A Stranger In The Grasslands

She looked at him, her eyes tearing up, she hugged him tightly and held him close, "I know what you mean... I love this feeling inside my chest and I am loving the fact that you feel the same way... I don't know what I could do without you anymore..." tears fell down her face buried it into his chest, tears soaked through his shirt once more, but this time, happy tears.

His smiled grew as he felt her arms around him and her hugging him tightly, his arms wrapped around her waist and rested on her lower back as he held her just as close, subtly giving the hint he didn't want to let her go with the way he held her. Her words made the flurries of heat pulse throughout his body quicker and the sudden excitement was increasing his heart rate ten fold.

"I can't help but feel the same way Reiki, you really have brought warmth to my heart" Her last words circled around in his head, he replayed them in his mind because they made him feel important and wanted. As he slowly rested the side of his head against hers, his right hand gently made its way up her back; his fingers slipping into her soft hair as he began to comb it with his own fingers. "I wouldn't know either Reiki, you've become someone I couldn't live without" He then ever so softly pressed his lips to her head, kissing it gently.

She smiled slightly and looked up at him, her hand slipped into his, "would you like to continue this search for the Relics?" she smiled, now willing to stay by his side for as long as she could.

He gently wrapped his fingers around hers and gave her hand a soft squeeze, a smiled fixed upon his lips as he looked at her. He would make sure that they were not separated for long if at all.

"Yes let's go find those artifacts" He said as he began to walk with her through the tunnel once again.

She smiled and then went into her small bag on her back, bringing out a decent sized water bottle, it was empty she closed her eyes for a moment and then water filled the bottle, she kept her hand in his and sipped at the water, she smiled at him, "would you like some?"

"Oh I'm fine thank you Reiki, I do not drink water however, the only thing I drink is boiling hot tea, I guess it's a taste I've developed over the years. But thank you for offering" He said with a smile, before he instinctively leaned forward pressing his lips to her cheek, giving it a soft kiss, a sign of appreciation for the offer as well as the feelings he now carried for her.

"If we do find the artifact here, then it would be a slight relief, in fact I think I'd be able to focus on more important things." He said looked directly at her as to hint that he meant her.

She gasped slightly and looked at him, emptying the bottle and putting it back in her bag, she looked at him, "what do you mean... more important things?" now completely oblivious at what he meant by that.

He chuckled softly as he brought his free hand up and extended his index finger, poking her nose lightly with the tip of his finger before he kissed her cheek once more softly yet lovingly.

"Well I thought I had made it obvious but, those important things well I just meant one thing and that was you Reiki. Despite the fact our feelings have developed so quickly and we literally only just expressed them to each other, I would like to pursue this further with you Reiki, I want to bring us closer together"

her eyes widened and she looked at him, "I would love that very much..." she stopped walking for a moment, taking a breather, her hand slightly raised to her stomach.

"I'm glad to hear it Reiki, I'm sure it will be a very enjoyable time for us both"

He then looked at her as she stopped and held her stomach, his hand slowly slipped on top of hers as he looked into her eyes with a slight concern.

"Is everything ok Reiki? Are your wounds beginning to cause you any discomfort or is it something else?"

As he awaited her response, with his free hand he lightly began to comb her hair with his fingers, enjoying the soft and silk like sensation her hair provided.

She used her other hand on his shoulder, to keep her upright, "Its only a slight discomfort... n-nothing to worry about..." she started walking again, using the wall for support

He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and stopped her were she stood, pulling her into a soft hug to keep her supported and to comfort her.

"You're a bad liar Reiki, it's obvious those wounds of yours are becoming agitated again, I don't want you to be in pain Reiki, you've been through enough as it is. Why don't a carry you for a short while? Until you feel up to walking again."

She looked at him and nodded slowly, "Sure... if it h-" she leaned forward, an intense shooting of pain hit her in the stomach.

