Journey to a Better End II

Chapter 15

Let's see what happens this time around now that another chapter is here...
____________________________________

Ara kind of figured it was Eun's fault that she woke finding herself in Add's personal space. It wasn't the first time it had happened but Ara didn't really mind. Add was still asleep but if Ara moved, she risked waking him and she didn't want that to happen. Add was resting on one of his arms but his other hand was on Ara's cheek. It wasn't like she could move it because their foreheads were pressed together making Ara a bit uncomfortable in the situation.

She wasn't sure if Lua or Elsword were awake or not but she didn't care. Seeing Add look so peaceful sort of made Ara happy. Ara's eyes suddenly widened in surprise when Add half opened his own eyes. He didn't seem fully awake either but Ara's face heated up when he slightly smiled at her and nuzzled his head against hers. "Add....are you okay?" Ara asked since the action wasn't his norm. He didn't give a reply having closed his eyes again.

"He's not even awake anymore. I think you should take this chance to escape while his senses aren't clear," Eun advised. Ara couldn't nod but she agreed and carefully lifted Add's hand from her cheek. He didn't even flinch so she quickly moved and successfully escaped the situation without waking Add. "I didn't know he was such a softy. Is he like that all of the time," Lua asked having seen the whole ordeal. "You were watching?!" Ara whisper yelled.

"I didn't mean to intrude but I came back inside to check on Elsword and saw that you had woken up. Then that happened. It's...it's kind of sweet," Lua said with a slight smile. "Not a word of this to him, got that," Ara growled. "I wouldn't dream of it," Lua said holding back a laugh. Ara could practically feel the aura of embarrassment that she radiated. "He's doing pretty well. Nothing like last time. He should wake up in a little bit," Lua said referring to Elsword's condition.

"That's good to hear," Ara said as she looked over to the sleeping redhead. He really did seem like nothing but a mere child as he slept but Ara knew that he was somehow much more than that. A mere child couldn't have held his own against a maniac like Raguel. "I know you have the Nature Shard," Lua suddenly spoke. Ara stiffened and her guard instantly went up although neither she nor Lua made any moves.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you over something like that. You saved it didn't you? Raguel was the theif this entire time," she continued. Ara nodded. "We were going to tell you so that we could let you use it to save Rena but I guess you found out already," Ara said. The makeshift bag containing the shard and the seals was behind Ara near Add so Lua either looked through the bag while they slept of her intuition was aa sharp as Elsword's.

"The shard glowed through the bag if you're wondering how I knew. Plus I can sense it," Lua muttered looking over to Elsword's sleeping figure. "So you'll want it won't you? It can be used to free Rena," Ara said but Lua shook her head at her. "Rena is a part of the tree now. I doubt the shard can juat free her," Lua said. "I don't know how these El Shards work but the one back in my village was very powerful and could do many things. I'm sure this one could grant you that miracle if you tried it," Ara reasoned. Lua shrugged.

"I don't want to get my hopes up. If it fails, I'll be heartbroken," Lua admitted. "Then how about you go ahead and try it now while they're still asleep. It'll just be you there and you'll have your privacy. I'll watch the place until you get back," Ara suggested. Lua only stared at her as she considered the offer. "I don't want to have to return to any of you if I fail. You two aren't staying after today either so I'll wait until you leave. Hopefully Elsword doesn't intend to stay either," Lua said.

Ara nodded in understanding but Lua didn't seem to have any hope that the shard would save Rena. She and Lua both flinched when Elsword began to move in his sleep, turning over and ultimately waking up. Having just turned over, he didn't see them when his head rose. "Hey, where'd everyone go?" he muttered to himself. "We're over here. There's another side of this tent you know," Lua said, immediately catching Elsword's attention. He simply turned to face them with a blank look on his face.