Nanako opened her eyes to utter horror , finding herself without clothes, tucked comfortably beside the naked Jin. She freaked out. But before Jin could open his eyes, she collected her scattered garments, got dressed and left the place in a hurry. No sooner than she took a few steps she could hear voices cing her way. She hid behind s structure to let them pass. Instead they stopped too and their voices grew loud and clear.
"You think it worked" Asked one voice."It's full proof. Brother Jin is going to be thankful to us for the rest of his life" Said another."What if jhe gets angry? " Was another curious voice."No he wouldn't. Wasn't he the one who placed the bet on the first place. " Assured another."Come on. Come on. Let's not waste time and go catch them in action. " Said another."Go.go.lets go. " The chorus faded as the crowd got going.The words pierced Nana's heart like a sharp blade. She didn't know how to react. What a disgrace she has been. She swore in her mind to stay as far away from that bastard Jin as possible. Revenge was on her mind, but she decided to hold on to her grudge. She couldn't share it with anyone. She needed to be strong herself to get her own revenge. Fuming with rage, heart broken and shattered, she went back to the premises.Jin on the other hand woke up with the sounds of his friends. They were pulling and pishing him demanding where Nanako was and how they spent the night together. He was lost for words as he remembered nothing from last night. Neither did he see any trace of Nana around him when he woke up. He couldn't understand what ruckus his comrades were building up. They too eventually got back to the campus. There they saw Nana happily training on the grounds. They even approached her, trying to figure out if anything did happen between them or not. But she put on a perfect act, convincing them that ahe had long returned after getting dizzy last night.Jin was actually happy knowing he didn't do anything to violet or offend Nana in his state of intoxication. But Nana, unaware of that, keep harbouring hatred towards the one person she actually adored in the entire place. She started loosing sleep, hunger and concentration. The hatred only lead her to think of ways to get her vengeance, vent her anger. The smile she put on every day, felt like a heavy load which she no longer could carry.Jin could not understand Nana's indifference towards his approaches. Everytime he tried talking with her she would ignore or run away. He thought she might be uninterested in him or may be too shy to respond. He decided to give her some space and try convincing her about his feelings later on. This did have adverse effect as Nana thought even more ill of him. His indifferences translated as ignorance and arrogance to her. She felt he used her to fulfil a mere bet that he had with his friends. Nana, who was the core of existence for her father, had now been reduced to a mere commodity, which was discarded after it's purpose was served. Whatever feelings she had towards Jin, evaporated in the fire of this burning vexation.Days went by and so did their misunderstanding. It was building up like tsunami. Soon it was time for their spring break. The students got to go back home for couple of days, meet family and friends, before returning for the next season. Everybody was full of joy and enthusiastically packed their bags. Nana was finally relieved a bit and was dying to meet her father. But as soon as the nights incident and Jin's intentions flooded her mind, her joy got transferred to that of anxiety. She wondered how she was going to face her father. She had never hid anything from him before, how was she going to hide something so big and hideous now. She knew her face and mannerisms would give her away. She needed to stay composed.On the last day before departure, Jin had made up his mind to come and confess his feeling for Nanako. He finally found her, sitting all by herself, brooding over something as her beautiful brows frowned. He came from behind and tapped her shoulder. She freaked out , startled."Sorry i didn't mean to scare you" Jin said."You? It's you again" Nana tried her best to control her anger."Nanako, please hear me out. Don't get me wrong. My feelings towards you are genuine. I have been harbouring it for long, and now I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I have never felt this way for anybody ever before. " He said, sitting on his knees.His words, his face was enough to melt Nana had she not overheard his friends' hideous comments. She pushed him hard with whatever force she had, tears rolled down, indicating she still felt something towards him. But that made her ever more angry, now at her own self."Don't. Don't you dare try to sweet talk me. Is this part of your sick plan? Or are you trying to fulfil your old bet still? I have never met anyone with a more repelling character than you. Are you an exception or are all others in your family the same? The Eastern kidgom does indeed smell rotten " She finally was able to get all these out it did make her feel little bit better.Jin however was taken a back when she mentioned the bet. He did feel ashamed. But he wondered how she knew about it. He didn't have any excuse to justify himself, so he admitted."I am sorry Nana. I don't know how you came to know about the bet, but i was ignorant. It was wrong of me. I apologize. But dont grab the entire eastern province into this. They don't share my guilt. It was my mistake. I sincerely ask for forgiveness for my offence" Jin sat with his head bowed down." You think. You wish. Apologize. Women have such little value in your eyes. And you dare talk about feelings. You punk, you moroon, you bastard. Don't you dare come near me ever again" She stormed out of his presence, leaving him dejected. He stayed there for few moments after she left. Tears rolled down silently. He swore to himself to make it up to her untill she truly forgave him. He decided to make it up to her whether she ever forgave him or not, whether she ever loved him back or not. The most important thing was to get back to being respected in her eyes. Hence, instead of going back to the eastern palace, he decided to follow Nanko's carriage to the eastern lands.Nana's carriage swept past through the rugged mountains at full speed. Jin was close in pursuit. It was his first time seeing the breathing taking western sceneries. They were never told how beautiful a land layed in the Western countries. It was too beautiful for eyes. The clouds were of a pink and blue hue. The land stretched into beautiful gardens with flowers never known to his eyes. They danced magnificently in the subtle breeze. The valley gave way to hillocks at many places. Streams sprouting from here and there. The aura filled the entire stretch, calming the mind and cooling the view. The hillocks gave way to gigantic mountains. Those were decorated with flying lanterns to make transportation easy for travellers at night. The peaks were covered in snow and at places there could be seen wild fountains and waterfalls. The animals were the gem on top of the crown. There were so many species, grazing, hunting, playing, that one could spend their entire life gazing and marveling.
