𝙶𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚒 - 𝙾𝚗𝚎-𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔

𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴

Author's notes: I still have other one-shots to write and instead of doing that, I'm writing smaller ones. GREAT
Anyways this will be a small continuation of the one-shot "burnt" and ofc it's Riffoki. Seriously, I need kotoc to make this ship real ;-;

P.s: "Burnt", and this one-shot are based on an old theory of mine, about the place where the kids ended up into at the start of the first episode of season 3. This theory explored the possibility of the elestar teleporting them to the past, which turned out not to be true after all.

Plot: After what the kids saw earlier, they hid in the forest again, thinking about what happened. Riff and Ao-ki were left completely shocked and hurting. Can they help each other heal? Maybe some night talk can help them cope with these feelings better...

.....................................

It was approximately 2 AM and the forest was completly dark by now. The only source of light were some glowing trees and Ao-ki's shield/dome, which was there in case a wild animal attacked and to serve as a sort of shelter for them. Let's just say the kids were much more scared after what they witnessed, so their guardian decided to take some precautions.

Said guardian was on the ground, her head supported by an uncomfortable rock. All of them were laying down, most of them already sleeping, which was a miracle considering what happened some hours ago. However, Ao-ki wasn't one of them, since she felt wide awake. Everytime she closed her eyes, all she saw were flames and ashes. Not to mention she could still hear those screams ringing inside her head. Even if she ended up falling asleep, she was sure her slumber would be full of nightmares. If it had to be like that, then she preferred not to sleep at all.

- Hey Ao-ki, are you still awake?

A whispery voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she turned around to look at the fire herald, who was eyeing her aprehensively.

- As you can see, yes, unfortunately - she answered, smiling weakly at him. She wasn't really surprised to see he was fully awake too. What they saw wasn't something easy to process after all. Especially when it involved your tribe. She sat up straight, a movement which Riff followed quickly, both of them looking at their friends, who actually seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

- How can they do that after what happened? I don't understand - Riff asked, a little bit of envy in his voice. Oh, how he wished he could just lay back, fall asleep and forget what happened. Only if that could become a reality...

- Let them be, they deserve to rest - she made a small pause after this quote, as if rethinking it - Just like us....

They stayed in silence for a long time, simply looking at their friends and sometimes at their surroundings. There were no angry bunnies at sight but the carnivore plants still seemed kinda scary, even if they weren't really moving. Some trees were also endorsed with a beautiful blue light that illuminated them and the forest but that for some reason still gave a weirdly creepy vibe to the already dark place.

-This is all my fault...

Ao-ki looked at the herald abruptly, eyeing him incredulously. How could he think this was his fault? How could he be blaming himself for such a terrible thing? She must have heard him wrong.

-Riff, this isn't your fault! Believe me, it's not! They can tell you how many times they want that you look like a solark and that your element was once...that. But you weren't even close to be born at the time and both of us know that you're a fiery. And let me tell you, it might not look like it, but both tribes are really different from each other. Really.

-I-it's not that Ao-ki...

Ao-ki looked at him, a mix of worry and confusion evident on her face. He didn't even seemed to be able to look at her in the face while talking!

-If I hadn't touched the elestar some weeks ago, we wouldn't even be here! It's my fault we ended up in the past, with these crazy wild animals, these weird plants that live in this stupid forest and we met these tribes that seem to be even worst than any of these things! It's my fault you have been so low lately, missing home and that you had to see that scene. I just...I never felt more ashamed of my element than I am right now. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault...

Ao-ki sat there, mouth wide open but with no sound coming out of it. She had no words. She literally had no words. He really blamed himself for this and it made her both mad and sad. However, she didn't show neither of those emotions as she grabbed his chin, lifting his face gently so he would look at her.

-How many times will i have to tell you that this also wasn't your fault Riff? All of you wanted to touch it and of course, one of you would do it sooner or later. You just happened to be that someone. And just like you said, that happened some weeks ago so there's no reason for you to be dragging yourself because of something that's in the past and you can't change. And in all honesty, I wouldn't really want to change a thing even if I had the chance to do so. Not only referring to the elestar but also for what we saw today.

-Wait, really?

- Yes! I discovered more about gorm and its tribes' past, something the lords never bothered to tell me, and now I know the reason why. It really hurt to know what actually happened and to see the way they lied to me. And yes, what we witnessed can be considered...traumatizing in a way. But I prefer to live with this memory than to live surrounded by fantasies and lies. Besides, how can I be the guardian of knowledge if I don't even know about such important information, especially about my own element, uhm?

They both giggled softly, feeling slightly calmer, despite the unsettling memories that were coming back to their heads once again. This speech didn't really make Riff feel that better because he knew she still wasn't completly fine with what she discovered.

However, she was right. Right now, they had to focus on mastering the Alpha energy so they could use it to go back home, not keep reviving memories and historical events that they couldn't really change anymore.

- Thanks for listening. I know, deep down it wasn't my fault but I can't help but feel sad because of this. My element's past turned out to be something I never imagined could ever be real, but I guess I was wrong. I just hope we don't have to witness anything like this again, at least while we're here.

- We won't, trust me - she said firmly, eyeing the other heralds once again - I'll make sure of that...

The way her voice sounded, especially in the middle of this silent forest, sent shivers down Riff's spine for some reason. It sounded so dark, bitter...almost deadly he could say. It was kinda hard to describe it, but he was sure it sounded scary as hell. However, he knows her well. Despite having this stronger and sharper side, she's still a gormian. She has feelings, a softer side and she would do everything to protect the ones she loves. But still....

- You don't need to be so strong all the time, you know? - he asked, catching her off guard - You're allowed to break down sometimes too!

For some minutes, he didn't get an answer, since the girl turned her face away from his apprehensive gaze, apparently trying to formulate an answer for his statement. When she did though, the sadness and bitterness in her purple eyes made him wish he could have just stayed quiet.

- Life didn't choose that path for me, Riff. So, to answer your question....yes...I do.

He said nothing else as he watched her lay down on the ground again, her back facing him as she finally tried to get some rest. He stayed still though, his will to sleep completly gone now. So instead, he supported his back on the dome, thinking about the giant mess he had gotten them into, which would for sure lead into another sleepless night for the fiery.

What he didn't know was that he wasn't the only one about to stay awake all night, being consumed by his thoughts and regrets...