Asta Silva - Childhood and travel

Chapter 12

<Asta>

I woke up in the morning and my back hurt. Not surprising, since I slept on a tree. I yawned and stretched, waking up Liebe, who slept on my stomach.

"Mornin'" I said, still sleepy.

"Good morning, brat. Want some breakfast?" He asked, and I shuffled anxiously. 

"What?"

"I didn't bring any money, and I don't want to go back yet" I said, uneasy at the thought of going back.

"Then we'll find something in the forest" he proposed. "I saw some berry bushes nearby. Maybe you won't be sated, but you'll fill your stomach a bit"

"Alright" We went to the aformentioned bushes, from which I picked the berries and quickly ate them.

"Asta! Asta!" I heard Langris scream, which made me tense up and made me nauseous.

He will want to take me back to the hotel, where I'll be punished by Father, and Langris won't associate with me anymore... And then Vermillions will see how worthless I am and will also stop talking to me, and then I can loose Liebe too, who will also see that it was a bad idea to take me as his user. And then I'll be all aloe until someone finally kills me. My vision got blurry. I barely heard Liebe call me. I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breathe, my chest hurt.

***

<Langris>

I was searching for Asta since morning. I hope he's alright. After his godforsaken family finally stopped arguing and we checked how it really was, that stupid Solid got punished. I was furious, when for some reason Asta's father was angry at him for... For what exactly? He didn't do anything! But I couldn't say anything, so I just glared intensly at his whole family.

I looked in the forest, since I doubt he would hide in the village. It was too obvious, and in the foret there was a lower chance he would run into someone.

"Asta!" I heard someone scream.I immediately ran in that direction. When I got there, I saw an unconscious Asta and some black form floating over him. I felt panic overtake me.

"Asta!" I ran up and kneeled before him, checking his pulse. I sighed with partial relief when I felt it. "What are you? What did you do to Asta?" I asked the black thing angrily.

"It wasn't me! He got a panic attack!" he defended himself "I'm his spirit"

In a normal circumstances I would be happy that I could meet a spirit, but now Asta was more important.

I lifted his upper torso up, so that he could lean on me. I held him with one hand, and with the other I pulled out a blanket, which I took just in case. The blanket was soft and blue. I covered the younger with it and decided to sit like that until he woke up.

"Now, since when Asta has a spirit?" I asked, suspicious.

"Since about a month ago"

"Why does nobody know about it?"

"Because Asta didn't want to tell anyone"

"I'm not that surprised" I scoffed.

I began to stroke his hair when he furrowed his brows, like he had a nightmare.

"So... Can I trust you not to tell anyone?" he asked.

"Yes"

***

I sat like that for about an hour before Asta woke up. The white-haired boy scrunched his nose, which I found funny and cute, and then he slowly opened his eyes. He murmured something and looked around, confused. When his eyes fell on me, he smiled lazily, but then it transformed into a look of fear.

"Shhh" I began to calm him down, seeing that he was about to faint again after he turned pale white. "No one is here. You don't have to go back now if you don't want to" I whispered, hugging him.

We sat like that for a while, until his breathing slowly turned normal.

"Really?" he choked out after a moment, his voice cracked at the end.

Seeing my friend in such a state broke my heart. My stomach twisted uncomfortably and I wanted to destroy his family.

"Mhm..." I responded, putting my chin on his head. "I got you some sandwiches" I said after a while. "But your spirit seems to have eaten half of them" The shorter one snorted.

"Somehow it doesn't surprise me" he said quietly.

"Hey!"

"I wonder how someone so small can eat so much" We both ignored the spirit's protests.

"Liebe is like a bottomless pit" he chuckled weakly.

"You should eat something too" I said, reaching for a sandwich.

I didn't let the boy out of my embrace, because I didn't want to. I gave him a sandwich, which he gladly took. After he finished, I gave him another, until he ate them all.

***

After another hour Asta was ready to come back with me to the hotel. Before going, I packed the blanket and grabbed him by the hand, wanting to cheer him up. He smiled up at me, and I smiled back, feeling warm around my heart. Liebe hid in his hair, still pouting about how we talked about him right in front of him. The trek to the hotel took us about half an hour. When we were a few meters in front of the hotel. We saw Asta's father. When he saw us, he immediately ran up and hugged Asta.

"Are you alright?! Are you hurt somewhere? You could've opened your wounds! We need to change your bandages. Where did you sleep?! What did you think, running away?! Do you know how worried I was?!" he ranted, putting his hands on the younger's shoulders.

Asta was clearly uncomfortable, but I couldn't do anything for now. I didn't want to interfere in his family relations, not until I don't learn what exactly is going on. Besides, even though I wanted to punch his father in the face, I still had to look at my family. Even though I'm not an heir, I'm still observed by people.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled, but he wasn't sorry at all. I felt that he wanted to yell at his father, but he held back.

"Come, we need to change your dressings"

The man grabbed his arm and pulled him. I went with them, still holding Asta's hand. When we went inside, we got surrounded by the Vermillions, which caused me to let go of his hand. I looked at them with resentment, but they didn't seem to notice.

"Asta, darling, are you alright?!" asked the oldest of the Vermillions, Marisol, mother of Mereleona and Fuegoleon.

"Mhm..."

"Don't run away like that again, okay?" Fuegoleon said gently.

"Mhm..."

"Did someone pick on you?" asked Mereleona, standing nearby.

"No"

Suddenly I felt a hostile gaze on me. I froze for a second, because I didn't expect that, but then I turned around and saw Leopold, who was standing in a corner and glared at me. I returned the glare.

He was pissing me off. Before we checked in the hotel, when I was carrying Asta, he had to butt in, because he wanted to carry him. And then he wanted to room with him! Theoretically we could have shared the room together, but I don't trust him. He was too sticky to Asta, when he shouldn't, because from what Asta said, they don't have the best relations. Actually, Asta doesn't have good relations with anyone in his closest family. I don't know why and I honestly don't care, as long as Asta is safe.