Chapter 217: Chapter 216 – Distraction

“Yuna, you ready?” Erica said, her voice a bit muffled by the closed metal door of Yuna’s room. “You have everything?”

“Almost,” Yuna replied. She looked at the open bag that laid on her made bed. “I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

“Alright~. We’ll be waiting then.”

From the lack of noise after that, it seemed that Erica had left. Yuna refocused on her duffel bag and began mentally checking off a list as she shuffled things around. She tapped on each item as she went through until she was satisfied.

‘Good. Everything is here,’ she thought, folding her arms. ‘Now, is there anything else I need?’

She thought over that question for a bit, going through a few hypothetical situations that she might get caught in. When nothing came to mind, she went to her drawers and started looking around to see if there was something she might have forgotten. Then she went to her closet.

Opening it, her eyes flickered around, but she found nothing that would be of use for where she was going. Then a dress caught her eye. It was the dress that Yuki had picked out for her for the reunion. And with the dress came the memories of that night.

‘Zero.’ She sighed. One word. But that one word simultaneously froze and warmed her heart. ‘She’s not coming.’

When Yuki said who was going to be embarking on the mission, Yuna was more than a little scared. Then he announced that he was going to be one of those people. That meant that Zero wasn’t going to be there. But instead of calming her like she had thought such news would do, it only worsened her torn state. Her heart sighed with relief while it shed tears of sadness and disappointment. 

‘I don’t even know if I should see her,’ Yuna thought, closing the door of the closet. She flopped onto her bed and let out a long sigh. ‘But I want to. But. I can’t.’

Though she knew she shouldn’t have, she had spent some more time looking into how exactly same sex relationships were seen. At the end of her search, it became abundantly clear what she needed to do. Or rather what she couldn’t do. 

‘If I say anything, then it might put her in danger. I don’t want her to get hurt. Especially because of me.’

She rubbed her back as a familiar itch popped up again. If she ever showed Zero her feelings and the wrong people found out, it could lead to a path of struggle and pain. In more ways than one.

Her greatest fear wasn’t causing Zero pain, though that was close to the top. Her greatest fear was more personal. Rejection.

‘I don’t even know if Zero likes me. I don’t even know if she likes women.’

Yuna didn’t know what would happen to her if Zero didn’t accept her. And she didn’t want to find out what that would be.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ she thought with a hollow laugh. Those words have become all too familiar the last few weeks. ‘I don’t know what I can do.’

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she grabbed at the interruption with all her might. Anything to take her mind off of her current thoughts.

“Yuna?” a voice called. It was Akira. “Is everything alright?”

‘No. Not at all,’ she thought.

“Yes,” she said out loud.

“Do you need help?” 

‘Please.’

“I’m fine,” Yuna replied. She closed the duffel bag that was on her bed and placed the strap around her shoulder. “I’m coming out.”

She opened the door and found Akira’s gentle smile behind it. Akira’s eyes that looked worried. Yuna couldn't meet her gaze directly, dropping her own eyes to the ground.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Akira asked, touching Yuna’s shoulder. “You don’t look all that here right now.”

“I’m, um, I’m sure,” Yuna nodded, glancing up. 

Akira stared at her for a bit, her expression unreadable. Then Yuna felt herself get pulled toward Akira. Arms wrapped around her in a soft embrace. Yuna’s eyes went wide and she almost instinctively pulled away. But then she felt the warmth and melted into Akira’s arms, resting her head on Akira’s shoulders.

“If you don’t want to tell me right now, that’s fine,” Akira whispered. Yuna felt her stroking her head gently. “When you feel like it, I’ll always be here.”

Yuna could only give a small nod in response. The urge to just unleash everything built up within her, but she pushed it down with all her strength. She couldn’t do that to Akira. So she just stayed there, letting Akira’s warm embrace soothe her. 

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“Thank you,” Yuna said quietly, unable to stop it from cracking. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Akira replied. “Take as much time as you need. The others will understand.”

A few seconds went by before Yuna reluctantly ended the embrace. Any longer and the guilt inside of her would come pouring out along with the tears that were already threatening to escape. 

“Better?” Akira asked with a soft smile. 

Yuna gave her a tiny smile in reply. 

“Better.”

Without any other words, Akira gripped Yuna’s hand and led her out to the lobby of the guild base where the rest of the team was waiting. Yuki was the first to notice them, giving them a nod.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. Yuna felt like she was having deja vu.

‘Is my mood that readable?’ 

“She’s okay right now,” Akira replied. “I think we’re ready to go. We have everything right?”

“Mhm,” Yuki nodded. He raised his hand, displaying the silver ring he wore. “My things are in here. It’s not much.”

“Is that a cuff?” Yuna interrupted, unable to stop herself. On Yuki’s left arm, there was a black metal cuff that Yuna had never seen before.

“This?” he said, touching the metal cuff. “Just some equipment. You’ll see later, I promise.”

‘What could that cuff possibly do?’

“But we’re ready,” Yuki continued. “Remember the plan and let’s head out.”

He nodded and led the way out of the base. Erica and Akira followed right after him, Akira pulling Yuna with her. Behind Yuna, Sarah, Zoe and Damian did the same. They made their way to a small clearing where a hovercraft awaited them.

“It’ll be a quick ride to the drop off point,” Yuki explained as they boarded the vehicle. “Then we’ll be going on foot. You all should remember.”

Yuna nodded in reply. She remembered. They would drop little inside of the forest that surrounded Giant’s Peak. The reason they couldn’t just drop right on Giant’s Peak was due to security that watched over the mountain as well as a large part of the forest around it. So the safest option was to just walk.

The hovercraft started up as she took a seat. As she buckled in, the hovercraft rose and began its few minute’s journey. The teams trek through the forest would be much longer. If Yuna remembered correctly, it would take around two days of careful walking before they would reach their location.

Yuna was glad about those two days. It was two welcomed days of distraction from herself. Especially since Zero was going to be apart of this mission. It was two more days where she could ignore her problems. 

‘Maybe I’ll figure things out in those two days? You never know,’ she thought before laughing to herself. ‘Yeah. Like that would happen.’

But two days was better than none. 

‘Maybe that’s all I can do. Ignore.’

“Attention,” Yuki’s voice said, piercing through her thoughts. Yuna looked up and saw him standing next to the door of the hovercraft. “We’re arriving. Get ready to jump.”

Yuna unbuckled her harness and stood up with the others. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

‘Now’s not the time for these things. I have a job to do,’ she thought, her eyes set. 

The door of the hovercraft slid open and air rushed in. The craft had stopped, floating above the point. Yuki gave everyone one last look.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Then he promptly dived out of the hovercraft seemingly without a second thought.