The next morning Nanako opened her eyes with her father's kiss on her forehead."Come on sleepy head. Time to rise and shine. Did you rest well? " Her father inquired.She nodded her head smiling happily."Good.Get dressed and eat something. We will be leaving soon? " He said as he got up from her bed and started to go.Nana grabbed his robe and tugged and said " Go? Where? Right now? "" Yes darling. We will go to the northern borders. It is still not too late for us to catch some snow. It seems like it's been ages since we went out together. " He patted her head and went away.Nana stood up and hurriedly called for her maids. As they ran inside, she shouted instructions about her food, dress, hair and so on. The room got busy decking her up for the day. The kitchen too was alive with clutter as the chefs hurried to get Nana 's favorite dish ready in the quickest possible time.Jin on the other hand was dreaming happily on his humble bed when suddenly the rooster started crowing at h
"What happened after that? Did she survive? " Mia was listening mesmerised. But when the lady stopped for a moment she could not hold back her excitement. "Tell me what happened next. " She urged with eager eyes, wide with excitement. The lady smiled at her enthusiasm and patted her messy hair softly."Looks like you are quite enjoying yourself. " She teased her."Did she forgive him? What happened to the wolf?Dont tell me she died. I want to know their full story. " Mia looked like a child eagerly waiting for her candy. The lady smiled again."Well Mia I can tell you that she did survive. How else would there had been a story for you to hear right now darling. " The lady stroked Mia's hair and adjusted it lovingly. " Let's continue then... "When Nana opened her eyes, she found herself comfortably lying on a pile of hay. She looked around and found herself in a cave. There was a fire at the side of her feet that kept it lit. Jin was sitting there, feeding the fire. She looked at him,
" You really don't know? Or is this another of your dirty games? " Nanako asked." Believe me, I am not lying. Tell me what happened that day? " Jin looked Nana in the eyes . A stern and determined look.Nanako told him about their night together, how they were drugged and the conversation she had overheard. She told him everything. As he listened to Nana's words, his eyes popped open. It got redder as her narration progressed. He could not hold back his tears as Nanako teared up, narrating the pain and embarrassment she had been through." Nana. Believe me. I swear on my ancestors, I did place the stupid bet, but I had clearly told them and walked out of it the moment we returned from our starry trip. My feelings towards you are genuine Nana. I had no part or knowledge about the mischief of my mates. I am sorry Nana for violating you. I have no recollection. But I apologize to you with my whole heart and am willing to take any punishment you want for me. I am madly in love with you N
"Mia, now listen to me very carefully. As it seems we are in the Dream Dimension of Floating Thoughts. And those who have encountered near death episodes can only come over. I think that the fact we are being able to have this conversation is that your life was already jeopardized. " The lady said." Jeopardised as in, am I dead? " She was as confused as before." No, like I said. It was a close encounter with death, but you are still breathing. But we need to leave this space soon, or else our souls will be trapped here forever" Her eyes we're full of fear as she stroked Mia's hair. " I understand your pain and trouble child, so you need to hear to what I am saying. Whatever seems surprising or strange, just figure it out later. Let me tell you what I want to without interruption. Alright? " She asked Mia's permission and she nodded."I have not introduced myself to you yet, I am Nanako. " Mia's eyes gave away her shock but she still held on to her silence, allowing Nana to continue.
Holding onto each other, the four of them, Lin, Boshu, Roe and Xie, finally appeared on the other side of the portal. The Direction star successfully paved their advancement onto the next phase of their quest. A few brisk walk and some careful steps, brought them out of the mists and upto the Land of the Lakes. It was all azure. Every shades of it. The sky, the different waters. Even the landscape reflected the blue hue of the two. There was never ending water. But it wasn't a single body. There were infinite shades and hues that marketed the borders. There was a pleasant breeze that blew over them. It swept freshness across their faces."Couldn't believe that eyes could behold such serenity in this life if somebody that said so earlier" Said Roe, marvelling at the out of the world beauty of the landscape " No wonder people went missing after coming here. Who would want to leave such serenity such splendor. I am having a poetic out burst right now. Don't mind if I break into a song or
Unaware of the happenings in the parallel worlds, Mia was steadily advancing towards Lin's direction along with her new found companion.They were flying at a very high speed. Mia was thoroughly enjoying the ride as she leaned over to was the tiny movements of people and animals down below. The mansions appeared toy like. The landscape kept changing from trees to mountains to plains. Finally they were almost near the Forbidden Woods."Ahh! This is what a good flight feels like. Ahh! " Mia exclaimed stretching her back "even Lin did not take me for such a long ride ever. Yeah! Actually I should get back to him about this. Why didn't he? " She was talking to herself. Her companion was busy exploring the place with the curiosity of a little child. He looked around and kept touching here and there. Mia too had little knowledge about the place they were in."Ooooooo! This place is really floating, isn't it? Hey Mr... Umm... What should I call you? Do you have a name? " She asked him. He sho
As Mia sat meditating in the sacred lands, a glow radiated from her. Anjana saw it with open eyes and wonder. The glow flickered around her for awhile and then flew swiftly away some where. In her trace she was back in the realm of dream once again. But this time she was alone. She walked around for a while and then all of a sudden the glow that was emitting from her body appeared there. It enveloped her completely. Then with a sudden jerk it pulled her back. Mia opened her eyes huffing but the glow was stil engulfing her in the real word. It levitated her and then blew her above the land. Anjana sprang up from his position and followed Mia. The glow moved her from one place to the other till it brought her back to the ridge."Oh no. What just happened?Am I back at the ridge? No. No. " Mia wondered. The glow still had not left her. It flew her here and there. To the place where she treated Anjana ,to the stream , to the place she used to eat those storage but delicious fruits. As she