Chapter 8: Acceptance

*Souta*

When I left Purpura, I found an unpleasant surprise waiting for me downstairs. Ava.

"What you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms. I shot her a dirty look as if telling her to get out.

"I invited her," Ma said, flashing her usual mom smile. "She helped us out while you were off retrieving your notebook from school. I figured that inviting her to dinner was the least we could do."

"Sou doesn't like Ava?" my little sister asked as she looked up at us.

"Ava is nice," my three-year-old brother said as he looked up at me.

I shook my head as I took my seat. "She just acts the part. And yes, I don't like her, not one bit!"

"Sou..." Ma said, furrowing her brow.

"Feeling's mutual," Ava said, sitting down. She avoided looking me straight in the eye.

"You two..." Ma said. While she didn't pair me up with Ava like dad constantly did, she did want us to be friends. Probably had to do with the close friendship of our families. While she might've been best friends with Mrs. Rose and Big Brother might've been best friend's with Ava's older brother, that didn't mean that she and I were going to be best buds too! 

I took the seat across from Ava and averted my gaze as well. "Hey, are you alright?" I peeked and saw that that she was continuing to look away.

"I'm fine," Ava whispered.

I sighed. "Sorry if I made you upset just now. You aren't still startled by the fall, are you?"

She turned over, her face was bright red. "Don't mention that, you idiot!"

I smiled. She must really be fine.

"You can be a little nicer you know." I leaned in closely and put a hand over her head. "You're warm, did you work especially hard today or are you catching a fever?" I moved away as I saw her glaring at me. "Though it doesn't feel that way." I tilted my head to the side. 'It's almost as if she's blushing...'

"You two really do make a good couple," Pa said as he walked in. He gave us a huge grin.

"Pa, I told you many times that I don't like girls, especially not Ava!"

"I have a girlfriend but if I didn't I would rather date Sehun than this uncivilized guy," Ava said, scoffing.

Oh, so she finally admitted it! I always knew that she was getting in our way for a reason!

"Who are you calling uncivilized? At least I'm not flirting with someone else while having someone I claim to love!" I yelled. Though I sorta felt like a hypocrite after Purpura's comments on how I disgusted him for what he interpreted as me flirting with him.

Pa chuckled. "You two sound like a married couple already."

I grumbled and looked down at the soup. I slurped the soup despite it being warm but it was for a good cause...

Ava copied me.

I tried drinking faster but the solid parts of the soup wouldn't let me. I had to put my plate down to avoid accidentally choking on one of the soft pasta bits.

Ava put her bowl down too and grabbed her napkin. "Sou, when are you going to mature?" she asked in her usual 'mature' tone.

I rolled my eyes. This girl was doing the same thing a moment ago! Gods, doesn't she know when to stop?

I blinked as a soft cloth rubbed against my cheek. "You got some soup here," Ava said, chuckling.

I lowered my gaze to my bowl. This plate sure looks nice... 'Oh gods, what am I going on about? It's just a plain white bowl! I must be getting sick!'

"Son, you're blushing," Pa said, covering his grin with his right hand. "I knew you weren't completely into guys."

I bolted up from my seat. "Stop it! I don't like Ava and I never will! Also, when will you finally accept who I am?"

Pa narrowed his eyes. "I think I have. You're the one who has yet to accept who you are."

I shook my head. 'He will never get it.'

"Sou, wait," Ava said, grabbing my arm as I got ready to sprint away.

Again, that weird feeling from this morning, when I was running, and a moment ago, returned.

"Let go of me!" I yelled. I slapped her hand away, turned around, and ran upstairs.

*Ava*

I stood up from my seat. "Wait, Sou!"

"Let him be," Sou's pa said, scoffing. "As you said, he's a child."

Sou's ma glared at him. "He is still a kid."

"Technically, but he's almost an adult. He is too whimsical for his age. The boy has to learn that following his heart isn't always the best course of action."

