A knot of anxiety tightened in Couronne's chest. She had witnessed Riku's quiet determination, the almost brittle resolve in his eyes. But beneath it, she sensed a profound weariness, a silent burden he carried. The weight of their past losses, the constant struggle for survival – she feared it was finally taking its toll. His sudden decision to face the unknown alone felt less like strength and more like a man walking towards a precipice.
If nothing changes, she thought, her heart aching with a premonition of disaster, he'll break. He's already broken. His solitary departure felt like the final severing of a fragile thread. She couldn't bear to let him walk into the darkness alone, carrying the weight of the world on his young shoulders.
"Forgive me, Riku," she said, her voice trembling slightly but firm with conviction, "but I can't let you go like this." There was a fierce protectiveness in her stance, a refusal to stand idly by while he faced danger alone.
Riku turned back, his gaze softening slightly at her obvious distress. "I know you're worried, Couronne," he said gently. "Earlier, I always relied on others, and now I'm choosing to go alone. But please, trust me. I will not die." His words were meant to reassure, but the underlying gravity of the situation hung heavy in the air.
'I just can't allow myself to die, no matter how weak I am!' The fierce determination surged through Riku, a burning ember in the face of overwhelming odds. Survival wasn't just a desire; it was a stubborn refusal.
He leaned closer to Couronne, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, a mischievous glint in his eyes despite the gravity of the situation. "Anyway, I still have you to… attend to. I ain't going to die without… experiencing that with you."
A wave of crimson washed over Couronne's cheeks at his suggestive words, her eyes widening in a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. The playful tone was a deliberate act, a fleeting attempt to inject some levity into the tense atmosphere and, more importantly, to distract her from his impending departure.
But Couronne wasn't easily swayed. Her concern for his safety outweighed her momentary fluster. "Still, I can't let you go alone," she insisted, her voice firm.
Riku sighed inwardly. He had hoped his little diversion would work. "Okay, then," he said, a hint of teasing in his voice, "I would prefer to go with Terra."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Couronne's face, a subtle shift in her demeanor. "Terra, right?" she repeated, a strange lilt to her tone. "Yes, yes, she is one of the most beautiful girls in the village, so you'd definitely want to take her with you." There was a sharp edge to her words, a hint of something akin to playful jealousy masked beneath a veneer of agreement.
"That's not the case at all," Riku clarified, his tone earnest. "I'm taking Terra along because her instincts are incredibly sharp, and her combat abilities are excellent. Besides," he added, gesturing subtly, "she knows how to use a sword far better than I do." He needed someone with practical fighting skills by his side.
A small smile played on Couronne's lips, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "I know, I was just kidding," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with amusement. But a playful warning still lingered in her voice. "But if I find out that anything happened between you two… I won't forgive you."
"Got it," Riku affirmed, a wry smile touching his own lips. He understood her protective nature, even if it manifested in a slightly possessive way.
With a nod, Couronne turned and called out to Terra. The blonde-haired girl, her movements carrying a quiet grace, approached them. After a brief explanation, Terra readily agreed to accompany Riku.
Terra's story was etched in the shared history of the survivors. Her village, like so many others, had been brutally destroyed, leaving her as one of a mere ten souls to escape the devastation. Despite the trauma she had endured, she carried herself with an undeniable elegance and confidence. Her beautiful face was framed by long, flowing blond hair, and her usual attire – a long-sleeved, high-necked blue dress with a crisp white bodice – spoke of a quiet dignity. Like everyone else in the village, Terra admired Riku for his strength and leadership. However, Riku's decision to choose her for this particular mission was based on a far more pragmatic assessment of her skills and experience.
SCENE CHANGED
"So, are you ready?" Riku asked, his gaze meeting Terra's.
A determined nod touched her features. "Yeah. I am very happy that I got a chance to go with you, thank you for trusting in me," Terra replied, a hint of gratitude in her voice.
A ripple of playful jeers and whispers spread through the small group of scouts and villagers who had gathered to see them off.
"But Riku," one of the scouts called out, a smirk on his face, "there are people in the scouts who are stronger than Terra, so why did you choose her?"
Another chimed in, nudging his companion with a knowing look, "Come to think of it, Riku often goes with the boys, but this time he chose a girl, that too whose… oranges are so big." He punctuated his crude remark with a suggestive wink.
A flush crept up Terra's neck and spread across her cheeks, but she held her gaze steady. Riku, however, remained unfazed by their immature taunts. His attention was solely fixed on the worn map spread out in his hands, his brow furrowed in concentration as he traced a route with his finger. The opinions of others were irrelevant to the task at hand.
"Riku didn't even tell us where he was going," another voice piped up, laced with playful curiosity. "Terra, Riku, what'll you do if he jumped at you in the middle of the mission?"
"So what if he jumped on her? Is there any shortcoming in our Riku?" a third voice chimed in, this one with a hint of admiration. "I think he's the most handsome guy in the village, but what's the use of being so handsome if you aren't interested in those things?"
"I know, right?" a girl added, giggling. "Honestly, I think Terra is the one who'll jump at Riku, and since Terra is so strong, Riku won't be able to stop her. Terra, this is a great opportunity, there you can easily overpower Riku. After coming back, Riku won't be able to tell anyone. What will he say, that a girl took his virginity by force? Haha."
A faint blush dusted Terra's cheeks again, but she looked directly at Riku, a reassuring sincerity in her eyes. "Don't worry, Riku, I will not do that with you without your permission."
"Don't pay attention to what they say!" Riku called out, his voice carrying a sharp edge of annoyance that momentarily silenced the teasing crowd.
But the respite was brief. "Meaning if Riku wishes, will you do that with him?" one of the bolder onlookers persisted, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Terra remained silent, her gaze fixed on the ground, a deeper shade of red blooming on her cheeks. The playful, yet pointed, questions had clearly made her uncomfortable.
"I am very jealous of you, Terra," another girl chimed in, a teasing lilt in her voice that nonetheless held a hint of genuine envy.
Despite the ever-present danger that lurked beyond their village borders, a sense of normalcy, however warped, had taken root. The ability to joke and tease in the face of such a merciless world might seem incongruous, even foolish to an outsider. But the human spirit possessed a remarkable capacity for adaptation, for finding pockets of levity even in the darkest of circumstances. Life, in its relentless continuity, fostered a strange comfort, a sense of familiarity even within the jaws of hell.
"Alright, let's go," Riku said, his expression betraying none of the internal turmoil or the surrounding banter. He mounted the waiting horse with a practiced ease and then gestured for Terra to join him.
Riku sat on the horse and gestured Terra to sit on it too.