Cat Eyes: Sirius (Marien's POV only)

Chapter 14: I trust you

The next city was the capital, finally. I calculated it would be another day of travel. We continued rummaging through the player's music, but he asked me to tell him about myself, although I had already done so a little.

"I think I have more questions about you."

"Yeah, but I want to know about your culture also. For example, you didn't tell me about kisses. I told you about babies appearing, and you didn't explain it to me. I know you know more about it..."

I laughed and tapped my forehead.

"Yeah, well..."

He looked serious again. If it were not that sometimes he was quiet for moments, I would have suspected something was bothering him. Maybe it had been my kiss, but thinking about that was stupid because he also kissed me.

It was close to noon, so we stopped. Anthony showed me how to make his makeshift kitchen again, and I prepared some pre-cooked meat.

We sat down to eat, I gave him a milk bottle, and he just smiled. His smile was missing something. I got distressed to think that maybe there really was something that worried him. I ate in silence until I couldn't bear it.

"Hey... Don't be worried. If something happens and you have to fight, I'll be fine, okay?"

He looked at me, confused for a few seconds, then looked down.

"I know you don't like me fighting, and I've tried to avoid it, as you see, but I still did hurt you."

I denied in silence, smiling.

"No. Forget it. I was a fool to get offended. You reasoned with them instead of hitting them. That makes me feel... proud."

I didn't understand. Was he so concerned? Maybe I was the one who should understand that those things were new for him since his culture was quite different, as everyone said.

"You are a good person," I assured him.

He barely smiled again, as if he didn't believe it. He really didn't believe what I had said. Maybe something else was wrong. Perhaps he was not like that because of me.

"I just hope I don't fail you again for as long as I'm with you," he muttered.

I felt some panic.

"As long as you are with me? Don't say that. I want you to stay with me..." I noticed that I was starting to blush, and he seemed surprised. "You also said you would show me your town."

He smiled.

"Yes."

I felt the relief go through me. He and his pretty smile were back. Maybe what worried him was dying because of fighting or because of my government.

"Everything will be fine," I whispered. "I'm not going to let them touch you."

"But I'm not going to let them touch you either. I'll get in front of them anyway, so if I..."

"No, Anthony..."

"If I die... please don't be distressed."

Jeez. I sighed in frustration.

"Okay. Okaaay," I said, annoyed, which also surprised him. "In your culture, you guys think a lot about death. It seems to me."

He smiled with guilt.

"Yes, maybe, because I see that you don't..."

"We may think about it, but we don't have it as present as a daily possibility... I don't know."

"My tutor always instructed us about death. Death and honor. And he wasn't the only one, so... yeah, I guess it's part of my culture."

"I have seen that since you told me that if you committed a fault, you could choose to die with honor or choose to be exiled..."