Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

<br></br>
Chapter Eleven: Confession Session

It was almost morning, and Koza knew that Tera would be awake any time now. Rounding a corner, Koza slid to a stop in front of the shop from before. The sign said “Open”, so he went in. He knew what he wanted, and there was no time to lose. Practically running up to the counter, Koza took the Snow Demon Tear out of his pocket. He asked the man at the counter if he could make it into a necklace. Surprised that Koza had even found one, the man agreed. Koza also asked if he could please hurry, since he was on a time crunch. The man nodded and went into the back room of the shop. He came out a few minutes later with the heart shaped stone attached to an adjustable black cord. Koza took it, thanked the man again, and took off out of the door.

Zooming through the door to the inn, Koza slowed his pace and quietly snuck upstairs to the room. He really hoped Tera wasn’t awake yet. He reached the door and took a deep breath. Crossing his fingers, he opened the door slowly. Koza peered in the room cautiously. Tera was still sleeping quietly in the same position as the night before. Giving a sigh of relief, Koza snuck in, closing the door softly behind him. As he made his way into the room, he knew what he wanted to do, but it was going to be tricky. Carefully, Koza got up next to Tera and slowly started to put the necklace over her head. He had to lift her head up slightly to get it on, but she must’ve been a sound sleeper, for she didn’t wake up. Once he had successfully gotten it on her, he placed the Snow Demon Tear on the pillow directly in front of her face, making sure it would be the first thing she saw when she woke up. After he was finished, he gave another sigh of relief, and climbed back on top of his bed. There was still a little time left before daybreak, and Koza intended to use all of it to get some well-deserved sleep.

As morning rolled around, a single ray of sunlight shone in through the window of the room, reflecting through the glass and shooting rays of light off in random directions. One of those beams hit Tera right in the face, causing her open her eyes. When she did, she saw the Snow Demon Tear in front of her. She gasped and sat up. When she did, she found it was around her neck. She held it up to the light to see it better. It was in the shape of a heart, just like the one at the shop. Only this one had a frosted-glass look to it, instead of a polished surface… That meant that it came from outside, and not the shop. That means that somebody had gone to the trouble to go out and look for one… Just for her… Who would’ve…?

Turning around, she noticed Koza asleep on top of his bed. Did he…? She got out of bed quietly and went over to him. She kneeled down so she was eye-level with him. She placed her hand on his gently. It was freezing cold. That meant he had been outside not too long ago… He had gone out at night, just to look for a Snow Demon Tear for her… And had it made into a necklace… She couldn’t believe he would go to that much trouble just for her. The made a promise to herself then and there that she would never take it off. She leaned down close to him and watched him for a moment. She was so happy with her gift, and even happier to know that he did all of that for her. Hesitant at first, she leaned over towards him and got close to his face. Sighing, she drew back and sat on the edge of her bed, watching him.
Koza opened his eyes drowsily. Sitting up in bed, he was greeted by a “Good morning sleepyhead!” from Tera. He looked over and smiled when he saw her.

“I take it you found your present?” he asked.

Instead of answering, she went and sat down next to him on his bed, and gave him a big, long hug. It wasn’t a normal hug; it was more passionate than anything, as if to say “Thank you, Koza.” He gladly returned it, giving a “You’re welcome” hug back. A few moments later, they released the embrace.

“I’m glad you like it,” Koza said.

“Like it? I love it!” she practically shouted. “Almost as much as y…” Realizing what she was about to say, she cut herself off and forced a cough, meriting a confused look from Koza.

“Almost as much as what?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing! Nothing…” she blurted out unconvincingly. Koza raised an eyebrow. Tera laughed nervously and quickly headed for the bathroom to change. Confused, Koza sat on the edge of the bed and waited, her words fresh in his mind.

“Almost as much as y…”

What did she mean by that? What could she mean by that? Koza sat there on the edge of the bed, scratching the back of his head in thought.

After changing, Tera looked at herself in the mirror of the bathroom.

“Come on Tera, what were you thinking?” she said quietly to herself. “Why would that even go through your head? Even if it is true… a little…” She drifted off for a moment. Shaking her head, she continued. “Still, why would you even let that much slip? I’ll bet he’d laugh… Or worse, he might not want to travel around with me anymore… I don’t want to risk it…” She sighed, and came out of the bathroom. Looking over, Koza noticed her sad expression.

“What’s wrong Tera?” he asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing…” she answered softly. Koza wasn’t convinced. He motioned for her to come sit down next to him. She slowly walked over and sat down on the bed. She was staring at the floor in thought, while Koza stared at the ceiling. The two didn’t say anything for some time. Tera shifted her position slightly, and Koza sighed and looked down at the floor along with her.

“Tera, is there something you want to tell me?” he asked gently.

“Um…” she said nervously. What should she do? Should she just come out and say it? How would he react? She really wanted to let him know… but how? “There is sort of… something that I’ve… wanted to tell you for a while now…” she said slowly. Koza listened intently, but remained focused on the floor.

“Yes?” he said. “What did you want to tell me?”

She fidgeted around a little, without giving a response.

“Come on Tera. You know you can tell me anything,” he encouraged. “I promise you, nothing bad will happen.”

A lump was forming in her throat. Tera swallowed.

“Uhm…” she tried again. “Ever since back when we started traveling together, I’ve always felt… safer around you. I was happy every time I saw your face or heard your voice… I was extremely scared after that incident in Aurum Town… I’m more grateful than words can express after what you went through to get me the Snow Demon Tear…”

She paused for a moment.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is…”

Koza listened intently. Instead of continuing on, she leaned over towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek. This made Koza tense up and blush about 50 shades of crimson. Tera blushed too, though not as much. He looked over at her, his face flushed with reds of all different shades. She giggled as she looked at him. He couldn’t contain his smile as it stretched across his whole face. He put his arm around her as they inched closer to each other. She rested her head against his shoulder as they sat in the quietness of the room.

“You know…” Koza began, “Since we met, I’ve always felt a lot happier around you as well. I never knew why, but… after hearing you say that… I realize now that I feel the same way…”

Tera gave what sounded like a small sigh of relief. Koza hugged her a little tighter, and she snuggled up closer to him. They stayed in the same position for several minutes before Koza said that they should probably be heading out. Tera agreed, and they both got up. Gathering their things, they headed out of the room and downstairs to the front desk, where they checked out. Holding hands out the door, they headed for the town gate. When they got there, they were greeted with a large crowd of people surrounding the gate. Wanting to get a better look, Koza and Tera waded their way through the crowd. Upon reaching the front gate, the entire entrance had been blocked off by a large chunk of ice and snow, making it impossible for anything to get in or out. Knowing that the rear entrance just lead back to the forest maze, Koza wasn’t sure on what to do. Although… there was one path that he hadn’t tried. There was the one path that was blocked off by a sheet of ice the last time he was there. Could that have been another way out of the maze?




Next Chapter: Snow Worries