Almost Blooming

Hazy sunlight peered through shattered ceilings. Eighteen days of travel had led the through the tunnels of The Underworld, from Psephos’s rocky terrain, across murky swamps, beneath grand aqueducts, and now to the remains of another refugee district. Just like the district they had called home, this place had been destroyed by The Silence’s assault on The Underworld. Dust and stillness coated the seemingly once thriving square.

Pyramid structures of shops and nooks were burnt to nothingness. Elaborate arches and pillars of green and blue were covered in vegetation and cabling. A tropical humidity filled the air with a warm dampness that reminded Sayane of Tokyo in August.

Their caravan was stopped for the day, resting alongside a flowing river of clear water. Shards of sunlight’s muted brightness told Sayane that she would soon see the sun once more, even if it was behind a barrier of desaturation.

The final free Shard was near. After this Shard was liberated, only the imperial Shard remained. Every step closer to the Shard in Akna seemed like it was shepherding the rebellion closer to its final confrontation. Indeed, a somber, reflective heaviness had come over the caravan in recent days. Even though everyone in the caravan and beyond were ready for conflict, they all knew that it potentially meant this would all culminate in a final attack on the stronghold of their enemy. With that in their hearts, they continued on, closer and closer towards Akna.

Morning sun shone hazy and grey, but it was brighter than before. Azag noticed that first when he awoke and looked at the beams of light shining down. He wondered if the sky was beginning to change as well.

All around them, color had slowly become more vibrant. It was subtle at first, but now, after two of the four Great Harmony Shards had been freed, many began to see a shift in the world around them. Grey was not as omnipresent. Once desaturated landscapes and earthen growth were beginning to present themselves with more vibrance.

While Azag gazed up at the beam of light, he heard Sayane approach from behind.

“Good morning,” he said over his shoulder as he turned to face her.

Before Sayane could fully articulate a response, his ungloved hand was holding her face.

“You didn’t sleep well,” he observed as she felt the warmth of his palm.

Sayane shook her head.

“I dreamt of my previous life. It was strange. Something about it left me… unsettled…” she admitted.

Though she was processing the concerns she was feeling, she didn’t wish to focus on it for now. Time spent fretting over something beyond her control would only rob her of potential joy in the present moments. If her time in this realm and with Azag was limited, she did not want to waste a second. So, like a true idol, she forced a smile to hide her concern. Azag almost believed her expression, but he sensed it was not something she wished to discuss further so he accepted her facade.

“Well, you have another night to rest before we reach Akna. I hope you sleep better tonight.”

“And you? Sleeping better? Or still hurting from the travel?” Sayane asked.

Azag shrugged.

“I always hurt, so most of the time it blends together. I think I’ll finally acclimate right around the time we reach the imperial capital…” he said with a dry jest.

“Wonderful! Just in time to have a good night’s sleep after we deal with the small issue of bringing down the most tyrannical government in history!” Sayane joked.

“Perfect. I look forward to that sleep then,” he said.

Sayane blushed then dared to broach the desire on her heart.

“Perhaps… perhaps we could share another night of sleep again. To help us rest, of course…”

His masked gaze was as unreadable as ever. But his thumb slid along her cheekbone, and that was its own language.

“I’d like that. If you’d have me once more,” he said softly.

Her fingers clasped his as she closed her eyes and let her cheek rest on his palm.

“Of course,” she whispered back.

A warm feeling drifted from Sayane’s stomach down to her inner thighs. Fabric’s soft caress drew attention to the curves of her chest. His scent seemed stronger. Her lips looked more full and darker than usual. Gentle whisks of a quiet breeze pulled her tunic across the smooth skin of her stomach, dipping in slightly as it billowed across her bellybutton.

Sayane found herself wanting to lean to him, even on her tiptoes she wouldn’t be tall enough. But he could pick her up. Not only that, he could throw her around. He could rip every inch of fabric from her body then pin her down while he-

“Good morning, Anahita…” Azag said as he shook his head to bring his mind back to reality.

The spell dissipated and Sayane’s thoughts regained clarity. Remnants of arousal hung on her lips and she blushed at the lingering thoughts left in her head as she finally noticed the small fae laying on a hanging bit of ruin beside them. That moment was her doing, Sayane was sure of it. She didn’t mind, it was just impressive to know that the mere presence of this small being could cause such a fluster.

Azag’s hand lowered as he shuffled his feet.

“Well, I… I must be going then,” he muttered as he limped away.

“Things to plan, you know?” he blurted as he left without looking back.

Sayane wanted to laugh and pout at the same time.

“Pour dear, you are both quite flustered and frustrated,” Anahita purred as she rested her chin on her hands and watch Azag turn out of sight.

“I completely understand, by the way…” Anahita whispered.

“Really? Because I feel a little crazy. I came from a world where the dating scene was purely one species. The interconnectedness of all beings here is… quite different,” Sayane laughed as she fanned herself.

“Well, if you’re concerned, as an expert on the matter, your kind are compatible. Bonding will not harm either of you or expose you to any dangerous reactions. And, speaking in generalizations, your body is not too small for him…”

Now floods of red were turning Sayane’s face the color of a beet. While she appreciated the intel, such blatant openness about a something as intimate as intimacy was wholly foreign to a young formerly-Japanese woman. But as Sayane thought on their situation, she realized that her body was craving Azag as much as her heart.

And if her time in this world was potentially ending soon, which also meant she might finally die completely, Sayane did not want to face her end without experiencing both even once.

Thankfully, she was in the presence of a living aphrodisiac. If anyone could help in such a matter, it was this tiny creature.

Sayane held out her hand and the tiny body flitted down to her palm, landing on her toes before softly sitting on her hip.

“Anahita, I’m going to need your help. Tell me about your people. Then, if you don’t mind, please tell me how to help someone as reserved as Azag that I want him. All of him.”