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“Over here, Ken-kun! I think I found the ruins entrance!” Mamoru waved Kensuke over.
Kensuke quickly hopped down and looked at the open arched entrance made out of stone that was half covered in sandy dust.
Kensuke whistled as he held up the lantern for a better look. “Oh! Good job, Mamoru! Looks like that map that Ryo gave us was really handy!”
Mamoru chuckled. “That’s because Ryo-kun is really smart!”
“It’s too bad Ryo and Kou aren’t with us to explore, but they have an important guild meeting in the city with the other guilds that they couldn’t miss,” Kensuke said.
“We can tell them all about our discovery when we get back home!” Mamoru told Kensuke as they ventured further into the ruins.
The two of them looked around to assess the condition of the ruins.
“Mamoru, make sure to watch where you’re going so you don’t set off any traps,” Kensuke reminded Mamoru.
“I won’t set off any! I’ll try not to!” Mamoru tried to sound confident.
Kensuke remembered how many times Mamoru accidentally activated hidden traps inside ruins they’ve explored before with Koki and Ryota. Every exploration was an adventure with Mamoru, which Kensuke really enjoyed, even if they had several close calls escaping with their lives.
The two of them entered what appeared to be the main hall of the ruins since it was the largest open area. As they looked around, they took notes about the structure and anything significant such as carved words on stone walls and pillars.
While they were making observations, Mamoru noticed some loose pebbles on the ground were shaking.
“Huh?” Mamoru placed his hand on the rough ground and felt there was a vibration movement. “Ken–!” Mamoru shouted a warning.
Kensuke felt it too. “An earthquake?!”
Mamoru and Kensuke braced themselves as a sudden small quake shook the area around them.
Mamoru saw the danger before Kensuke noticed. “KENSUKE!”
Kensuke felt a hard push on his back before his mind could register what was happening.
“Oof!” Kensuke fell backwards on the ground and he watched fearfully as large rocks fell from above–right on top of Mamoru. “MAMORU!” Kensuke shouted as he leaped forward to rescue Mamoru. He pushed off all the rocks and Mamoru coughed to clear his throat from the unsettled gritty dust in the air, giving Kensuke a relief that Mamoru was alive.
“I’m okay, Ken-kun,” Mamoru tried to reassure Kensuke, but he winced in pain when he tried to stand up and nearly fell over. Kensuke quickly caught Mamoru in his arms and helped Mamoru sit down so he could assess Mamoru’s condition. Kensuke wasn’t a doctor, but from what he did know, Kensuke guessed Mamoru’s ankle was sprained. Thankfully it didn’t appear broken.
“You’re definitely not okay.” Kensuke knew. Mamoru tended to be stubborn whenever it came to admitting he needed help if he got sick or injured. Koki would always see right through Mamoru before Mamoru even said anything. Kensuke and Ryota were able to tell after a few subtle hints. Kensuke never understood why Mamoru tried to hide his pain, but he didn’t pry into Mamoru’s feelings about it as long as Mamoru was taken care of eventually.
Kensuke noticed there were also several cuts and bruises on Mamoru’s arms to worry about. “Did any of the rocks hit your head?” Kensuke asked seriously, making sure Mamoru didn’t take any other injury that Kensuke couldn’t see on the surface.
Mamoru slowly shook his head. “I managed to cover my head, so I don’t feel any pain there.”
Kensuke checked his pouches on his belt and saw he only had enough bandage to cover Mamoru’s arms. Kensuke took off his goggles from his head and unwrapped his head scarf to wrap around Mamoru’s leg, brushing off any dirt or dust first.
“Ken-kun! Your scarf will get dirty!” Mamoru tried to stop Kensuke.
Kensuke rolled his eyes. “Mamoru, a little more dirt isn’t going to hurt it, I can wash it after.”
“Thank you, Ken-kun.” Mamoru smiled at Kensuke, but Kensuke still looked worried.
“We shouldn’t stay here in case another quake happens,” Kensuke said.
