BlackKnightX

I’ve changed my mind. I’m gonna keep writing in 3rd person POV. Though, like the last chapter, there might be some moments where I’ll use 1st person POV again. Somehow it portrays the feeling of intimacy, closeness, and comfort really well. So, I might use it again in the future. But it will come sparingly. I’ll mainly tell the story from the 3rd person POV. I feel like I can control the story better that way. I feel like being a god, peeping into the lives of two beautiful girls. Wait, that sounds creepy… Well, whatever~ 🤷‍♂️ 

This had to be the best day in Liana’s life. 

The first time she met Ayuna, she thought she was beautiful. That girl, laying under the shade of a tree, sleeping peacefully. The gentle wind blew, ruffling the tree leaves, producing a nice sound of nature.

The sight before her right then was truly magical. The little girl laying there appeared like a beautiful fairy to her eyes.

Liana was in a daze then, but she soon snapped out of it and quickly woke up the girl. The girl opened her eyes, and Liana’s heart was moved once again. Her red eyes seemed to emanate this strong presence. Just by looking at them, she felt some indescribable emotion welling up within her.

Though, she shook off the feeling and kept shaking the girl. She seemed to be lost in thought and disoriented.

Was something wrong with her head? Liana had made an assumption then.

And then it came out…. She’d lost her memory.

The moment Liana heard this, she truly felt bad for the girl. She’d never lost her memory before, so she wouldn’t be able to truly understand the girl. But, she could still imagine what it would be like if she were to lose the memory of her loved ones, losing them, forgetting them all as if they’d never even existed.

Those nice memories she had with her parents. If she were to lose them one day, how would she feel?

Well, maybe she would feel nothing since she wouldn’t remember anything, but still, just thinking about it pained her heart.

Liana felt empathy for the girl, she’d knelt and patted her shoulder. She’d asked for her name but soon realized that she might not be able to remember. Seeing that look of confusion and loss in the girl’s eyes, Liana felt more and more empathy toward her.

So she gave her a new name. Ayuna. She didn’t know why she had chosen that name. Somehow it just popped up in her head. Heck, she didn’t even know its meaning, but it’s a nice-sounding name, so she thought there was no problem.

The girl accepted the name and seemed really glad. From that moment on, she’d become Ayuna, the girl she had come to love so dearly.

During the course of their journey to her home, both of them had gotten to know each other more and more. Well, mostly it was Liana telling Ayuna more things, but she also learned something from Ayuna as well. And the more she learned about the girl, the more intrigued she’d become.

What intrigued her the most was the fact that Ayuna seemed to know about magic. She’d told her that she remembered it from the fragments of her memory.

Knowing about magic wasn’t that big of a deal. Anyone in Avaria knew them, although not many could use it, especially her kind…

Liana thought back to that painful memory back in the village and couldn’t help but feel the familiar sense of despair, anger, pain, and sadness rushing through her. Those were the feelings edged so deep in her heart. It had been so long since she felt them.

Every time Ayuna mentioned the word magic, those painful memories would resurface in her mind. Her father’s figure standing before her, shielding her from any harm. Her mother’s embrace filled with warmth and love. Those pictures were painted in blood, straining their beauty and giving her nothing but a sense of despair and dread.

Liana tried to shake it off. Those days were long ago. She now had a happy and peaceful life. 

She had built many things all by herself and learned things on her own. She could live alone just fine. Although she had wanted to move away further from the village, she wasn’t quite sure what she might find beyond the forests around here.

She’d told Ayuna about her adventures before, but those were only in the area around here. She didn’t have the gut to go further for fear that there could definitely be far greater dangers out there. The dangers that might threaten her life.

Yes, she was nothing but a coward, really. A coward who’s afraid to go out of her comfort zone and really faced her own fear.

“Liana, you’re not a coward at all!”

Those were Ayuna’s words. She’d told her that with such a sincere expression. At that moment, Liana didn’t know what to say. She was at a loss. An indescribable emotion she’d been feeling deep inside ever since she first met Ayuna grew even more stronger, and after hearing her say that, it grew very strong that she felt overwhelmed. A strong sense of warmth enveloped her heart as it started to beat faster and faster.

This warmth. It felt so familiar… but where…

Oh, right. It felt like her mother’s and father’s warmth. The love they had given her back then felt so nice. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was a nice feeling of comfort.

