Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LVIII. KUMARI ❆ ❆

Kumari's been upset ever since she came to.

Actually, when she first came to, she was just confused. All she knew for sure were two things — that she was very uncomfortable, and that she was very cold.

So she sat up groggily, rubbing the back of her head and letting out a squeak of pain when she finds that by doing so it hurts.

What's wrong...?

She bothers to take in her surroundings, only to realize that she doesn't recognize any of them.

That's when she remembers everything that happened, and that's when she starts being upset.

She remembers... Dancing with Alexei in the ballroom, she remembers Jae bursting in with a painting, she remembers the furious king, herself telling the prince to run, and then a cloth being lifted to her lips...

A mention of someplace called the crystal caverns.

She lets out another squeak, this time of surprise, as she bolts right up, taking another look around.

Pure ice. Much like the wall at the entrance of Ruisea, but round, curving, surrounding all of them. The ceiling is the same as well, sparkling and shining dimly from what moonlight is leaking in through the translucent walls.

There are no doors. There are no windows — technically, unless you count the thick glass-like surface of the ice that ripples and changes, almost seeming to be glowing from time to time.

Kumari puts another hand to her head, the front of it this time, finding herself dizzy and scared. She's all alone, and very very lost...

Wait. Waiwaiwait... Isn't Chiro supposed to be with me?

"Chiro?" She calls, shuddering as she hears her voice echo across the caverns, distorted, like the voice of a ghost. "Chiro, please answer me? Please be here with me..."

She looks around frantically, and nearly cries out with relief as she sees a crumpled up body of a teenager lying at her feet right next to her, though she hadn't noticed him there earlier.

Kumari falls to her knees right by his side, turning him over so that his face is towards her. He's breathing...

She brushes red bangs out of his face, and frowns heavily when she sees how pale his skin has gotten. It was always a whiter sort of tone, but this... This is just too much.

The cold is destroying him.

"Chiro, wake up," she shakes him by his shoulders. "Don't sleep."

After a tense few moments, Kumari continuing to shake him gently as her voice heightens in tone from fright, there's a low groan from the boy in her arms.

"Mnngh..."

"Chiro?"

"K... Kumari?"

"Chiro!"

"Kumari!"

He sits right up with some effort, then throws his arms around her.

"Thank goodness," he buries his face in the crook of her neck. "Thank goodness you're so warm."

"Oh!" She laughs, teasing him despite herself being so relieved to see him. "And you're not happy to see me, or that I'm okay, or anything like that? All you care about is me keeping you warm?"

"Don't say that," he mumbles against her skin. "Besides, you being warm is the most important thing. Means you're okay."

"Yeah, but you're not," she feels the skin of his hand by taking his in her own. "You can't last like this."