"Win!"
ZaiWin halted, turning back, and waited until Storm caught up with him.
With a huge smile on her face and dark-eyes glistening mischievously, she wrapped her arms around his, and looked up at him with a devious expression on her face.
"Lately I haven't been able to see you at all! You spend all your time with the old man and that pretty lady," she complained and he gave her a polite smile in return.
"I've got myself into a bit of a problem, and they're trying to help me find a way out of it."
"It's that strange kid, right?" she asked, her dark eyes looking dangerously perceptive, and his smile immediately vanished. "No need to give me the threatening glare," she sighed with a shrug. "We've known each other since we were kids. Of course I'll notice the way you are around him. And the brat doesn't even try to act normally, to blend with the rest of the folk. People here, at End of The World, are used to turning a blind eye to other people's quirks. We are all misfits, after all. Murderers and thieves turned peaceful farmers. But, even among all these misfits, he still inevitably stands out. A brat with silver hair and a common name? And you even brought him here yourself. Not to mention the way you're always taking care of him, always watching over him, as if you were afraid he might just disappear. Is he the kid of some important family? Did someone ask you to watch over him? Or is he just another runaway?"
ZaiWin sighed.
"None of that. And he's name really is Snow," he declared. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd had to repeat those exact words since they'd arrived here.
"If that's true, and he did use to live in the streets, why are you and the old man protecting him? Even that noble lady treats him with deference and respect. I'm not blind. I can see that he's not just another orphaned kid. You said you were trying to find him a new home but, up till now, you haven't made a single effort to find a family willing to take him in. And now you tell me that you got yourself into a bit of a problem. I can only conclude that he's related to that."
ZaiWin placed a friendly hand on her head and took a deep breath.
"You're better off not worrying yourself about such things."
"Of course I worry!" she immediately countered. "Didn't we promise that we would always look out for one another? If you're in trouble I want to help!"
"I appreciate your concern and good intentions, but there's nothing you can do. I made a choice, before coming here. And I will stand true to my choice, no matter what."
Storm finally released his arm and stood straight in front of him, her expression unusually serious.
"Can I take it that he is your choice?"
ZaiWin faced her dark gaze and didn't even hesitate.
"He is."
"So you did find it, after all. One worth dying for."
ZaiWin smiled. She had told him that, a long time ago. An innocent curse sang by the gentle voice of a romantic, dreamy little girl.
I know you're sad, right now. And that you're angry. But you'll see. Someday you'll find someone good, someone that will always stay by your side you, someone that will never betray you. Someone worth dying for.
"I guess you were right, all those years ago," he answered, still smiling, but Storm frowned, clearly displeased.
"I don't like it at all!" she openly stated. "And I don't trust that brat! He is rude and aloof!"
ZaiWin chuckled.
"You just don't know him all that well. I admit that he's a bit stubborn, but, more than that, he's simply timid. He's not used to being surrounded by other people. He probably doesn't know very well what he's supposed to do, in order to interact with others."
"And you are always defending him!" she pointed out, her frown deepening, and ZaiWin smiled. She was always like this, too honest and too impulsive for her own good. And yet, it had been exactly those traits that had led her, as a little girl, to disobey her stepfather and lend him a precious helping hand, all those years ago.
"Far from it. I'm probably the person that treats him the worst. It's just that we're kind of stuck together, and so he can't simply get up and leave."
Storm averted her gaze, still clearly annoyed.
"Are you really willing to die for him?"
"I hope it doesn't come to that."
"But you are willing, if needed."
ZaiWin sighed.
"I'm willing to die for a lot of people. I'm a Calzai, remember?"
She glared at him threateningly.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it! You're in love with him, right?" ZaiWin's smile immediately faded away, leaving a long sigh on Storm's lips. "Anyone can see that. The way you look at him, and how you behave when he's around. It's almost as if you've become a completely different person."
Well, that wasn't good at all, ZaiWin thought with a frown. Had he really changed that much? No matter what he might be feeling, it was no good, to allow other people to read him so easily. He really had to start paying more attention to the way he behaved around Snow, when in public.
"Does he love you back?"
He blinked, caught by surprise by her sudden question.
"What?"
"Does the brat love you back!" she patiently repeated, to his consternation.
"Things are not like that."
"What's not like that? You love him. Does he love you back? Isn't that the next natural question?"
ZaiWin sighed.
"You're still the same silly, romantic little girl."
Storm frowned angrily.
"So I take it that you still haven't asked him. Is little ZaiWin afraid?" she replied in kind, attacking as a way of defense, and it was ZaiWin's turn to frown in annoyance.
"And what am I supposed to be afraid of?, prey tell."
"Well, you're this stubborn, celibate idiot, that has never been in love once!, in his entire life. So I'm naturally guessing that you're afraid that he might reject you."
ZaiWin's frown only deepened at the sound of those unconcerned words.
"And you're probably right," she added, pensively. "That brat doesn't look like the loving kind, no matter how I look at him. He's too cold and detached. And I get the impression that he spends most of his time living inside his own head. He is more like the missionary type, willing to sacrifice himself for other people, the way he did back on the cave. But unable to really connect with anyone in particular, much less love someone back."
ZaiWin really wanted to argue against her words but, somehow, he couldn't help feeling that she had just hit the mark. It made his heart ache, but he couldn't find any flaws in her observations. And why was he standing there, listening to all that shit? Allowing her to prod his feelings like that?
"So how about you give up while you're ahead, and simply get rid of him and all the inherent problems you're not willing to share with me?"
"Never going to happen!" he practically growled in reply and Storm sighed, shaking her head in silent condemnation.
"Then just go and tell him how you feel. Who knows? Maybe that will make him see you with different eyes."
Probably never going to happen either, ZaiWin thought but, somehow, was unable to put it into words.
"Heavens be damned! You look like a frightened little girl!"
"I will hit you!" he warned her with another threatening glare and she sighed again, clearly ignoring him.
"Fine! Since you're not going to tell him, how about I help you find out how he feels about you?"
ZaiWin stared at her in guarded disbelief.
"You? You just told me that you don't even like him!"
"But I also told you that I want to help you. Since I can't help you with your politics and strategies, how about I help you with your love life?"
"No need. It's like I said. Things are not like that."
"You don't want to know?"
"I don't need to know. I'm not leaving him either way," he openly stated and Storm blushed.
"Well then … I never thought the day would come when I'd hear you say something like that."
"Some things are just the way they are."
Storm smiled mischievously, her eyes glistening dangerously.
"True. How about we check how things really are on the other side?" she asked and, placing her hands on his shoulders, she nimbly jumped, wrapping her legs around ZaiWin's waist. Taken by surprise, ZaiWin was forced to take a couple of steps back, holding her in order to regain his balance.
"What are you doing?" he demanded angrily but Storm winked at him, obviously ignoring him.
"Testing your beloved," she simply declared. And then her lips were on his, the arms encircling his neck holding him in place.
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Okay. For a change, Bad, Bad Storm! Ghaaa! I can already see it. The thousands that will want to stone you to death for daring to smooch our silly ZaiWin 😔