Chapter 35 - Admitting

"When can we go back outside?" Kei whined, stretching out her legs in front of her.

"It's raining, there's not much we can do. Let's just hope it stops soon." Karabell smiled apologetically.

They'd taken shelter inside the girls' bedroom, not wanting to disturb Frederick and Shono. Those two seemed to be getting along just fine all of a sudden. And Karabell wasn't about to complain. They were both capable soldiers, and he was sure that if they could somehow manage towork together... He didn't want to think about it. In just a few days, they would be on their way towards that creature.

"Something bothering you? I guess that comes as no surprise..." Alice sat down beside him. "It would've been weird if you weren't thinking about it. We're all scared. Even Gull and the other creatures seemed uneasy when they asked us for help. It won't be easy, but we'll manage somehow."

Even so, she knew that those words didn't mean much to him. Lyra had already started training. Shono's wound hadn't healed yet, but he and Frederick were probably trying to come up with some sort of plan. Een... She wasn't sure where Een was, but he was probably doing his best, too. They were all on the edge. Well, everyone besides Kei. Alice glanced at the girl. She didn't seem to want to train purely because she found it entertaining. In her own way, Kei wanted to help.

"Hey, Kei. How come you're so good at fighting?" Karabell asked, out of the blue. She'd said that she didn't remember anything, so she probably had no idea. However, for a ten-year-old to be so skilled... It'd taken him a few months just to get accustomed to his weapon.

Kei stared at her palm, spinning one of the knives around her thumb. She wasn't sure if Karabell actually expected an answer or not. Plus, it was kind of difficult to put it into words.

"What do you mean? You taught me everything I know. I was watching when you all fought that Gargling, you know? I just combined your movements from back then with the things you showed me earlier, that's all." Kei blinked a few times, surprised by the shock written on Alice and Karabell's faces. "Is it weird?"

So Kei was a genius. And she wasn't even aware of it. They all used different weapons, had different fighting styles. She'd somehow memorized those motions and attack patterns, before tweaking and merging them in her mind? Of course they found it weird. A chuckle escaped Alice's lips. In a way, the girl reminded her of Kar. Easily doing things she'd already deemed as being impossible, not even realizing how amazing something like that was.

"I know I should be scared. Those things are more than twice my size and could kill me without much effort," Kei continued. "But, for some reason, I'm not. Likely because I know that we can kill them just as easily. I've seen you do it before. If we get rid of that being Gull mentioned, we win. After we do that, we can laugh and cry to our hearts' content."

"Spoken like a true soldier." Karabell joked.

Kei was incredibly smart, that was a fact. But getting lectured like that by a kid was awfully annoying.

As soon as the rain let up, Kei grabbed her knives, declaring that she was ready to resume training. Karabell somehow convinced her that getting Shono to teach her a few things was be a better idea. Partly because he didn't want Shono to feel left out, since he couldn't practice with them, but mostly because he wanted to talk with Alice. The girl nodded, cheerfully taking her leave.

"I'm sorry, Shono. I won't like this any more than you will..." Karabell muttered with his eyes closed.

He'd postponed it for too long, he was aware of that. But that didn't mean it was an easy thing to do. It would've definitely been easier before, when they were just a bunch of ordinary soldiers. Back when they weren't the ones supposed to save the human race. Even so, how long was he planning to wait? So many people had died right before their eyes. Even Shono had gotten hurt because of him. Did Karabell really want to risk something like that happening to another one of his friends before gathering the courage to open his mouth? He couldn't figure out why he was having so much trouble with it. He wasn't afraid to go up against three-meter-tall Aberrations. Superiors didn't scare him after everything they'd gone through, either. So why was he so scared when it came to something so simple? With each second, he was getting angrier and angrier at himself. He didn't deserve the title of Captain. He was just a coward. Nothing more, nothing less. A plain old coward.

"Say, Alice..." Karabell's voice fell to a whisper. He squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself that there was no going back. "Please, just listen to me. I know full well how dangerous our mission is. And I'm sure this is not what you want to hear right now. But I don't know if I'll get another chance to say this. So please, listen to me. Alice... I like you." He felt his heart sink as the words escaped his lips. "I don't know when I first became aware of these feelings... When I first realized I'd fallen for you. All I know is that I didn't have the courage to tell you. Please, let me hear your answer once all of this is over. I don't want to hear it now, but promise me you'll give me an answer afterwards. We'll both get out of this alive. That way, you'll be able to give me an answer." Karabell desperately clung onto that word, that wish. What was wrong with him? But they couldn't die. He couldn't let Alice die. For the hundredth time, he swore to himself that he wouldn't let that happen.