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“No. I’m gonna go solo on this one. I know the administration better than any of you. And you will only slow me down anyway.”
“There is no way we’re letting you go alone. Kai and I could-”
“I doubt you will be of any use.”
“Seriously? You doubt the elemental masters of Fire and Water would be of use to you?”
“What can you possibly do apart from drawing attention to yourselves?”
“Erm, fight, for one? Remember the way of the ninja? Tell the difference between trustworthy people and men in suits?”
“Wooow, gold star for that one. Okay, if you insist, oh sage ninja, I will take the hothead with me.”
Kai, who knew better than to stand between these two, was conveniently gathering firewood at the time.
“WHAT? You are NOT leaving me behind!”
“I am the one deciding here. My memories, my choice! Who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind! I don’t need you nagging at me!”
“You think that Kai will just go with you and do whatever you say?!”
“At least, he’ll be easier to talk to!”
“You still don’t trust me, do you?!
"Oh, here we go again!"
"Is it because I’m a girl?! You don’t think I’m good enough?!”
“YOU’RE BEING RIDICULOUS!”
“STOP YELLING AT ME!”
“YOU’RE THE ONE YELLING LIKE AN IMMATURE CHILD!”
“OH, I’M IMMATURE?”
“YEAH, FOLLOWING ME LIKE A PUPPY!”
“SO I’M THE ONE FOLLOWING YOU?! YOU LITERALLY CAME BACK FOR ME! WHAT HAPPENED THEN?! DID SOMEBODY MAKE YOU DO IT?!..."
"WHA-"
"...DID YOU LOSE A BET?! DID DO IT OUT OF SPITE?!..."
"STOP THAT!"
"...COME ON! WHAT WAS IT?! WHY?! WAS IT FOR THE MONEY?! BECAUSE YOU HOPED FOR MORE TREASURE?! BECAUSE IT SOMEHOW BOOSTED YOUR ALREADY ENORMOUS EGO?! BECAUSE YOU PITIED ME?! BECAUSE YOU’RE A BIG MACHO MAN?! BECAUSE-“
“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!”
His eyes widened, and he snapped his mouth shut, realising what had just come out of it. Nya, who was just about to throw another insult at him, froze, unable to form a single word. He awkwardly stared at her for a minute that felt like an eternity. And then, just for a second, his brows scrunched, and eyes softened in an expression that painfully reminded her of the old Jay. Rogue sighed. “I have no idea why, but I do!”
xXx
Ever since the tournament, he had been catching himself glancing at her.
'Yeah, right, like this gorgeous lady would be into someone like me. This is definitely a trap.'
He would never admit it, but he found himself gazing at her eyes, distracted by the sound of her voice, or mesmerised by the way she moved.
'Whoa…Man, she fights good! I mean, yeah, sure, she’s supposed to be a ninja or something. That’s what they do. Nothing special here.'
She was the first thing he thought of in the morning, and the last thing on his mind when he went to sleep. When he saw her with her hair down the other day, his face turned so red it would make Harumi jealous. And last night, when they had to stay close to conserve body heat, he thought he was gonna go insane.
'Her hair looks so silky, must be really soft too. I wonder what it smells like…WHAT ON EARTH AM I THINKING!?? Pull yourself together, you idiot!'
He’d dismissed all such thoughts out of fear, doubt, or stubbornness. But now that he was starting to trust her, it all made sense.
xXx
“I cannot let you get hurt! Not when I just found out that there might actually be someone in this world I care about.”
She was still just standing there, but with every word he uttered, she could feel her heart melting and filling up the emptiness in her chest with new hope.
“If the administration brainwashed me, they can do it again. What if instead of me remembering, you’ll end up forgetting, and whatever is left of us will be gone forever.”
Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her head against his shoulder, drying the tears that welled up in her eyes. He hesitated a second, not sure what was happening or what he was feeling. And then something snapped…
He swept her up, wrapping her in a tight embrace, his hand cradling the back of her head, as if afraid someone or something was gonna take her away from him. She leaned back a little, just enough to look at him, and rested her palms on his chest. That’s when his eyes met hers for a moment before slowly travelling down to her slightly parted lips. He couldn’t take it anymore. Who cares about memories, who cares what he was or is or will be…
Right now, there was only her.
He leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. Her hands went to cup his cheeks, and his to run through her hair as they sank into what was their first kiss in six unbearably long and lonely years.
When they finally broke apart for air, her face was glowing with the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.
“I know you’re scared. But I trust you, with my life. And I want you to trust me, too. We make a great team, remember?”
His mind didn’t remember, but his heart did. He took a deep breath. “Okay, but we stay close, no matter what.”
She took his hand in hers. “Wouldn’t wish for anything else.”