Mamoru felt sad to have to end their excursion early, but he understood clearly. “Mm.”
Since Mamoru couldn’t walk the remaining distance with his injury, Kensuke would have to carry him back to town.
“Climb on my back, Mamoru,” Kensuke told Mamoru.
“But I’m heavy, Ken-kun,” Mamoru said embarrassed.
“I’ve carried research materials for Ryo that are heavier, I can handle your weight,” Kensuke insisted.
Mamoru slowly climbed onto Kensuke’s back. Kensuke made sure to balance Mamoru’s weight so Mamoru wouldn’t fall off before he carried Mamoru out of the ruins.
As they made their way across the mountainous wilderness in the direction of town, Mamoru noticed that Kensuke wasn’t chatting like he usually does whenever they traveled together. The air around them felt thick and heavy even though there were no dust storms. The only sound to break the silence was the sound of the passing wind.
Mamoru couldn’t see the expression on Kensuke's face as he glanced anxiously at the back of Kensuke’s head.
“Ken-kun…are you mad?” Mamoru finally asked after ten minutes of silence passed.
Mamoru felt Kensuke take a deep breath.
Kensuke finally spoke after another minute. “I am. Mamoru is an idiot.”
Mamoru felt guilty, but he didn’t regret what he did. “But Ken-kun, if I hadn’t pushed you out of the way, you could have been hurt.” Mamoru reasoned.
“Mamoru. It’s you who got hurt. That’s why I’m mad,” Kensuke told Mamoru flatly.
They still had ways to travel before reaching town, but the sun was already setting in the horizon. It would be too dangerous to try to travel through the night since it was only the two of them, and only Kensuke would be able to fight if anything dangerous approached. Kensuke decided to set up camp for them overnight and wait till morning before returning home.
Mamoru sat awkwardly as he watched Kensuke set up their tent and campfire. Kensuke didn’t say anything as he focused his hands on the campsite preparations.
“Stay here and don’t move, Mamoru. If you sense or see danger around, shout for me,” Kensuke clearly instructed Mamoru after he lit the campfire, making sure Mamoru could rest beside it. He quietly passed Mamoru a blanket before standing up.
“T-Thank you. Um! Where are you going, Ken-kun?” Mamoru was worried when Kensuke turned his back towards Mamoru.
“A short walk.” Kensuke left Mamoru alone.
Mamoru could only watch Kensuke walk away quietly without being able to say anything else to lighten the heavy mood.
Kensuke walked a few feet away, far away enough to where he could have a quiet space to himself, but close enough to where he could run back to Mamoru in case anything happened.
Kensuke sighed and let go of all of his tension at once.
“Ahhh, I’m the bigger idiot,” Kensuke let out his true feelings as he sat down on the ground. He knew it wasn’t Mamoru’s fault at all, and Mamoru shouldn’t feel bad about what happened. Kensuke knew deep down he should have paid more attention to his surroundings. He could have easily dodged the falling rocks had he been more focused.
“If Kou and Ryo were here with us, I’d be getting two earfuls,” Kensuke said to himself. Mamoru was older, but Kensuke felt it was more his responsibility to look after Mamoru since Mamoru was more on the clumsy side when it came to exploring places outside of town.
Kensuke’s smile faded as he snapped back to reality. He didn’t mean to be upset at Mamoru. Kensuke usually could keep his emotions in check even in the most dangerous situations, but around Mamoru—
The wind picked up and blew a strong gust around the area for a moment. Kensuke braced himself in case it was a sudden dust storm, but the wind died down as quickly as it passed through.
“WAH!”
Kensuke immediately jumped when he heard Mamoru’s voice shout and ran back to the campsite.
“Mamoru?! What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Kensuke was alert when he came back to Mamoru’s side, his hand ready over his sword. Kensuke saw the campfire was blown out, probably due to the strong wind that passed by a second ago. Kensuke noticed Mamoru wasn’t looking at him.
