wake up soon... The best birthday present ever would be for him to wake up, and for all of us to party like before...before those assholes attacked us." Agni frowned remembering their attack, but thinking of spending time with everyone again did make his heart feel a bit lighter. "Once I'm 18, you'll finally have to start treating me like an adult." Kazane looked up at him with a playful grin, reaching up and pressing her fist against his cheek with almost no force behind it.

"Glad to see you smiling again." Agni shook his head. "You still won't be able to drink for another three years, you know that right? And don't think I'll allow it just because there doesn't seem to be any other humans for miles for whatever reason." Agni scolded.

Once again, Kazane just softly smiled at him, looking into his eyes as she spoke. "Oh, I could care less for alcohol. There's another reason I'm excited to become an adult... I'll finally be able to get something off my chest without worrying about stupid morals, and I won't have to worry about misunderstandings. I'm just gonna do exactly what my heart wants me to do, without worrying about density or anything like that." Kazane snickered.

Considering what she had just said about shouting to the world about her strong feelings, she was being oddly coy at the moment. Even so, Agni shrugged it off and ruffled her hair. "Well then you better get some sleep. Your birthday's not for another five days anyway. Plenty of time for you to mentally prepare yourself for whatever it is you have planned."

Kazane giggled softly and buried her head into his chest once more. "Yeah...plenty of time." Agni swore he heard her mutter the word "stupid" under her breath, but when he looked down at her again, she was breathing softly against his chest with her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep.

Though Kazane's actions and words played through Agni's mind over and over, he simply shook his head and closed his eyes. Kazane's flushed face flew through his mind more than one time, he fell asleep without much trouble at all.