And now, Ayuna, the girl she’d just met had given her that same warmth.

Was it love? Liana had asked herself.

Maybe it was, but somehow this feeling was also different from what she felt from her parents. This warmth, it felt different. The warmth she felt from her parents was comforting. It made her feel safe. But with Ayuna, the warmth she had given her felt different. 

It was a weird feeling she'd never experienced before. She felt comfort and excitement at the same time. She felt peaceful while at the same time she felt like this warmth could rock her world. It was a strange feeling. Chaotic, yet peaceful. Calm, yet exciting.

“Have you ever fallen in love before?”

Ayuna had suddenly asked her that. Liana was caught off guard. She didn’t expect such a question.

Although she’d only experienced familial love in her life, she did know that there were other types of love as well. But she wasn’t quite sure about it. She’d seen couples being all lovey-dovey back in the village but didn’t think much of it.

Why would she? Those people had given her nothing but bad memories.

But still, she did know about different kinds of love to some extent. 

So then, this feeling. This feeling of warmth and excitement. The feeling that made her heart beat so fast every time she looked at Ayuna. Was it love? 

It had to be, right? She wasn’t sure. She’d never felt anything like this before. Somehow, it felt… nice. No, actually, it felt really good!

So, with her face flushing red, her heart beating rapidly, she answered, “Actually… I-I have…”

Ayuna asked her about it more and more. Asking her who it was she had fallen in love with. 

Liana wanted to tell her that it was her. That she had fallen for Ayuna, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She felt too embarrassed. The feeling was so overwhelming, and she didn’t know what to do.

“W-Why don’t we go in together?”

The moment Ayuna had said that to her in the bathroom, Liana felt her heart almost leaping out of her chest. W-What did she mean going in together? Was she going to give her a heart attack!?

Yes, Ayuna and her were of the same gender. There shouldn’t be any problem seeing each other naked and bathing together. But still…

This felt different. Maybe it was because she’d never bathed with anyone before aside from her mother, that’s why she felt so embarrassed…

No… actually, she knew better.

It was actually because Ayuna was the girl she loved, the girl she had fallen in love with. So, she somehow felt insecure and shy about being naked with her. How would she feel the moment she saw her naked body? She didn’t know and didn’t want to think about it. 

She felt truly vulnerable at that moment. The feeling she hadn’t felt for a very long time. The last time she felt this vulnerable was back in the village. The feeling of powerlessness. The feeling of despair. She’d felt truly vulnerable back then.

And now, that feeling had come back again after all these times. Though, somehow this too felt different. The vulnerable feeling she felt in the past gave her nothing but a bitter taste in her mouth, but this… this vulnerability at this very moment felt very… endearing?

Liana didn’t know what to make of this. It was a new feeling she’d never experienced before, but she didn’t hate it. She didn’t hate it at all. Actually, she really loved it and maybe even… craving for it.

The more time she spent with Ayuna, the more she came to love her even more. 

“I like a woman, Liana.”

The moment Ayuna told her that, Liana felt some hope. If she like women too, then maybe…

But still, even if she said she liked women, that didn’t mean that it was her. No, it couldn’t be her. The possibility was very slim. Although Ayuna was nice to her, that might just be because she had saved her from dangers. She was just feeling grateful for her. That didn’t mean that she liked her back the same way she felt.

Or maybe, she already had someone she liked. Maybe, in those fragments of memory of her, there actually was someone sh—

“And that woman is you…”

—e… S-She… Maybe there was…. Maybe she… Maybe….

Liana didn’t know what to say after hearing that….

The feeling of warmth enveloped her entire being. The indescribable emotion, the feeling of love inside of her felt even more stronger, so strong in fact that it overwhelmed her.

Before she even realized, her tears already ran down her cheeks. Her vision blurry, and all she saw was the hazy image of Ayuna. The girl she loved. The warm feeling. The feeling of love. The rush of emotion. It ran through her and overwhelmed her.

Right then and there, she suddenly felt a strong urge to embrace the girl in front of her. And she did. They both embrace each other so strongly.

Her feelings… had been reciprocated. She felt… truly happy…

And so, wiping her tears, looking into her eyes, and smiling. She finally said what she truly wanted to say:

“Me too. I like you too. Very, very much.”