Standing before their new house, Zion sighed.
"It is barely enough to contain us but we will still have to manage it," he said and Elina nodded in agreement.
They went into the house to have a look at their new home. The house had only two rooms in it with no furnitures, there were old blankets in one of the rooms which must have belonged to the old lady, an old chair, and a table as well.
It was worse than Zion's old house but he didn't complain about it, rather, he sighed.
"Now we have a place to pass the night," he said. "It is better than sleeping out in the open."
"Big brother," Aria called as she opened her eyes weakly. She looked around and saw herself in a strange place. "Where are we?" She asked.
"Our new home, Aria," Zion replied. "It's not much but we—"
"I understand, big brother and I am not complaining," Aria said, not letting him complete his sentence.
Zion smiled faintly, he was glad that she didn't complain about the house.
"Before night falls, I want to go and purchase some medicines for you," he said but Aria refused immediately.
"No, big brother. You have been working hard for days without resting, I want you to rest now," she said, sounding worried and heartbroken. Seeing how wounded and tattered Zion is, she felt terribly bad and hurt. She could not help but blame herself for everything that has happened.
"I know that look on your face, Aria," Zion said. "And trust me when I say I don't want it."
"Big brother," Aria whispered sadly. The more he spoke, the more she felt bad.
"I don't need you to start blaming yourself for what has happened. All I need from you is to recover fully so that we can go back to how we used to be, that's all. Doing this will make me feel bad as well, or don't you know?" He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Be a good girl and focus on your health."
"Yes, big brother. I will but you will also have to be a good boy and rest," Aria said and Zion laughed.
"Fine, fine. I will," he said with a defeated expression on his face.
Elina quickly rushed and arranged the blankets on the floor for him and then he laid down. He glanced at Aria who was sternly watching him and sighed.
'She doesn't look like she's going to give up any seconds from now'. With another sigh, he closed his eyes for the first time since he woke up from his coma and the moment he did, he fell asleep.
Seeing how weak he was, Aria sighed deeply, she felt bad, same was Elina who was also watching him closely.
----
By the time Zion woke up from sleep, it was approaching the noon of another day. He glanced around the house and noticed that it had been properly cleaned, there were no dusts or cobwebs, and the new look brought about liveliness into the apartment. The air also smelled like strawberry.
'Hmmm.' He sighed as he got up from the floor. He had gathered his strength once more but the wounds still ached, but that didn't bother him much as he went out to look for the girls.
Upon reaching outside, he saw Aria sitting on a wooden chair, she was staring at the kids playing around in the street and smiling.
Zion was relieved to see her cheerful expression, it was the first time he saw her smile genuinely after all that has happened.
Sensing his presence, Aria turned around.
"You are awake, big brother," she said to him.
"Yes," he replied and went closer to her. He looked around to find Elina but didn't see her. "Where is Elina?" He asked Aria. He didn't bother calling her senior Elina because that didn't matter anymore.
"She went out to buy some drugs for us," Aria replied and brought out a paper which she handed to Zion. "She asked me to give you this."
Zion collected the paper and went through it, after he was done, he sighed. "She must be feeling bad as well," he mumbled.
"Big brother, I know you are no longer angry with her but you should try to make her feel welcomed. She's been trying hard since you fell asleep. First of all, she cleaned the whole place throughout the night and this morning when I woke up, I didn't see her anywhere in the house. Later she returned carrying bags of foodstuffs and some clothes for us, without resting, she left once more to get drugs for us. Big brother, she's trying her best to make you happy."
Zion sighed deeply. It was not his intention to make her sad or whatever, it's just that the burden on him is too much. First, he has to care of himself and also take care of the two girls. He was barely seventeen years old but he has been blessed with the gift of becoming a family man.
What does he know?
He knows nothing on how to be a father or how to take care of his love ones. It was a heavy burden, yet he was willing to give it a try.
As for Elina, he is willing to give her a second chance. Accept her just as he accepted Aria from the very beginning and take care of the two them in the best of his power.
With a sigh, he said. "I must have been in a deep sleep yesterday, I wasn't aware of the outside world and didn't know what was happening around me... well then, I don't have anything to say about her. We'll have to wait until she returns."
"O-kay, big brother," Aria replied with a sad expression. Zion didn't reply to what she said but she hoped inwardly that he would change his mind and become nice to Elina.
After an hour, Elina returned carrying some bags of drugs. The moment she caught sight of Zion, she rushed over to him.
"I see you've been working hard lately," he said and she nodded. "Listen, I think you should stop already... It's not going to wor—"
"Big brother!" Aria called in a high pitched voice.
Seeing how Aria was glaring at him, he bit his tongue and quickly corrected himself. "I meant that you should stop, I've long forgiven you so stop trying so hard to please me. You should rest, you are equally important to me just like Aria is."
Hearing Zion, Elina teared up. Although he got her wrong, she was glad to know that he was no longer angry with her. She was finally going to have a peace of mind.
"Don't cry, big sister," Aria whispered and Elina nodded and wiped the tears in her eyes and forced herself to smile.
Seeing the two girls cheerful once again, Zion felt a genuine kind of happiness and relief wash over him.
"Let's go in," he said and then carried Aria while Elina followed behind. After placing Aria down on the chair, Elina brought a small bag containing Zion's breakfast and then handed to him.
"My breakfast?" He asked, gazing at the freshly baked bread and porridge though it was already cold.
Elina nodded and he smiled. "You've outdone yourself," he said to her.
Elina smiled in return, the tension between them dissipated and replaced by laughter caused by Aria who was making fun of Zion.
Zion smiled awkwardly and began to eat, he savored each bite, feeling a sense of normalcy wash over him. With his hunger now sated, he leaned back, surveying their new home. The cleanliness and warmth transformed it into a sanctuary, thanks to Elina. He now realized how truly blessed he was to have her by his side.
He glanced at the two girls, one had a radiant smile and the other's eyes shone with a mix of relief and hope. He vowed to keep those expressions burning in them.
After a while, he cleared his throat. "I think I'll take a walk outside," he said and pushed his chair back. "Elina, take care of the house while I am away."
Elina nodded and then he left the house. After he was gone, Elina quickly prepared the medicines she bought and had Aria take it. Aria fell asleep the moment she finished taking her medication.