(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 70

"Did you really just leave them alone?" Rose asked as Katherine rejoined the group. She sat behind Megumi, wrapping her arms around the base of her neck.

"Yep," she grinned as she kissed the back of Megumi's head. "They seemed like they needed time to settle their differences."

"Are you serious?" Kim asked, wide-eyed. "Why are we just sitting around? We've got to get to them before they kill each other."

As she stood, Michael, Keiko, and Ian walked down the street with a bucket full of fish. "What's going on, guys?"

"Dre and Kamatsu got let alone," Kim said, frantic. "I'm going to go down there before something bad happens."

"You worry too much, Kim," Megumi said, grinning affectionately. "They'll be fine out there. Besides, Kamatsu doesn't have his sword. He'll be fine."

"But what if-"

Kim immediately quieted herself as she looked down the road. She held her hands over her mouth, wide-eyed. Two people were limping towards them, an arm across each others' shoulders to keep from toppling over. One of the bodies, she figured was Dre, was significantly shorter, reaching the other person's shoulder.

"... Tell her eventually," she heard Dre's voice say. "I've got to wait until the time's right."

"You'd better do it before I do, mi amigo," Kamatsu said cheerfully.

"You wouldn't dare. Oh wait, is that her?"

Kim felt her eyes water as she saw the shape that the both of them was in. Both were bloodied and bruised. Dre's shirt and jacket were completely torn to shreds. He was bleeding from his nose, mouth and under his eye. His left eye was blackened. Kamatsu was, more or less, in the same shape. Despite their bruised and bloodied state, the both of them looked to be happy.

"Ke'Undre? Are you okay?"

Smiling from ear to ear, Dre gave a thumbs up. Both his knuckles and teeth were bloodied. "Never better. Though if you could heal these cuts and stuff, I'd love you for life."

"Yes, of course. Come sit down. Both of you." They followed her to the logs. Ian, Michael, and Keiko were cleaning the fishes they had caught while the girls sat by the camp fire, chatting among each other.

"Boy, it look like someone beat the brakes off of ya'll's asses," Ian remarked, hooping. "Did ya'll get it out of your systems?"

Kamatsu looked over to Dre as fira flowed over his body, healing his lacerations before they had time to leave scars. "Yeah. I think we're good now."

~~~~~~

Three months had passed since the camping trip. The group was nearing the end of their Apprenticeship, with only two months remaining before graduation. Michael sat down beside them in the cafeteria. "So, the Prom's coming up."

"Prom?" the group said simultaneously as Michael read from a flyer. Dre, Michael, Keiko, Megumi, and Kim all sat in the cafeteria for lunch, eyes widened as Michael continued.

"Looks like it. It's supposed to happen on the twenty-first of April. Why they decided to give me a flyer on it, I'll never know," he said as he casually tossed the paper over his shoulder. "Are you guys going?"

"Nah," Megumi said as she dug her nose into her manga. "I hate dresses."

"Well, you don't have to wear a dress," Keiko said. "I'm sure that Katherine wouldn't mind you wearing a tuxedo."