They gathered the shattered remnants of the divine swords and the cross necklace. Their plan now was to cleanse themselves in the lake before journeying to the Holy City of Karta. In truth, they had no physical need for washing—their bodies were mysteriously immaculate—but the knowledge that they had lain among corpses left them feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Pervert,” Veronica accused, her cheeks flushing crimson as she shed her garments and waded into the crystalline waters.
Leon had been watching her with undisguised interest from his vantage in the lake, his lips curved into an unrepentant smile.
“I couldn’t see anything with your arms in the way,” he countered.
“Liar. You’ve been staring the whole time.”
Meeting his mischievous gaze, Veronica quickly assessed her options and altered her course, deliberately choosing a path that would keep her at a safe distance from her wolfish companion. Curiously, the same lake that had seemed bottomless and terrifying when the Bahamut had dragged her into its depths now felt intimate and unthreatening in Leon’s presence. As long as she avoided the treacherous center…
“Oh!”
The startled cry escaped her lips before she could suppress it. She had been so focused on the deep blue surface that she’d failed to notice Leon’s stealthy approach until his arms encircled her from behind. As her sharp squeal echoed throughout the cavern, Leon’s eyebrows quirked in mild reproach.
“It gets deeper if you go that way,” he said.
“Oh.”
“Why are you suddenly being shy? Your clothes were see-through to begin with.”
“Being observed from a distance like that makes me feel strange.”
“So this closeness is acceptable?”
When she nodded, he smiled with playful bewilderment. With his wet hair swept back to reveal his forehead, Leon’s smile was so big and refreshing that Veronica felt hopelessly entranced by it.
But soon, she caught a dangerous glint in his eyes. Before she could retreat, he splashed a handful of water over her face and shoulders.
“Oh, stop it!”
Veronica launched her counterattack immediately, sending water flying in all directions. Their laughter echoed across the lake as they abandoned any pretense of bathing and played like children without a care in the world.
“Stop, stop! I surrender!” Veronica squealed, finally throwing her arms around Leon’s neck when his tickling became too much to bear. She planted a delicate kiss on his lips—quick and light as a bird’s peck—and her face lit up with joy.
Leon stared at her smile for a moment before sweeping her high into his arms, then nuzzling his damp forehead against her shoulder affectionately. The sensation of their bare skin touching sent delicious shivers through her. The firm contours of his battle-hardened muscles felt reassuring against her softer form.
“Where shall we go next?” Veronica asked as she caught her breath, gently brushing back a strand of his flame-red hair. She knew they were headed to Karta, but her question was about their journey after that.
Leon wiped water from his face before answering with his own question: “Where would you like to go?”
“Well… Let me hear your plans first. If I don’t like the route, perhaps we’ll part ways right here.”
It was clearly a joke, but Leon froze, his eyes searching her face. Veronica felt a flutter of surprise at his intensity as he tried to determine whether she was serious. Finally convinced of her playfulness, he tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.
“I’m afraid parting ways isn’t an option,” he said.
“And why not?”
“Because I hardly know you yet.”
He hardly knows me? Veronica wondered, unsure how to respond.
Noticing her confusion, Leon suddenly asked, “What’s your favorite food?”
“What?”
“What do you do when you’re alone? Do you love singing as much as dancing?”
Veronica’s eyes widened as understanding dawned. Before she could formulate a response, Leon spoke again, his voice dropping to a tender murmur. “I know almost nothing about you. So tell me.”
His desire to know her felt like a confession of love. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her throat tingled with a sensation both ticklish and sharp. Though no one had ever taught her to recognize it, she knew for sure that this feeling was love.
Love felt like ocean waves rushing in, wetting feet and destroying sandcastles. It made many people retreat in vague fear, but not after they had truly come to know the sea. Then they learned to love the waves themselves.
“If you want, I can take you to the Black Forest,” Leon offered. “I know the way.”
Veronica could only move her lips silently, unable to form any words. He was referring to the place she’d mentioned in her letter—that tranquil lake in the Black Forest she’d always wanted to visit. That would be nice too, but…
Veronica shook her head. “No. The Black Forest can wait. I’ve been thinking… I’d rather see the ocean right now.”
She wanted to see that ancestral home of all waters—the sanctuary where the Bahamuts had hidden for a full year. She longed to lay eyes on that boundless expanse again, water so vast it seemed capable of embracing all creation.
“The ocean? Do you mean Bayern?”
“Yes, or any coastal city. I want to see water so blue it makes you feel cold just looking at it.”
She realized summer had already arrived. The sea, glittering with sunlight, always lifted her spirits. In her mind, she pictured sun-darkened children swimming all day and artists capturing the seascape. The vision brought a radiant smile to her lips.
“When we get to the sea, I’ll tell you more about myself,” she promised. “Much more than you know now.”
Their lips, which had been hovering close, finally met. Neither could remember who moved first. They knew only that what began as warmth quickly blazed into heat.
Cool water trickled down their intertwined legs.