The Zodiacs

35. Hate Nonetheless

"Gather round, gather round!" Layla shouted happily, rushing into the cave alongside a floating Aaron. They both beamed with a readable excitement, clutching the two black bags against their chests carefully.

Everybody turned toward the two who had raced back from their visit to the village after Aaron finally healed enough for such a journey. They'd gone on their own, leaving the two with nobody to supervise their lively and child-like behavior in the town market. But Akil hadn't bothered to tag along with the girl, believing that the chance would offer him the much needed break from her lively behavior around him.

"We brought surprises," Aaron smiled, still careful not to lower his foot too far to the ground even though it had fully healed by now. Something about the memory of the torture and pain still made the boy worry that too much weight would reinjure the area.

Zahra's quiet conversation with Akil, Tau, Suma was interrupted by the over-energetic two that began to circle around the separated group. She glanced once toward Tau for an answer to the question she'd just asked, sighing with building worry and guilt when he pressed his lips into a sympathetic smile while he nodded at her.

The Zodiacs had to know.

"We're poor so we couldn't get very much, but there's enough to give everybody two," Layla's hand dove into the bag to begin pulling from the fresh, ripe figs they'd purchased from the town's fruit carts. She winked flirtatiously at Akil while handing him two, then adding a third. "Three for you," she blew him a kiss.

Akil rolled his eyes, reaching out to drop the third one back into the bag before she quickly tore it away from his grasp. "I don't want a third one. I'll take two like the others so give it to somebody else," he grumbled, stepping forward toward the distant bag.

Layla shook her head, tucking it behind her back and turning herself toward him. "Nope," she closed the distance between them teasingly until her chest brushed against his. Akil reacted almost instantly, taking a step back away from her. "If you want to return it, you'll have to wrap your arms around me," she smirked.

"Are you serious?" His eyebrows fell as the top corner of his lips pulled up in a bothered scowl at her words, moving back to once again keep an unintimate air between them.

The girl nodded. "Deadly." Then she pulled away, handing another pair of figs to the nonchalant Suma beside him who watched them in silence, waiting for her share. "If you don't want it, give it to somebody else, but I'm giving it to you," she mumbled on, walking away.

Odion was evidently ecstatic by the large grin on his face to get to taste his favorite fruit after such a long time. He took Akil's third one happily, devouring it in two bites just like he did with his own two.

In a comfortable silence, the twelve Zodiacs and Zahra enjoyed the sweetness that flooded their mouths with the first bite into the ripe fruit. Although few of them made it known just how excited they were by the delicious surprise, it was mutually agreed in silence that the thick syrup gracing their mouths was a much appreciated break from all the worry, boredness, and difficulty that came from living in a desert.

Zahra glanced toward Akil for one last decision of confirmation, still entirely too hesitant to bestow the knowledge on the other signs out of worry regarding their reactions. Looking around now, everybody seemed so content and happy --she didn't want to ruin the single positive moment that had enriched their lives for the first time in an incredibly long time.

"It's something they should be aware of," Tau spoke quietly from behind her, slowly breaking a fig in half with his index finger and thumb. He casually glanced up at her while throwing the first half into his mouth to subtly savor the honey-like taste.