BLACK CLOVER: The Whisperer - Yuno Grinberryall

CHAPTER X. To Get Stronger

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Xierra woke up, sweating once more. She breathed as though she hadn't had a taste of sweet oxygen for years and calmed her nerves. She hid her head behind closed hands before finally composing herself. The dream that felt so surreal shivered her to her bones. It was frightening, feeling like death was knocking on her door.

It felt as if it waited for her to open the door.

It felt as if it was standing right in front, its hand only inches away from turning the knob on its own.

If she won't open it, it will do it for her.

She clenched where her chest was, easing her heartbeat. Her heart beat hard, pounding against her ribcage. It was the feeling of fear and anger she never experienced before.

Only the slight shuffling beside her woke her from her thoughts. Xierra looked beside her, finding Yuno asleep by the side of the bed. Frowning, Xierra sighed. "Doesn't look like a comfortable position there, Yuno," she muttered, her hand hovering over his head. She bit her bottom lip, hesitating whether to stroke his head or not. He looked so peaceful that she didn't want to wake him from his slumber.

"Hng," he roused from his sleep, blinking and hiding his yawn when he saw Xierra retracting her arm. Confused, he cleared his vision and sat straight. "Are you feeling better?" he started.

"... Yeah," Xierra answered after a while. She looked away, not knowing what got into her. Why would I do that? she wondered, slapping herself mentally. Turning back to Yuno, she showed her worry visibly and asked, "What are you doing? It must be uncomfortable for you to sleep like that."

Yuno shook his head. "It's only been a few hours," he reasoned, "and it looks like I fell asleep for a minute. Not too long."

"Few hours...?" Xierra recalled back the voices that echoed in her head. They weren't Inari's voice, nor were they Yuno's. They were painful. She felt emotions that weren't hers. Anguish and fury fueled her blood for the first time in her life.

"Ah, right. We were supposed to be out venturing." Xierra collected herself and pursed her lips.

"You should've rested when you're not feeling well," Yuno reprimanded, gesturing to the pillow behind her, silently telling her to go back to sleep. Upon seeing her stubborn gaze, he sighed. "It's only been a few hours since you fainted. Sister and Father got worried when we came back."

It didn't surprise her anymore that Yuno spoke more than two or three words at once. At this point, it almost became a daily routine to hear him talk this much, even when it was only a few days since they received their grimoires.

Xierra clutched onto her blanket and frowned. She was sure enough that whatever caused her to fall unconscious wasn't her exhaustion, nor was it anything natural. The more she tried to think back to what happened, the more her head felt like it was splitting in half. From the corners of her eyes, she saw Yuno stand up, bringing the basin and wet cloth in his arms. Xierra opened her mouth only for no words to come out.

Yuno turned his back before glancing back. It was too soon to wash away his worries. But when he saw the disappointed look on her face, he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter. It was selfish of him, and yet, he didn't want it to end.

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon," he said, noticing her expression. Laughing, he walked back and ruffled her hair, leaving Xierra alone, flabbergasted.

Xierra exhaled and pushed herself back to bed, trying to get her headache to subside. Turning to her side, she brought her blanket close and cast her gaze down. "What are those, I wonder..."