Viparyas For You (ScaraLumi)

5

"Is Nara Lumi okay?"

Some time ago, just after she and Nahida resolved the dangerous incident that happened right after the people of Sumeru gained the ability to dream again, the Traveler felt restless that night and decided to visit the peak of Devantaka Mountain just beside the teleport waypoint. Over there, she was able to take in the view of Port Ormos. It wasn't clear, but the subarea was quieter than it usually was during the day.

Most of the people must have been sleeping already, hopefully with no more dangers to come across. Moseis, or should she have called him Beynuni, had already lost control over the Akasha, so he was no longer capable of controlling and manipulating people's dreams and emotions to draw power for his experiments.

A heavy sigh left the Traveler's mouth as she kept her gaze on the view in front of her. Soon enough, fast and short footsteps approached her person as she turned her head and smiled.

"Yes, Ararycan. I'm just a little tired, I helped save a lot of people again today."

"Golden Nara is very brave," Ararycan had commented as it took in a spot next to her and laid its whole body down. "Lie down with Ararycan, grass can make Nara Lumi happy."

Giggling, she followed as she was told and prompted herself to lie down next to her blue friend. She then stared up at the stars, a shooting star catching both of their attention.

"Look, a shooting star!"

"Stars, very pretty. Just like you, Nara Lumi, and Nara Varuna! Very pretty stars!"

She couldn't have figured out why exactly, but she felt a small pang in her chest every time she heard mentions of this Nara Varuna. Aranara weren't very good with keeping memories and will forget about a lot of important things, so when she had asked them about this Nara Varuna, they only responded with disappointment that they could not remember even the most important figures of their lives. The stories they shared were only passed down from the forest, but even his face they had already forgotten. The only thing they remembered about him was that he was golden and just as brave as she was. The Traveler was somewhat grateful that Ararycan could still remember her until now, after what happened with Arabakin, Aragaru, and Aranaga in Mawtiyima Forest.

Sometimes, she couldn't have helped but be reminded of her brother. It wasn't a solid claim, but it was a possibility. Could he have happened to be here before and done almost the same things she had done with the Aranara? He was there hundreds of years ago, and he was also golden, just like they had described Nara Varuna. Maybe she was thinking too hard, maybe she wasn't.

"You know..." the Traveler had reached a hand out to the sky. It was as if it became a subconscious habit of hers to reach out to where she belonged, beyond the heavens. "My brother and I used to travel there together,"

"So Nara Lumi and Nara Lumi's brother are both stars?" Ararycan had imitated her as it reached an arm out to the skies.

"Yes. I used to have wings, and I was more powerful. My brother and I would jump from one star to another," pausing to take a moment, a frown had made its way onto her face as her hand slowly closed in. "...we were happy,"

Silence filled the atmosphere, only the sound of birds and the breeze surrounded them as they stayed that way for a while, peaceful and undisturbed. Just when the Traveler felt she was about to close her eyes and fall into slumber, she felt something small and soft land on her stomach. She looked down to see Ararycan climbing its way up to her, its whole body now sprawled out across her stomach with hands and feet dangling on her sides.

She had giggled, and it caused the little creature to bounce a little, and it moved again to sit up and face her. She then sat up and held it close to her so it wouldn't fall, and now it was resting on her hands. It was hard to stay sulking when her little friend was there to accompany her and make her laugh.

"Happy Nara is pretty Nara," Ararycan had said as she smiled and sighed.

It then jumped off as she watched it walk away towards a small empty field nearby. Dancing like it was casting a spell, a small plant grew in front of Ararycan until it fully bloomed into a more recognizable flower. Plucking it up, Ararycan walked back to her and offered her the flower.

"For Nara Lumi." Ararycan had said as she gladly took the flower and twirled it around with her fingers.

"It's pretty," she whispered to herself as Ararycan clapped its hands and jumped.

"Not just any Viparyas," Ararycan explained. "This flower will bloom with brighter and prettier colors the happier Nara Lumi is."

Just as Ararycan had said, the flower had produced little bright pastels of yellow and blue, and the Traveler's eyes sparkled against the phenomenon she was witnessing.

"See, Nara Lumi is happy! Ararycan is happy too!"

Her vision suddenly became blurry, and she could only identify colors of yellow and blue around her as she struggled to keep track of what was happening. Closing her eyes, she could feel the cold breeze that had surrounded her lift as it was replaced with a warm atmosphere. Everything was warm, a little too warm. Her hands were warm, her cheeks were warm, her lips were warm... her lips?

Fluttering her eyes open, they adjusted to the light shining in front of her, but when she finally processed what was happening, her cheeks flushed a bright pink as her eyes widened.

The Wanderer was in front of her, and his lips were inches close to her. It was the exasperated sigh escaping his lips that made hers feel warm, a little too warm for comfort.

His hand was still cupping her warm cheek, and he gazed through her eyes for any sign of discomfort. Her pupils were shaking, but so were his. He wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable or just as nervous as he was (maybe both), but when he sighed again and was about to pull away, the Traveler stood at the tip of her toes and caught his lips on hers.

His eyes widened as he was caught off-guard, a sudden rush of adrenaline engulfed his entire body as his cheeks flushed a shade of red. He wasn't sure what to do if he should lean into her or pull her close into his arms. His body stilled, and his mind was just as blank as it was chaotic.

One thing was for sure, he knew she reciprocated his feelings before he even started admitting to anything, and he felt his chest burst into flowers and butterflies.

A new heart was born.