* * *

"It's me, my Queen. You'll be safe now, I'll make sure you'll survive this no matter what," I heard a voice say after feeling a person's hug. A voice that is very much familiar to me. A voice that I wanted to hear the most at this moment.

My body felt sluggish and my mind became light probably due to the fever but I still forced my eyes open wondering if I was just hallucinating or if Rahu was really here in the cave with me. How I wish Rahu is really here, however even if this was indeed my mind tricking me, my tears streamed down feeling extremely happy and relieved seeing my lover's face.

"D-Did you really come to save me?" I asked with a hoarse voice due to my dry throat while I weakly touched his cheek. Even though the flashlight Rahu brought didn't light the whole place up, it was still enough for me to recognize Rahu's handsome face. This was also enough for me to understand that despite my helpless state, I could still recognize that this was reality which quickly made me feel relieved I wasn't hallucinating.

"Yes. I was so worried. Please don't ever do this again," Rahu said, sounding upset. I'm glad that he really came to save me despite his busy schedule but as soon as I heard him, I instantly realized that I got lost inside the cave while looking for Alex. I couldn't help but wonder that if I am in this helpless state, what misfortune could have happened to Alex. My mind quickly turned wild as I imagined what could have been happening to him at this moment.

"Rahu, m-my new friend... Alex... I-I got lost while looking for him... H-He's inside the cave somewhere... Please find him..." I said, not knowing what to do. I attempted to sit up but my body refused to follow. Alex is my responsibility because I was the one who invited him to come with us. If I didn't force him to come, none of this would have happened.

"Don't worry about him. He's safe and sound... No need to worry about him..." Rahu said with a little frown on his forehead but it quickly disappeared as he carefully tucked me in his embrace for warmth after noticing my shivering body.

"Really? It's a relief that he's safe. Thank you Rahu for saving us," I said a little breathless, my fever getting the worst out of me.

"Yes but for now, I bet you're thirsty. I don't have medicine with me but if you rest and manage to get your fever down a little, you'll be strong enough to get to the other side of the narrow path. From there I'll carry you on the way out," Rahu whispered softly and later got me a bottle of water. Normally, I could have gone through a whole day without water but me being sick and having no access to drinkable water made my condition worse so I quickly gulped on the liquid with the help of Rahu.

When I finished, I closed my eyes wanting to sleep. Rahu was right. I need to recover if I want to get out of here, especially now that I know that Alex is safe. Rahu is here for me, I can finally relax a little. I trust Rahu the most and I know he will take care of me.

"Thank you," I whispered with a weak smile before darkness finally consumed my consciousness.

* * *

Shifting a little from my sleeping position, I lifted my lashes open only to see Rahu's napping face close to me. My eyes went wide in shock wondering how he got inside the cave but I soon remembered what had happened earlier before I fainted due to my fever.

"Rahu," I called as I caressed his cheek. I noticed that we're sleeping on a thick blanket laid on the ground with only my body wrapped in another blanket. The cave is cold and damp but Rahu's body temperature remained warm as always but I still couldn't help getting worried for him because he might get sick like me. I don't know how many hours he's been keeping me warm like this but I hoped he also took care of himself. I'm happy that he's here with me but his health should also be his priority.

"Did your fever go down?" Feeling my touch, Rahu quickly woke up bearing his metallic silver eyes on me before he touched my forehead and later hummed in satisfaction confirming that my temperature had indeed gone down.

"Hmmm, I'm still feeling a little dizzy but I'm not shivering anymore," I said with a soft smile before I snuggled close to Rahu. "But Rahu, you should've kept yourself warm too. Aren't you cold?" I added rubbing my face against his neck. It had been just days since we last saw each other but I missed him so much especially after what I had experienced.

"I'm fine as long as you're fine, " Rahu said gently, hugging me as well.

"You can't say that. I will be sad if you get sick because of me," I said with a pout.

"I won't get sick because of the temperature but I might really get sick if you keep making me worry," Rahu said with a sigh, kissing me on top of my head before he pulled away which made me pout again because it's not like I meant for this to happen.

"You're a lot better now than before but you've been out for more than 7 hours so I had to tell the rescue team ahead that I've found you but you have a fever and couldn't walk that we couldn't leave with the narrow path up ahead with your condition," Rahu added, ignoring my pout. I didn't say anything to him in response but instead I stared at Rahu admiring how beautiful he is despite the shadows from the light lamp contouring his facial features.

"What is it?" Rahu asked with a soft smile before he touched my cheek softly.

"T-Thank you, for always taking care of me," I said suddenly feeling guilty. Now that Rahu is here with me, I no longer feel terrified inside this cave. I really thought I was gonna die before anyone could find me but Rahu came to save me in time. Although I feel bad that I had caused him so much worry, I am happy that I have someone who would look for me no matter what.

"Hmmm but please don't ever do this again. I thought I was going insane," Rahu said and he sounded begging quickly, making my heart ache. He may look fine now but I could feel how true his words were. If I put myself in his shoes my heart started to ache even more, much more so that we are now a bonded pair.

'I was really reckless this time. I shouldn't have felt happy that there would be someone who would look for me if I went missing because it would hurt the people I love, Rahu, Dad, Bea, and Ken.' I said to myself, feeling extremely bad.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again, Rahu," I said before hugging Rahu again, rubbing my face against his neck as I felt my eyes starting to feel hot.

"Please look at me. Do you really mean that?" Rahu asked and I quickly complied pulling away from my hug and sniffling before I nodded my head up and down.

"Hmmm, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me Rahu?" I asked and this time my tears started streaming down. Even though I tried keeping it in, they would still end up falling. Rahu who saw this held my face wiping my tears away with his thumb. He smiled helplessly and soon showered my face with kisses which I loved so much.

"I won't forgive you until I bring you out of this place. Your Dad had been worried sick for you. He's waiting for you outside. Bea and Ken as well," Rahu said with a sigh before finally we decided to sit up.

"W-wait... what? Dad's here?" I asked in shock that my tears quickly halted. Why does Dad have to get involved? He'll worry till he becomes sick. He's always been like that when I was younger. Whenever I catch a cold, he would worry himself until by the time I get better, he would then get sick as well.

"Gabriel, you've been here for 2 days. The professors had no choice but to cancel the camping activity and let your Dad know," Rahu replied with a serious expression. When I heard him, I was once again shocked. I already knew it's already the next day but I didn't expect to spend two days inside this cave. It all felt like it was just hours.

"When you got lost, the rain started pouring causing the waterfall to overflow and block the entrance of the cave. That's why we couldn't come and rescue you right away. Even when the rain stopped, we needed the water to drain before we could start the operation," Rahu said in all seriousness and I couldn't believe that I caused so much trouble for everyone.

" We tried different entrances but none worked. It was getting dangerous even for the rescuers... All of us were worried sick..." Rahu said again, holding both my cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't know I troubled everyone so much," I uttered dejectedly.

"No, please, I didn't mean to say that. What I meant to say is that you should not do things rashly next time and put yourself in danger like this because a lot of us will get worried sick if something bad had happened to you," Rahu said softly, pulling me into his lap while caressing my hair.

"Hmmm, I promise. I'm really sorry, Rahu. I'll also properly apologize to everyone when we get out of here," I said with a pout finally dissolving the serious expression on Rahu's face. The ever so slight knit on his forehead since earlier finally disappeared revealing the usual expression he would only bore for me.

"As long as you understand," Rahu said with a smile before our lips locked into a kiss filled with longing. The kiss took a long time but we soon decided to separate breathless before once again hugging each other.

* * *

End of Chapter Twenty-One.