I curled my hands into fists. "You have a point, but ya gotta allow ya son to discover himself. You're pressuring him."

Cain sighed. "You know you can't escape destiny. You should know this, being Xun Yi's heir."

"We can create our own futures," I said, putting a hand over my chest. "The sages taught us that."

"Ava has a point," Zetsuna said, picking up her toddler son. "Pressuring them to follow a future they didn't pick won't help. If it's going to happen as you said, it can occur without the pressure. If you keep doing that, Sou's going to distance himself from you or worse. Or do you want him to keep you at arms length like Seiya did?"

Cain eyed his empty bowl. He must've been thinking about the argument he had with Sou's older brother years ago. I wasn't sure about all of the details, but I did know it involved marriage.

"If you excuse me, I'm gonna go check up on that idiot," I said, running off.

*Xūn Yi*

[Ages Ago]

"Oww," said a girl as she staggered into town. Kizuishō like a gentleman just had to go and help her, leaving me to carry some of his things, very gentlemanly...not!

"Are you alright?" Kizuishō asked, kneeling down next to the stranger.

The girl's opal-like eyes looked up at him. Her pale skin quickly turned bright red. "Thank you so much."

Kizuisho grinned. "It's no problem. You can use my shoulder for support. But first, we need to get that leg checked." He glanced around the small village in the outskirts of nowhere which we called 'home'. "Well, just sit down here. I'll go get some bandages from princess."

I glared at him. No matter how many times I told him not to call me that, he continued to do so. Also, for a guard he wasn't treating me like a princess, he should be the one carrying all of the luggage.

"Don't give me that look. This isn't the time to act spoiled. She's hurt, she needs our help."

I threw the bandages at his head. "Fine, you help her. I'm going to continue on my way back home, idiot!"

He didn't pay me any attention.

I took a deep breath and stomped away, not paying attention to my surroundings. "Ah, sorry."

"Are you alright, princess?" a familiar voice said.

I looked up and saw a boy dressed in a black robe with a hood over his head. He removed the hood, revealing the light pink eyes that the shadows once hid.

"Alfonso, what are you doing here?"

He smiled as he put his hands behind his head. "I came to find Kizuisho and you. The Chief wants you two to return back home. He said that we have to prepare for war with the Opal Clan." He glanced around and sighed. "Now, where is that guy? Honestly, I have to tie him to a leash." He looked down at my stuff and took some. "Why did he leave you to carry all these things? Last I checked you were the royal one."

"He went to help this girl with colorful eyes."

"Colorful eyes?"

"Yeah, they kind of remind me of opals."

He grabbed my hand. "This is bad. Kizuisho is in trouble."

*Purpura*

"Not again," I said, looking up at the orange ceiling. "Why do I keep having these Ethereal Dreams?"

Suddenly, my stomach grumbled. I rose up from the bed.

"Maybe I should take Sou up on his offer." I was nearly smacked in the head by the door swinging open when I was about to open it.

"Curse him! Curse Ava! Why..." Sou slammed the door shut. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked, reaching a hand out. How did he go from happy to angry?

He pressed his back against the door and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. "It has got absolutely nothing to do with you!" he yelled, struggling to hold back further tears.

I grabbed him the collar of his coat. "No one ever talks to me like that, got it?"

He glared at me. "This is all your fault!"

I lifted him up from the ground and threw him into the bed behind me. "My fault?" I laughed. "What is this about? What did I do?"

"You had me go chase after you... to that tree." He put his hands over his heart. He stood up and walked over to the window. "If my mom comes, tell her that I went to get some fresh air!"

"Hey, wait! What does me making you chase me have to do with anything? Also, this is the second floor!"

He smiled as he opened it. "I know... I will be fine." He closed his bloodshot eyes before leaping.

What in the world had gotten into him? He was an emotional wreck. I sighed and went after him. I couldn't leave him alone. Not in this state!