The Bonds of Fate

Flirtations and Curiosities

Finally, peace and quiet.

Zora laid back on the couch staring into the dancing flames of the fire. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a woman's necklace. Fingering the gold filigree adorning the blue stone, his thoughts drifted to Luna. Aside from dealing with The Eye of the Midnight Sun, she had captivated his thoughts for weeks. 

He refused to believe she had forgotten him, especially after their chance meeting two weeks prior. Zora remembered every detail of that night, her elegance in battle, her soft voice, her enchanting aroma. Zora shuddered, remembering the electrifying emotions she had stirred within him that night.

Before long Zora found himself reminiscing about his childhood with Luna. To be honest, he didn't expect her to remember him from that far back; after all, it was ten years ago and he was a different man now in both personality and appearance. Still, he held out hope that she did remember him. 

Luna had been his solace after his father had died. When the two ran away together Zora realized that they could find happiness together. This happiness was short-lived however, a little over a year later the two were torn apart and Zora never saw her again, that is until two weeks ago. 

Now, they were reunited as squadmates of the Black Bulls. He started to regret waiting so long to take up Captain Yami's offer to join the Black Bulls, he could have found her much sooner. Then again, Zora was a different man at that time and certainly not a man, as he believed, worthy of Luna's friendship.

A noise behind him made him turn around. Luna had just come into the common room but she didn't seem to notice him. She was looking through the bar shelves for something. He watched her as she grabbed a wooden crate to stand on. Apparently, she couldn't reach the top shelf. He chuckled, she was short wasn't she? he thought.

She seemed to have finally found what she was looking for. Luna grabbed onto a bottle of clear liquid and took a step back. Instantly Zora realized she had stepped too far back. The box tilted with her weight and she fell backwards. Quickly Zora stood up moving towards her, knowing he would never make it in time to catch her.

With a crash and a squeal, Luna hit the floor, the bottle in her hand shattering beneath her. Zora made it just in time to see the girl curled up in a ball surrounded by alcohol and glass. Carefully he made his way over to her.

How is this girl so graceful in battle? She is a walking catastrophe, thought Zora.

She made a movement to sit up.

"Just stay down a minute," he said leaning down towards her. "You're surrounded by glass, I don't want you to get cut."

Too late. Small shards of glass were sticking out from her palms and a larger piece was stuck in her wrist.

"Ow," she whimpered, tears streaming down her face.

Zora tried to help her carefully to her feet. He reached to grab her side and she flinched, once again whimpering. She was hurt, bad. Zora knew he had to get her wounds cleaned and bandaged. Ignoring her cries of pain, he lifted her up, carried her over to the couch, and sat her down gently.

"I know it hurts but you have to trust me," he said calmly. "I'll be right back."

"What's all the noise?" Noelle was standing there. She was in her pajamas and had likely come down for a drink before bed.

She glanced down to see Luna's wounded hands. "Luna!" she rushed over to her. "Are you alright?"

Luna sat dazed, blood dripping from her hands to the floor.