Sometime later, the group finally approached.
"Look what we've found!" Suddenly, a voice laced in merriness awoke Yueshi and Yuan Yue from their rest.
Looking up, they saw You Ping standing there, grinning – in his arms six or so balls of fur were soundly asleep, even snoring from time to time.
Yueshi was a bit surprised, finally understanding why the Ape Queen had stayed hidden for so long – it had been taking care of the newborns.
Other than that, he also noted that the one with him was fairly smaller than the other, almost as if he had not been feed properly or not drunk enough milk.
Seeing the other's approach, Yueshi also lifted his hand, showing them the little guy sucking on his finger.
Even Yuan Yue was surprised by that and, a moment later, everyone burst into laughter, teasing Yueshi about it - such actions made him want to never have shown them.
With the help of Yu Hai and the others, Yueshi and Yuan Yue were brought to the cave where they found the baby apes to rest.
Thankfully, inside of it was much warmer, and as they made a bonfire it got a little bit cozier, though it was still really cold.
The battle had not been easy, and honestly, most were forcing themselves to look happy.
The stronger members did not have many troubles since they did not have to deal with the Queen and King; however, the weaker members suffered at the hands of the other apes.
Sitting by the bonfire, Yueshi observed the group.
Zhu Xiong was quietly roasting some meat with her left arm, the single one she had now. The other had been cut by a saber-wielding ape.
There was also another member, Hu Peng, that received a wound to his eyes and had lost sight as a consequence of that.
Nonetheless, there was no regret in their expressions. This mission was important for them to save someone they loved and cared about, so whatever the result was they had decided to accept it.
According to them, they could always retire, after all; even if they did not have any money, the rest of the group would help them, as always.
"It is amazing, right?" From the side, Yuan Yue asked. She was sitting cross-legged and observing the group with soft eyes.
"Hm." Yueshi softly answered. "I guess we are lucky for meeting people like them." His words gained Yuan Yue's approval.
She was sure that if fate existed, then they had been fated to meet.
They had known each other for so little time, yet, there was a profound respect for the other side.
Yes, the Scarlet Flame Mercenaries were neither the strongest, the wisest, and the most resourceful group; however, they were honorable, valued friendship, and would move heavens and earth to protect one of their own.
Glancing to the side, Yueshi looked at her profile.
What he noted was not her small, little nose, nor was it her tender, pink lips. Instead, what he noticed was the sorrow he could not understand that hid deep in her black pupils - the pain and the longing… right now, she looked lonely.
"One day, we can be like this too." He softly spoke, thinking about the other association members. "Chatting, drinking, and merrily teasing each other… like a family."
It was strange to think about it since both here and back on Earth he had a single family member, but Yueshi sincerely believed in that.
Yuan Yue nodded. However, his words did not seem to have too great of an effect in improving her mood. After all, without knowing the root of the problem, how could he deal with it?
Shaking his head, he decided to wait for her to open up about it herself.
"I can't understand your feelings right now, but…" Yueshi glanced at the bonfire. "… I, at least, can lend you my shoulder if you want it." At his words, Yuan Yue finally smiled, even if it was ever-so-slightly.
Then, a soft thump echoed as she leaned to the side, resting her head on his shoulder.
Yueshi wondered if this could be considered leading her on, but stopped thinking about it soon after. Right now, all he wanted to do was immerse himself at this moment, in this peace and the comfort his heart was feeling.
Like that, with Yuan Yue resting against his shoulder, and a ball of fur lying atop his head, Yueshi slept.
His mind then started to roam the land of dreams, and no one would be able to know what was going on over there.
When Yueshi opened his eyes again, everyone was already sleeping silently - except for You Ping, that is. The man kept grumbling and boisterously shouting even in the middle of his dreams.
He could see the embers jumping out of the bonfire and, taking care to not awaken Yuan Yue or the little guy above his head, he pushed a few more dried branches inside of it.
He could hear the wind howling outside, and from time to time, one beast or another would roar in the distance.
However, there was nothing to worry about; they had taken care of the smell of blood and the corpses, so no beasts would be attracted here.
Moreover, since this was the Frostbite Apes Territory, not many beasts dared to venture here.
Suddenly, he felt Yuan Yue move. With her bandaged hands and fingers, she rubbed her eyes, clearly still sleepy; then, after looking from one side to another, her gaze finally came into contact with his.
They stood in silence for a moment, both appreciating the silence. It was only after a long while those words were spoken.
"Thank you." It was a rare moment where Yuan Yue showed her weak side and, as she thanked him, she looked frail and lonely.
Yueshi could not deny he was curious about what made her this emotional; however, he merely nodded in answer.
