A/N: Ehem.. ahh... Hi? hehe.... it's been awhile hasn't it? almost a week. I was kinda... busy with RL so the update got delayed... anyways here is a short chapter along with the rewrite version of chapter 15.
Please do check it out! alright J is out!!
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Dinner had been awkward. Kiana and Noah barely said a word, just eating in silence. Across the table, Theresa and Himeko exchanged amused looks at the teens' stiff posture.
Back in his room, Noah was curled up on his bed, groaning.
Wahhh!! That was so awkward!! He screamed inside his head while rolling on his bed. What do I even do now?! I can't face Kiana at all!
A knock at the door made him jump.
"Y-yes?!" he called out, voice slightly cracking.
"Ah… No-Noah, it's me."
Noah heard Kiana's voice and immediately sprang up from his bed. He rushed to open the door and there she was. Dressed in her casual clothes, hair still in her signature braids, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She smelled faintly of shampoo fresh out from bath.
"Ki-Kiana?! H-hey there!" he stammered. Seriously?! Right after a bath?! That's totally cheating, Kiana-san! Are you trying to kill me?!
Kiana blinked at his awkward greeting, then let out a small laugh, quickly covering her mouth with both hands.
C-CU-CUTE?! What is this adorable creature?! Noah panicked internally.
After regaining her composure, Kiana flashed him her usual bright grin. "I want to walk around for a bit. Want to come with me?"
"YES! I mean sure, yeah." His overeager answer made Kiana laugh again.
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Moonlight and stars glowed gently in the sky as Noah and Kiana walked along the paths around Saint Freya Academy. The usually busy courtyard was silent, with only the soft sound of ocean waves and the cool night breeze filling the air.
Kiana strolled beside Noah, arms relaxed behind her back as she hummed a light tune. The silence between them felt natural.
Mostly.
"When I first met you, I thought you were some weird guy," she muttered, finally breaking the silence. "You were just standing there with this stunned, clueless look on your face."
"Ehh..." Noah looked over at her, clearly caught off guard. I think anyone would be if they saw a frail-looking girl smashing a monster twice her size with nothing but a baseball bat, Kiana-san!
Kiana laughed a little. "Back then, I never thought that weird boy I bumped into would end up being so important to me."
Noah stayed quiet, listening intently.
"You bake cookies for me, give in to whatever I ask, spoil me, make sure I'm never alone, give me space when I need it—and still show up when it matters. Everything you've done... it means a lot." Her steps slowed. "Thank you. For always being here."
".....You're welcome," Noah replied, his voice is soft and gentle.
Another silence.
Then Kiana, her cheeks slightly pink, looked up at him and asked, "...Noah?"
"Hmm?"
"That thing you said… about taking care of me forever." She glanced up, heart pounding. "Did you mean it? Or were you just joking?"
He stopped walking and turned to face her.
"No," he said clearly. "I meant every word."
Kiana blinked, caught off guard. "Wha—! You can't just say that with a straight face!"
"I can and I did."
"You're impossible!"
He laughed, not even trying to hold it in. "You're pretty cute when you get flustered, you know."
Kiana looked like she might burst. "I am not—!"
His laugh rang out again, light and warm.
As the teasing settled, she let out a half-groan, half-laugh and turned away. "You're seriously trying to make me melt…"
Kiana looked up at the moon and stars, then started walking again.
"…Would you stay here?"
Noah blinked.
"Yeah," he answered, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
She turned to him, her voice softer than before. "I mean... really stay. Not just for a while. But really stay with me."
Noah paused. His heart skipped.
He hadn't thought that far ahead.
"…You mean stop traveling?" he asked.
Kiana didn't say anything at first.
She just looked at him, her eyes full of something that made him stop thinking altogether.
That look in her eyes, fear, longing, and honesty, hit him harder than anything else.
"I don't know," she said softly. "I just… don't want you to drift away."
"I... I don't…" He swallowed. "I followed the Force. It brought me to you. That felt right. I just never thought about what happens after."
She stepped back not because she wanted to leave, but because the moment felt too much.
And he let her.
They stood in silence, the night gently wrapping around them.
No clear answers.
Only a strange, quiet ache neither could explain.
Eventually, Kiana turned toward the dorms.
Noah didn't move.
"…Good night," she said.
"…Sleep well," he answered.
Neither of them looked back.
But when they were finally out of sight, both paused just for a heartbeat before walking on.