“Ken-kun! Look!” Mamoru pointed up at the night sky.
“Huh?” Kensuke looked up to where Mamoru pointed.
The night sky was perfectly clear without a single cloud. Thousands of stars glittered like diamond dust across a blanket of darkness.
“Whoaaa–hey!” Kensuke suddenly felt Mamoru grab his arm and pull him down onto the blanket that Mamoru laid out on the ground.
Mamoru laughed. “Ken-kun! Ken-kun! We can see so many stars!” Mamoru told Kensuke.
“Ahh, it must be because we’re a bit far from the city. The smoke from industrial buildings doesn’t cover the sky way out here,” Kensuke figured out.
“Wow, I haven’t seen this many stars since I used to stargaze with my parents,” Mamoru reminisced.
Kensuke got quiet. He had already known of course that Mamoru’s parents passed away a long time ago, which was why Koki and his family took in Mamoru under their care. Mamoru had told Kensuke himself. But it wasn’t too often that Mamoru would mention memories of his late parents. Mamoru had said before he had already come to terms with his parents' passing, but Kensuke never asked too much about Mamoru’s past unless Mamoru was comfortable talking about it.
“We used to travel outside of our home a lot to find the best place to see the stars. My father would always lift me up and put me on his shoulders to ride on so that I could have the best view,” Mamoru remembered. “I would always try to find the North star first and point it out to my mother right next to us.”
Mamoru’s voice got a bit quiet.
“I wonder if father and mother are up there in the night sky as stars.” Mamoru reached out his hand towards the night sky.
“Mamoru…” Kensuke slowly reached up and held onto Mamoru’s outstretched hand. “I’m sure they’re up there, Mamoru!”
Mamoru looked over at Kensuke surprised. “Ken-kun.”
Kensuke turned his head to the side so he could look at Mamoru. “They’re watching over you all the time, no matter where you are, even when you can’t see the stars.”
Mamoru’s expression looked soft even in the darkness. “You finally looked at me properly.”
Kensuke sat up properly and clapped his hands in apology. “I’m sorry, Mamoru! I didn’t mean to be mad at you earlier! Please forgive me!”
“Eh? There’s nothing to forgive, Ken-kun!” Mamoru sat upright. “I’m the one who should have avoided those falling rocks myself after I pushed you out of the way!”
“No! I should have been the one who avoided the rocks in the first place!” Kensuke said. “You got hurt because of me!”
“No, I–” Mamoru was going to take the blame again, but Kensuke stopped Mamoru’s words with his gloved hand.
“Then we’ll both share the blame when we face Kou and Ryo tomorrow after we get back home safely,” Kensuke decided.
Mamoru didn’t say anything and nodded in agreement as Kensuke removed his hand.
“Well, we should get some sleep. I’ll help you get comfortable in your sleeping bag,” Kensuke said as he helped Mamoru walk over to their tent.
“Um–can we share sleeping bags, Ken-kun?” Mamoru asked.
Kensuke stopped and looked at Mamoru before Mamoru realized what he asked.
“Uh! I don’t mean anything! I only thought since it gets cold at night out here and the blankets may not be enough, we could share the warmth–Ken-kun don’t laugh at me!” Mamoru pouted as Kensuke started laughing again.
“Mamoru, you’re so cute. Okay, we can put our sleeping bags together so we can share!” Kensuke agreed.
Kensuke laid out their sleeping bags and made sure Mamoru lay down properly without hurting his injured ankle before he laid down right next to Mamoru.
Mamoru was about to say good night, but he flinched when Kensuke put his hand on Mamoru’s forehead.
“Ken-kun?”
“Mamoru, your face feels really warm. Are you running a fever?” Kensuke suddenly asked.
Mamoru blushed and shook his head. “No! I don’t have a fever!”
“Are you sure? Maybe I should turn on the lantern so I can check properly–” Kensuke sounded worried again.
“It’s because Ken-kun’s face was so close! I thought you were going to kiss me!” Mamoru admitted.
