Dragon Heart | #Wattys2022

X - Moment of Truth

Kona doesn't recall falling asleep in her own bed after finishing the two sandwiches Kash brought for her at the hospital. She remembered savouring the succulent taste of solid food after bingeing on water, tea and coffee the last twenty-four hours, plus succumbing to fatigue that she'd been fighting off since Haru and Lex were taken to the hospital.

Rubbing sleep off her eyes, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and swung her legs to the side of the bed, but the lack of flooring nearly made her fall off the suddenly high bed. And she would've fallen if it hadn't been for a pair of hands catching her shoulders, preventing her from getting intimately acquainted with the cold floor.

"Thanks," she was relieved to be rescued from impending disaster. She grabbed on to her savior's arms and pushed herself upright before rearing back in shock when she saw Kash standing in front of her. "What the hell are you doing here? Who let you into my room?" she demanded, affronted that he dared invade her personal domain.

Kash stepped away from her, hands raised on either side of him as if he was surrendering. "Easy. Easy. You're not at home. This isn't your bedroom," he reassured her.

It took Kona a few seconds to reorient herself of her surroundings. She glanced around, taking inventory of the drab, all white and steel sterilized room she was in.

"I'm at the hospital still," she huffed.

"Yeah. You passed out from exhaustion after you ate, but you were somewhat dehydrated still so Chona placed you in this room and started an IV drip on you," he explained.

"Haru!" Kona jumped off the hospital bed and darted towards the door, barefoot and all, but Kash stepped in front of her just in time and halted her running.

"He's fine," he reassured her. "Actually, both Lex and Haru are fine according to Chona. I checked on them before I checked on you. They're resting in the room next door," he added, pushing her back on to the bed and didn't leave until she was settled back and sitting.

"So Chona and the girls are done healing them?"

Kash nodded.

"Thank goodness." Only then did Kona let out the breath she'd been holding ever since she realized what was happening between her son and the younger Slayer.

"You still haven't told me what exactly happened with Lex and Haru," he reminded her, slipping his hands in his pants pockets. "Also, who wants to kill you and your son?"

Kona stilled when she heard his question. Her mind raced back to the conversation she had with him last night before she passed out. She was grateful for Kash for making her eat something other than water or coffee, and she felt exhausted after her stomach was filled with solid food that she felt complacent when she leaned in to rest against him for a bit.

"I—"

"Don't bother denying it. You're most honest when you're exhausted," he reminded her, recalling that one weakness of hers he discovered quite by accident a few years back when she first came to Takibi. She helped with a mission he was a part of; they faced off against a powerful foe and everyone on their team took a nasty beating. Kona was the last one to fall. In fact, she was the one who saved them all and completed the mission, but it took a toll on her and exhausted her off her chakra.

Kash volunteered to look after Kona as they journeyed back to the village. It was on their last night on the road and Kona's chakra still hasn't been restored to its full capacity, that he found out she liked him. He wasn't entirely sure if she was delirious from chakra exhaustion or from the alcohol they imbibed to celebrate their victory, but Tina told him Kona was at her most honest when she was all out of energy to argue or fight.