Moonrise ✔ [Complete]

52 Moonlight (Part 2)

Maeyune closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Warmth bundled in her core, expanding outward to every inch of her body. She felt it change, felt it transform and cool into something she recognized.

The moon's energy.

Her energy.

"Is it working?" Reo said.

Maeyune opened her eyes, and she heard his breath catch.

"Your eyes are silver," he said.

She nodded. It was like breath returning to her body, fresh and chilled. "I can feel it."

But the energy was feeble and slow. She imagined it would take an incredible amount of time without the moon.

She glanced down at their joined hands and watched as Reo's thumbs ran across her knuckles. They stroked back and forth, the movement and friction of his touch almost hypnotic. Then, her hands became something alien to her.

All her life, she had fought with these hands, had trained with them and had used them to defeat her enemies. But now, they appeared delicate and undeniably feminine in the broader shapes of Reo's hands. They'd never looked like that to her before. The observation filled her with wonder.

With her skin pressed against Reo's, she marveled at the difference in color—hers ivory against his sun-kissed olive.

A smile alighted on her lips.

They were from two different worlds, two opposite ends of the planet. And yet, their separate pieces came together to fit inside the same puzzle.

She hadn't realized she'd glanced up to stare long and deep into the golden-emerald of Reo's eyes. His lips drew a soft smile.

"You alright?" he murmured.

"Yes," she said, and smiled.

The silence surrounding them was heavy and thick. To ease the uncanniness in the air, she distracted herself with the detailed tattoos spanning across Reo's left chest. Absently, she drew one hand from his. With a featherlight fingertip, she traced the inked shapes.

Drawn across his left pec was an abstract landscape, its design tribal in nature. Her fingers grazed the permanent ink over his shoulder and bicep. Then, she lifted her hand and caressed the symbol of the sun below his collarbone. Shifting out of his grasp, she followed the inked shapes to his back.

She took a few seconds to admire the muscles in his back before she focused on the rest of the artwork. The patterns flowed over his shoulder and down to his shoulder blade. She wondered how long it had taken to apply them and if it had been painful.

But before she could ask, her eyes caught something distinct and cradled at the center of an intricate design. It was a small crescent moon, and beside it were two very familiar Suolani characters.

She started. "There are Suolani characters on your back," she murmured.

"I know." Reo glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. "What does it say?"

She was quiet for a moment, then donning a grim expression, replied, "Noodle dish."

His smile disappeared. "What?"

A wide grin spread across her face. He turned and frowned at her in concern.

"I only jest," she said.

Appalled, he gaped at her, but he couldn't stop himself from returning her grin. "You think that's funny?"

She laughed in spite of him, and her lips eased into a warm smile. "It says moonlight."