Silence dawned once more. However, this time, it was Yueshi that broke it.
"I think that I came to understand my heart a bit better this time…" For some reason, his voice faltered a bit, almost as if he was nervous about something.
Yuan Yue did not say anything, only quietly listening. Despite that, she could feel her heart beating furiously and madly, trying to leap out of her chest.
Her mouth became dry and there were so many thoughts swirling inside of her head that she felt confused and dizzy.
"I have someone I love… and she is very, very, very precious to me." Yuan Yue softly trembled when she heard his words – she could imagine what he was going to say, and she did not want to hear it.
"I don't think I will ever be able to suppress this love, overcome it, or anything similar. It is strange, but I am sure that as long as my heart continues to beat, a great part of it will belong to her."
It was as if a blade was stabbing her hear, cutting it into pieces. Was it because it was her first love that it hurt so much?
Or was it because, without her even noticing, she had fallen so much in love that no words could properly describe what she was feeling?
"Yet, I can't say I do not like you." At his words, she could not help but release an 'eh' of surprise and astonishment. "It may sound frivolous, but… I mean… you have so many qualities and you are so wonderful, how could I not?"
After his words, only the sound of the crackling bonfire was heard in the cave for what felt like a long time.
"What does that even mean? What does that make of us?" With a trembling voice, a voice that one would not expect to come from her, Yuan Yue asked.
Yueshi could feel her small shoulders trembling as they rested against his own.
"That means exactly what it means – that I am a douchebag." He softly laughed in mockery. "I… I will not be able to stop thinking about her, loving her, and trying to make her love me the same way. So, I hones…" Speaking until here, Yueshi shook his head.
If he said he honestly thought it would be better if they stayed as friends, he would be lying.
He had decided to be honest with his heart, so that would go against such decision; as selfish, frivolous, and obnoxious as it sounded, he wanted her to be with him – even though he loved another.
Nonetheless, all he wanted to be truthful about his feelings and also hear what she had to say about it.
"That is unfair." Yuan Yue muttered, and she was right. He just spoke all that and, in the end, left the decision to her.
However, knowing her feelings, wasn't he sure of what her choice would be? At the same time, his honesty made it clear that he was serious about this.
"I had been thinking about this since that event…" Yueshi looked at the ceiling as if in reminisce. "I wondered what sort of feelings I had for you, and if liking you would mean betraying my love for her and if I was even worthy of having feelings for you."
Yueshi breathed in deeply to encourage himself and then continued.
"Earlier, seeing you hurt like that, I thought how I would feel if you were gone for good from this world…" The mere thought of it was enough to make him choke on his words.
"I felt my heart churning just from thinking about it... Such a future seemed so dreary, scary, and hollow. And so, I decided to be honest, to not overly complicate everything and be honest with you and with myself."
He had finally understood that love could not be measured in numbers – liking someone did not mean you loved another person less.
Affection could not be calculated in percentages, he did not need to allocate a set amount of his heart to each person.
"All I can say is that if you are willing to accept me, with all my selfishness, greedy, obnoxiousness…" Well, there were many flaws in his character, too many to be said. "Then, I will try my best to learn to love you while accompanying you for a lifetime…"
Yueshi also wanted to say that he guessed it would not be hard to come to love her. As sweet, beautiful, caring, and determined as she was, Yuan Yue had everything she needed to steal his heart.
This time, the silence lasted for even longer, the crisp sound of the embers being the only noise in the whole place. Even You Ping quieted down for a long while.
Even Yueshi was starting to get nervous, more than he had already been. What if she refused him, what if they parted ways? Would he be able to deal with such rejection? He was not sure, and he did not want to think about it.
However, the answer never came, not in words, at least.
Yuan Yue merely nestled herself against his shoulder, surprising him.
For a moment, he thought she had fallen asleep while he was speaking; however, his tense and nervous expression soon relaxed - the motive for that? It was the small, soft, and tender hand holding his firmly, yet gently.
Feeling the warmth of her hand, his heart calmed down, his mind clearing as he felt relief and bliss.
However, the happiness did not keep him awake for long as the fatigue brought by this eventful day caught up to him once more, forcing him to sleep.
He did not notice that, on the other side of the cave, Yu Hai and You Ping had long been awakened by their chat and heard everything they said - from start to finish.
Well, they could not be blamed. As veteran mercenaries and the strongest people of the group, they were light sleepers.
As they faced each other, You Ping opened his mouth and put his finger inside in a retching motion.
Yu Hai could only shake his head at his good brother, before closing his eyes. However, in his mind, he wished with all his heart for them to be happy together.