Worlds Apart

A Spark of Danger

Shu woke up nestled in Lui's arms, his cheek pressed against his bare chest. Last night was a blur of passion and a tangle of limbs, Lui's deep voice whispering his love against his ear. His cheeks heated up as he hugged the other tighter, a smile finding its way to his lips.

Lui moved, letting out a content sigh, "Good morning, Snowflake."

Shu hummed in response. Lui's fingers traced along his spine, drawing patterns across his bare skin. "Last night, good?"

Shu nodded, "Yes. It was nice." His voice was hoarse, Shu turned his body and he was now looking at Lui's face. They had made love for the first time, but despite it being the first, Shu found himself enjoying the gentle touch of the older male, his fingertips searching through his body, tracing every scar under the dim lights of the flickering candles. The familiarity burning in those calloused fingertips as if they had been doing this together since a long time, made him relaxed. They lied in complete silence for another few seconds before Lui spoke.

"I want to stay like this forever."

Shu smiled, pushing himself up to a sitting position. Despite the telltale throb in his legs and lower back, he felt refreshed. The cold morning air inside the hut brushed against his body, sending a shiver down his spine. "I would love to do that. But I think we should get ready to leave."

Lui groaned, "Fine." He sat down, stretching his arms over his head, fighting back a yawn. His eyes shifted to Shu's. Sometimes he found himself wondering why this person loved him. He never got an answer for his inner dilemma, but he was content. Knowing Shu's love for him is genuine, sincere.

Shu leaned in to his side, his soft lips pressing against Lui's cheek. He chuckled, "You look like you want to give up on the mission."

Lui shrugged, "I would have. It would be calming to live in a small village inside a small hut like this for the rest of our lives, don't you think?"

Shu nudged his shoulder, laughing. "Don't give me ideas. Let's get ready before Free starts throwing out his sassy comments again."

---

They stood by the outskirts of Pisces just behind the magical barrier hiding the small village from the eyes of evil. "Remember," Sasha pressed on, "you guys will have to cross a desert, it was only after that you'd meet the kingdom." She pointed to the ring resting on Free's open palm. "Show them that ring, and they will recognise you as allies."

Free nodded, "Okay." He turned, his eyes scanning the rest of the group, eager and waiting. Lui was standing beside him. "Ready?"

There was a chorus of yeses. "Thank you for everything you've done," Valt said, "We're forever grateful for your aid."

Sasha smiled in return, her chin dipping in a curt bow. "My pleasure. I wish you a successful journey ahead."

"Good luck!" Aiger and several others yelled. They waved, stepping out of the barrier. Shu shivered, instantly feeling the thrum of magic around them disappearing. The faces of Fubuki, Delta, Cuza and even Honey vanished behind them. It had been a while since it had been only them. From the moment they had stepped onto this island, one after another calamity took them down, not allowing them a space to breathe and gather as one team.

The new addition; Lunar roamed by their feet sniffing the salted air around them, a message to the sea that's not so far.

"Let the goddess of luck be with us this whole journey." Zac clapped his hands together receiving a handful of nods and smiles.

The journey itself was harder than they anticipated. They walked past a stretch of sand overlooking the sea. Shu let his eyes slide into the horizons, wondering whether the others have gotten their information. They had sent information to Moeru, it would take at least a week for the scroll to reach there.