Chapter 17: Constellations

"So..." I begin nervously. Haine and I had been walking for ten minutes already and haven't said one word to each other. "...Why did you ask to go on a walk?" He shrugs and I see that this conversation isn't going anywhere.

"Um..." I continue, now desperate to get out of this awkward silence. "So...uh...how have you," -ahem- "been doing?" He shrugs again and leaves it at that. Now I'm starting to get frustrated.

"...Look." Haine says, coming to stop. I look around for a moment, not seeing anything particularly interesting...until I follow his gaze. My mouth opens and I in a quick breath.

Thousands and thousands of lights speckle the night sky. Blue, white, yellow, orange...I've never seen so many stars in my entire life. I'm so absolutely captivated by such a dazzling display of beauty, I forget how to breath for a second. My trance is momentarily broken by Haine who sits down on the soft grass and lays back. I follow his action and lay beside him.

"Wow..." Is all I can manage. "Just...wow..." Haine shrugs again. We stay there staring at the stunning celestial layout before us while listening to the calming sounds of the forest. This is the first time since our reunion I've been able to feel peaceful about Haine's silence. The relief is so overwhelming, I feel as if I'm going to cry. Just like when I first went on that walk with Shenbad so long ago, it's almost if I'm in a normal world again. Even if it's temporary, it's okay to drop my guard for a while. It's okay to relax. It's okay to feel...safe.

"That's Sagittarius." Haine says, pointing to a cluster of stars. "It kind of looks like a teapot...see it?"

"Er..." I tilt my head left and right and where he's pointing, but the only thing I see is a group of stars. "I think?"

"That bright one down there is Spica." He continues, "It's the fifteenth brightest visable star from anywhere on Earth. That orange one a little ways away is Arcturus. Follow it down a little that ways, and you come across Ursa Major, also known as--"

"The Big Dipper!" I smile. "And if you follow off the tip of the 'bowl' and go straight, you find the Little Dipper, right?"

"Yeah." Haine nods. "Ursa Minor; and the first star of its 'handle' is Polaris, the North Star."

"...You know a lot about stars, huh?" I say, turning my head to look at him.

"A little." He says. "...My parents taught me everything I know. We'd go out stargazing once in a while."

"I lived in the city." I reply. "This is the first time I've ever seen the sky like this."

"Really?" He asks in a tone like instead I told him my favorite food is raw brussel sprouts. 

"I've never been stargazing until now." I smile. We look at each other for a few seconds in silence. "...Aren't you out of breath? I think this is the most you've talked to me in one sitting."

"I talked to you on the plane didn't I?" He says, the corner of his lips turning upwards slightly. I stare at him in utter shock. My expression confuses him and he frowns again. "What?"

"You smiled." I say, breathless. "You. Smiled. You. And it wasn't because you blasted a zombie."

"I'm human." He shrugs, his cheeks a little pink. "I smile. I cry." At the word 'cry', I immediately think of Lucy. Did he cry when he learned she was captured? I sit up and stare down at the white-haired man beside me.

"She'll be okay." I say quietly, turning away. I hear him sit up. "She's Lucy afterall...she has to--"

"Don't." Haine cuts me off, his voice matching my own. "...Don't." I nod and suddenly feel the warmth of his arm across my shoulder. 

"I'm sorry." I say and rest my head against him. "...You can cry if you want. Don't force yourself to be strong... especially around me."

"...I'm fine." He says. The lie is so obvious, I feel a pang in my heart.

"Don't feel alone." I choke. "I'll stay by your side, okay? I'll go on walks and go stargazing with you if you're lonely. So don't feel alone, Haine..."

"...Then don't leave." He says so quietly I wonder if he'd even said that.

~~

"Finally!" Bruan exclaims once he sees Haine and me. "We're leaving. Now. Come on."

"Wait, what?" I begin. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing." Leon says, walking out of the cabin and closing the door firmly behind him. "We're going." A little ways away, I spot the twins. Axel's hands are shaking and he has a blank look on his face while Lexa hugs him tightly. Our two other commrades are nowhere in sight.

"Let me get my things first." I say, opening the door to the cabin.

"No!" Leon grabs my arm to stop me, but it's too late. He pulls me away and closes the door, but I've already seen it. We all have. 

"I had to!" Axel cries, his hands cradling his head as tears streamed down his face. "I had to!!" Lexa holds him tightly.

"One of our 'comrades' was a traitor." Leon spits, venom in his voice. "He killed the other then contacted one of his buddies, a Zombie."

"They were going to kill Leon!" Axel cries. "They were going to kill all of us! I just...I...Th-the first one killed the other! Then the Zombie charged Leon, so I-I grabbed my gun..." Axel trails off and there are more fresh tears. Leon comfortingly pats him on the back. 

"Let's go." Braun says and Leon throws me my traveling bag.

"From now on, we're going to see a lot more than just three corpses." Leon says, pulling on his long coat. "This is just the start. If any of you don't feel you're up for fighting after seeing this, you're not going to last. Now come on."

"Where are we going?" I ask Leon.

"North." He replies.

Long chapter. Sorry. m(_ _)m

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