Chapter 13: Chapter XIII: Promise Me

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Not everything in the wastelands was ugly and dead. Kai hurled the makeshift spear, pinning a fat fish to the bottom of the knee-deep stream. Granted, this was almost human territory.

He yanked the spear with their soon-to-be-lunch at the tip and glanced back at the camp.

Goggles on a rock.

A few meters ahead, Olivia stood beside a glittering cascade, washing her short black hair in running cold water.

“I can’t believe I forgot about this place,” she said, smiling.

“How so?” Kai plodded towards her. “I mean, how would you even know about it?”

The smile on her face faded.

Kai stopped, worrying he might’ve said something wrong.

“That’s from when I was deep-diving into your territory.” Olivia swallowed. “Searching for targets.”

“I see.”

She looked at him.

“That’s it? You... see?”

He scratched his head.

In different circumstances, he could have been one of the victims of her “deep-dives”. But he contributed his share to this war as well, and would likely continue to do so, especially now.

“You’re mad at me for not being mad at you,” Kai said.

“That’s... I’m not mad!”

“I see.”

“Stop it!”

Kai shrugged and plodded towards the camp.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” he said.

The corner of her lips curled again.

“Mhm.”

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Kai was showing off, Olivia noticed, with all that spearfishing and so on. Well, it worked, congratulations to him; he got her a bit breathless under the cascade. She knew how to show off as well, though.

“Have you ever eaten this?” she asked, holding a certain delicacy in front of his face, which resembled a perfectly round rock.

He stared at it for a while.

“I don’t think this is edible, Olivia. Don’t you prefer... fish?”

A toothsome scent arose from the roasted fish in his hand. It seemed Kai had seasoned it as well. Her stomach growled.

Olivia frowned.

“You have much to learn.” She leaned back, twisting the insect in a specific way. “We used to survive on Bugballs in basic training. I spent a whole week only eating these myself...”

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The thing wouldn’t budge this time, though.

Olivia glanced at him, embarrassed.

“Could you...” she said, handing the Bugball to him. “You know...”

“Sure.”

He took it.

“Right,” she said, “You have to spin the shell in very specific direction...”

The insect cracked open, revealing the plump white meat inside.

“Like this?” he asked, holding the two halves for her to see.

“Oh.”

Olivia slumped down to sit beside him, defeated.

Kai stretched the Bugball towards the fire.

“Don’t do that!” She caught his arm. “It gets bitter. You must eat it raw.”

He blinked rapidly, seemingly puzzled.

“Alright. Raw it is.”

Kai slurped it loudly, then threw the empty shell into the fire.

“So?” she asked, leaning closer for the answer.

He thought for a while.

“It’s good.”

She smiled, celebrating internally.

“Right?”

“Better than our bread.”

“Your bread must suck then.”

Kai lowered his head.

“It really does.”

Olivia chuckled.

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Kai watched her laugh, convinced it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. If only he could stretch this moment into forever. But alas, anything that promised something like that would have been an illusion, he knew.

She looked at him.

“Are you alright? You got awfully quiet.”

He nodded.

“Yes. I was just...”

“What?” she asked.

Kai sighed.

What could he possibly say? His growing feelings were too much of a burden to place on her.

“You know,” he said, bringing his mind someplace else. “Growing up I never imagined they’d put me at the head of an army, even if conscription itself was unavoidable.”

“No?”

He shook his head.

“This was my brother’s ambition, not mine, but fate switched us places at the last minute. He got the garrison duty and a family, and I... war.”

“You got nothing else? Are you sure?”

Kai frowned.

“What do you mean? War takes everything from you, all your time and energy...”

He stopped, noticing how she was looking at him.

“Oh...” he muttered and swallowed. “Olivia—”

A smirk flashed on her face.

“Gotcha!” she said.

“What?”

“You should have seen your face.”

His cheeks grew hot as he understood she was toying with him.

“That’s not very nice—”

She cut him short with a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s a tie.”

He shook his head, pretending not to be lightheaded from the kiss.

“You’re too competitive, Olivia. I don’t even know what you mean by that.”

“Don’t play the fool now. You know what you were doing on that stream.”

“You mean catching fish?”

Her eyes widened.

“Wait. You really were just fishing... weren’t you?”

Kai lifted an eyebrow.

“I think so, yes.”

“Oh no...”

Olivia hugged her legs, slumping her head between the knees, red-faced.

Kai smirked discreetly.

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Dark clouds formed in the distance and drifted towards them. She had just finished packing up the rest of their things when her eyes fell on him. Kai stood on top of the cascade, looking at the rain that came slowly but surely.

Olivia knew what was on his mind, and she hated it. It didn’t belong there. If she could only wash his pain away like she washed herself in the cascade...

She had wounds eating up at her as well, regrets about the terrible things enabled through her help. Some things just didn't fade away but felt like a permanent weight upon our shoulders; and right when she found someone to share that burden with, even if only through silly jokes and Bugballs, he had something else on his mind.

Olivia approached him.

Revenge. War over love.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice her approach until she took his hand from behind.

“Kai.”

“Did something happen? You seem worried.”

“I am worried, but nothing happened yet. I’m grieving, and I can’t stop.”

Kai frowned.

“Grieving?”

She took his face between her hands.

“For you. Please promise me, please.”

He stared at her in silence. His eyes grew softer.

“You’re so beautiful, Olivia.”

She bit her lower lip.

“Then do it. Give me your warrior’s word.”

“What do you want me to say? I... I’ll do anything for you.”

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his breath against her cheek. His eyes closed when she whispered in his ear.

“Promise you won’t seek revenge.”

Slowly, Kai opened his eyes again. He put some distance between them.

“I can’t.”

“Kai—”

“I have nothing else. Everything was taken from me. Do you understand?”

“What about me?”

He shook his head.

“You’re a human, Olivia, and you’re going home. What do you suggest? Should I go home with you, or should you come home with me?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

Kai wiped her tears away with his finger.

“I love you, my enemy,” he said. “But there’s not a corner in this dying world for us.”

Olivia gasped.

“Then promise you won’t die.”

He lowered his head.

“I... can’t.”

“Promise me, Kai!”

He wiped his face.

“Alright. I promise you. I won’t die.”

The clouds broke right on top of them, soaking her smile.

He gave her his word. That’s all that mattered.

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