He gasped very lightly to himself a she saw her lean forward, he could tell whatever it was, it was causing her a lot of pain. He acted face and gently and slowly lowered her down to the rock floor of the tunnel. He laid her down and removed his jacket and rolled it up into a cylindrical shape, placing it under her head to prop it up. He gently began to stroke her forehead with one hand as the other softly circled her stomach, rubbing it very very gently.

"What kind of pain is it this time Reiki? Is it similar to before?"

She nodded, "But I will be fine in a minute... I did like the Idea of being carried..." she put her hand over his, she started calming down.

He smiled as she told him she liked the idea of being carried, feeling her hand over his, he raised his hand up pushing hers with him. He then kissed the back of it gently before nuzzling it against his cheek, looking down at her with a smile.

"Well then, let's get to carrying you then"

He placed her hand on her chest before he slipped his own along with his arms under her, one arm under her knees and the other under her lower back. He then carefully began to lift her up taking his time not wanting to hurt her. Eventually he was standing up and holding her bridal style, starting to make his way down the tunnel once more as he carried her.

she leaned against his shoulder and smiled, "So what will this artifact look like anyway? I really curious..." she looked up at him slightly

He too smiled as he looked down at her, his fingers fiddling with hers gently as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

"Hmm well not a lot is known about them not even the way they look, however it's safe to assume they will be black in colour with some sort of crimson mixed into it, probably from that of a gem of some kind. But it's mostly a mystery until we find it, they all have different appearances but I believe the keep the same colour, each one is meant to represent something to do with the deity, however what those representations are I do not know. But I guess you could say the fun is in the not knowing what to expect."

She nodded, "Yeah... I think you have a point there... But there must be some way to know what the objec-" she curled up in pain, "owww..."

He listened to her soft and soothing voice as he remained looking down upon her gorgeous face, it wasn't until she curled in pain that his smile descended. He held her closer and a little tighter as he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, whispering lightly into her ear.

"You'll be ok, it's probably just from where it was agitated earlier, be strong Reiki. Take a few leaves from that tin in my top pocket, they should help with the pain a little and try not rest if you can, a little sleep might help"

She went into his pocket and took a couple of leaves from the tin, she chewed them slowly and then closed her eyes, trying to rest.

He smiled softly once more as he watched her close her eyes and try to rest. As she did so he continued to carry her without much effort, his magma creations continued to light the way, as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel. The markings on the wall seemed to increase ten fold and they were becoming more and more intricate in detail and design. He knew he was getting close and his walking pace quickened slightly because of it, he had been searching for a many number of years and the thought of finally coming into the possession of one of these artifacts would fill him with some sort of fulfillment as well as relief. It was still one of many, but if he was right and this cave did possess one, then it was likely that this region housed quite a number of them. He continued to walk through the tunnel and after a few hours or so it seemed to come to an end, he had entered a very large room and he could tell it was large due to the fact the light his creations produced was not highlight any walls. However there seemed to be a sort of light source in the room, it was a ghostly white and it highlighted a waterfall that crashed down into a large pool of water and all around there were thick dense trees; coated with drops of dew. The air seemed to be mixed with a mass of mist, most probably caused by the crashing of the water into the pool, however it seemed to be suspended in mid air, just floating there with no trouble. The growth of all these trees and even a heavy number of plants was astounding, there were no large cavities in the roof of the cave or in the sides, such a place could not home trees and plants, but it did. He began to walk deeper into the large area, towards the waterfall as he whispered to her.

"Reiki, I think you'll want to take a look at this"

she slowly opened her eyes, looking up into his face, "Phoenix, what is happening...." she wrapped her arms around the back of his kneck.

"What do you mean Reiki?" He asked with a little curiosity as he looked backed into her eyes, holding her closer as he smiled softly feeling her arms around him. He then started looking all around them, continuing to make his way towards the water fall, small insects flying about in the air and the chirping of birds even became apparent from within the trees.

Her eyes widened and she looked at the waterfall, "wow... its beautiful..." she looked at him.