Life at school was way too normal for Aqua but she felt that she is drifting apart from Volca in many way. They weren't spending time together anymore and Aqua couldn't understand why. Volca had been purposefully avoiding her during the breaks and field works. Whenever Aqua would try to make a conversation, Volca would leave half the way, rudely often coming up with bizarre excuses and ending up in an argument. Even without caring that there are people around them. She even behaved ended up hurting Aqua pushing her down during the sword practice session right before Ash and Huo.
Aqua remained quiet but never cared to ask her. She just wanted to graduate obeying her fathers words. She just got used to being dumped by people for no reason. She wondered what could be the reason this time and what exactly she failed to do and please her friend.
One morning, Aqua and Volca was called out of their accommodation to practice sword techniques together under Senior Ash and Senior Jin Mi's instructions. Jin Mi kept giving directions while Aqua pretended to not know about, hiding her mixed martial art skills and doing slowly. Shifu laughed and observed their classes, after teaching them, he took off with Huo beside him. Shifu had already known about it and didn't want to blow her cover.
Suddenly a masked ninja jumped to the stage from the woods. Volca pretended to fight and escaped while Jin Mi hurried to inform the students. Ash got injured in the middle and Aqua had to face the situation alone.
"Stop fighting and come with me, I am ordered to not hurt you," the ninja said has he accidentally hurt Aqua's legs. But Aqua kept fighting and knocked him off. She hurried back to the school to find Shifu.
"Shifu," Aqua ran behind Huo and Master Bo Hai. But Huo stopped Aqua from approaching his master.
"Huo'er move away, shifu it's urgent," she was panting hard, sweating all over.
"What happened?" he asked her.
"There's an intruder, but," she paused.
"But what?"
"I enquired about him, then one thing led to another and,"
"And?" Huo asked her. Shifu was watching them both.
"I kind of, I think I knocked him off," She said looking down.
"Are you not a princess, how could you knock people before interrogation. Go to the woods and don't return for two days, reflect upon your mistake," Shifu ordered her.
Aqua flushed red and looked disappointed. She looked at Huo'er, asking for help but he remained like a stone. She left without wasting time.
Shifu and Huo walked back to see who the intruder was. They knew it instantly seeing the blood and crystals lying around, and alerted the water realm to send protection for the Princess in the school immediately.
"She cannot lose her blood, this crystals are part of her blood, it can kill and save a person," Shifu informed him.
"I will go find her," Huo said immediately and left the scene leaving the intruder for shifu to handle.
He walked around the woods in search for her. But he did not find her. He got worried. He regretted his rude behaviour towards her. He reached at the river banks too far away from the school and it was dark and late in the evening. Huo had no clue about where she could have gone. Frustrations ruined his mood. He took a break in the middle.
"Who are you looking for?" he heard her voice suddenly as he splashed some water from the river on his face. He wiped his face. He stood up and looked at her. The first emotion was anger, but realising how wrong he has been ready, he controlled himself. She looked gorgeous, under the moonlight that touched her skin, radiating and glowing. 'She really is a true goddess,' he thought, the corner of his lips curving to smile, but he stopped before he did.
"Nothing," he replied. He just stood there, trying to be cool in front if her. It was awkward between them for a moment.
"Come with me," She said and then took his hands and dragged him behind her, climbing up the tree and entered a tree hut. Her new secret hideout.
"Isn't this beautiful?" she asked him, as she she took him inside the hut. And he really did admire the view. Watching the moon high up at the sky, through a small window with a her. He glanced at Aqua, smiling a little, for a moment and moved away before he gets caught.
"Are you hurt?" he asked her taking a seat. Then he quickly grabbed her arms, pulled her closer, making her sit on his lap and lifted her blue gown up to her knees, her back of the legs were still bleeding. She was shocked and sat still, holding onto to him tight. She stooped breathing. He couldn't help but notice her slender legs with the milk like skin, soft and warm. He quickly let her go and she got up.
"Can you be a little gentle with my clothes, " she stammered a little as she spoke. He gave a sharp cold gaze. And she stopped moving. "I'm fine," he once again looked at her as she said it.
He tore the lining of her clothes and tied the wound himself. He used a spell to stop bleeding but wasn't sure if it would be effective.
"You feel wronged, don't you?" He asked her.
"Shifu was right though,"
"But why didn't you tell him that he came for you,"
"Because killing is not an answer, my father would and so will shifu, if somebody lay their fingers on me,"
"Have you not killed anyone before?" and she shook her head. "He must be dead for good already,"
"I don't enjoy it,"
"Nobody does, you are an only princess, the queen in the future, crystals sync with your blood, nobody should even touch you, you should know it better than anybody else," he said. He felt agitated and wronged, feeling for her.
"Let me take my time," she took a deep breath smiled, looking away. "and call me Aqua, Huo," she ordered him. "Just call me that way,"
Huo nodded to her request and stood at the door looking down.
"Is this where you spent the night last time you disappeared?" he asked her with so much concern to know if this is her hideout.
"Yes,"
"But this is the border, what if,"
"I was upset, I was scared honestly I wasnt aware of i was doing it all, thank god Aiden came to rescue me,"
"He does care a lot about you, taking time to visit and conduct a search party on his own," he mocked.
"He is family ofcourse he would, unlike some people, " she snapped back at him.
"Hey I searched the whole the day around the school for you, how could you just disappear like that for a minor misunderstanding," he asked her with rage.
"I did not decide to take off because of some God forsaken misunderstanding, I just needed some fresh air," she argued back.
"It wasn't like anything what you saw Aqua," he tried to explain.
"Yeah since this wasn't the only time," she rolled her eyes.
"What do you mean by not the only time? When have I ever gotteb close with any female disciples in school or outside?" He took a step forward towards her.
"You just speak well with everybody else than ditch me whenever am around you, why?"
"Because they come and converse with me, it's not like I was desperate. I was with you many times, but you have always turned away whenever you saw me too, why?"
"I didnt know," she said to his face. "How could I know about your intention, you should let me know, besides am scared that I would embarrass both of us and my best friend is crazy about you,"
"But are you not when I want you to be?" he asked her looking into her eyes. he cornered her against the against walls once again, his hand on the either side, blocking her way. She felt her heart exploding inside.
"I," she hesitated. "Are you?"
"I so am," he said just like that. "Isn't this the beauty between us?, Even if we don't speak to each other, yet we have yearning,"
"But how can you know when you don't say it?" she blurted out.
"Do you want to know?" he asked her.
"Yes," he moved his face closer closer to her as she whispered gazing into her deep black eyes that melted him instantly. He couldn't help it. He lost his own battle. 'But why,' Little did he know that love doesn't need a specific reason really.