Kensuke looked at Mamoru and laughed. “Do you want me to kiss you?” Kensuke couldn’t resist teasing Mamoru.
“No! Ah! I mean–” Mamoru instantly responded, but the wrong words came out.
“Ouch, that hurts, Mamoru.” Kensuke looked wounded in his expression. “I’d rather take the hit from falling rocks than to hear your rejection.”
“Then, I’ll kiss Ken-kun!”
Mamoru closed the distance between them and softly kissed Kensuke on the cheek.
“You missed, Mamoru,” Kensuke teased again.
“That’s because it’s dark!”
Mamoru was grateful that Kensuke didn’t turn on the lantern, otherwise it would be obviously visible how much Mamoru was blushing.
Kensuke smiled. “My turn to kiss you, Mamoru.” Kensuke kissed Mamoru on the forehead.
Mamoru kissed Kensuke’s other cheek, and then slowly they started kissing each other’s face in several places until their lips finally met. The kiss on each other’s lips lasted longer than all the other kisses.
“Ken-kun?” Mamoru called Kensuke’s name after their kiss.
“Hmm?”
“You know how people say that the North star guides people home when they’re lost?”
“Yeah?” Kensuke listened attentively.
“I feel like you’re my North star, Kensuke,” Mamoru said.
“Mamoru.” Kensuke looked over at Mamoru and was about to say something, but he noticed Mamoru had fallen fast asleep.
Kensuke smiled as he carefully wrapped his arm around Mamoru and hugged Mamoru close to his side, placing one more kiss on Mamoru’s forehead.
“If I’m your North star, then you’re my night sky where I can shine the brightest, Mamoru,” Kensuke whispered in Mamoru’s ear before he fell asleep with Mamoru safe in his arms.
The two of them got a lengthy scolding from Ryota, with Kensuke taking most of the hit since it was his responsibility to protect Mamoru. The two of them had to promise they wouldn’t go out exploring any ruins on their own without Koki and Ryota next time, after Mamoru fully healed.
“You two are very lucky the ruins didn’t collapse while you two were inside! I was about to send a search party for the two of you, but Kou said to trust and wait!” Ryota continued.
“We’re very sorry, Ryo-sama!” Kensuke and Mamoru apologized.
“--and Mamoru!” Ryota glared at Mamoru.
“Yes?!”
“Don’t overwork yourself with the observation report until AFTER your injuries are fully recovered! You will eat, sleep, and rest properly before you try to pull a late night organizing your notes!”
“Yes!”
Koki chuckled when Ryota finally let them go. “Ryo is only worried because he cares a lot about you two.” Koki handed Kensuke and Mamoru some freshly brewed tea.
“Yeah, we know. The longer Ryo scolds us, the more worried he is,” Kensuke understood Ryota’s true feelings.
“I’m really glad and relieved you two came back home safe, Ken, Mamoru.” Koki placed his hands on Kensuke and Mamoru’s shoulders. “I’m sorry Ryo and I couldn’t have gone with you.”
“Mm-mm! It’s okay, Kou-kun!” Mamoru said. “Ken-kun was with me, so it wasn’t lonely at all!”
Koki smiled. “Yes, I’m confident Ken is the best one to take care of you.” Somehow, Koki sounded like he knew a hidden meaning behind what he said. “When you two make it official, be sure to tell Ryo and I first so we can give you two our blessings.”
Both Kensuke and Mamoru nearly choked on their tea as their faces blushed.
“Kou!” Kensuke’s face was redder than Mamoru’s.
“You two can take your time of course, but you know how fast news travels around here if word gets out,” Koki advised kindly before giving the two of them some privacy to clean up the kitchen.
Kensuke rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while Mamoru focused on his teacup.
“Mamoru,” Kensuke spoke first.
“Yes? Ken-kun?” Mamoru gave Kensuke his full attention.
Kensuke looked at Mamoru and laughed.
“I’m looking forward to our next adventure!”