Sparks and Flames

by CS Patra

  Rukia’s house was not too far from where he was standing but he couldn’t enter through the front door. Her parents would probably be there and they would ask him what he was wearing. He would never be able to explain his hunting outfit to them. The only way he could see Rukia is if he went upstairs to her room. He would have to climb the tree that was close to it.

  Kian ran over to where her house was. He knew that he would be able to find it in the dark. His heavy boots pounded against the pavement as he ran. He could feel the wind against his face as he made his way towards Rukia’s neighborhood. There was no one else out in the streets today and that was a good thing. He didn’t want anyone to see him running in these clothes, his heavy belt weighing him down. He turned the corner and saw the Benton’s house. It looked so warm and friendly compared to the home that he had. He wished that he could live with them forever.

  He found a few stones on the ground and saw that her bedroom light was on. The window was closed but she was there. He threw the stones at it in hopes that she would see him. When nothing happened, he decided to climb up the side of the house and knock on her window. She would have to notice him.

  “Kian!” She opened the window and helped him up. “Oh, Kian! What are you doing here? It’s so risky to come here while my family is downstairs!”

  “Oh, Rukia. I just couldn’t wait to see you!” He leaned over and kissed her. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”

  “Why are you dressed like that?” She asked.

  “Truth be told, I’m supposed to be hunting tonight,” he explained. “I snuck out of it though. I told my crew that I wasn’t feeling well and needed to go home. I just had to see you. I hope you don’t mind that I couldn’t change.”

  “It’s okay. As long as you aren’t covered in blood, you’ll be fine,” she let him in her room and patted the spot next to her bed. “Come on. Sit with me. You have to be very quiet though. If they learned you were here, they would never let you see me again.”

  “They already know who I am.”

  “That’s true but they don’t know you’re a hunter. No one knows,” she crossed her fingers. “I told you that I would keep that promise. I wouldn’t tell a single soul and I still haven’t.”

  “Thank you,” he kissed her again. “I really like you, Rukia. I like you so much that I’m willing to give up being a hunter.”

  “You are?”

  “Yeah, I am. If you think it’s too dangerous for me, just tell me and I’ll step down. You mean too much to me,” he looked at her with those beautiful eyes and she almost melted. He had perfected that look because it worked every single time. “Your opinion matters to me.”

  “Well, don’t quit because of me,” she suggested. “You should have a say in what you do as well. I care about you too, which is why I’m telling you not to quit because of me. If you love this, I want you to keep doing it.”

  It felt like a bad idea to tell him to keep hunting her kind. She felt like a fool and hoped that Kian wouldn’t take her advice. Why had she told him to keep hunting? Was it because she liked the way he looked in those clothes? In truth, he looked very good. Black suited him well. It also showed off his body, which was nicely packed with muscles. Kian had trained hard to get as far as he did. This was the body of an eighteen year old that had done and seen far too much in his life. He didn’t know what it was like to be lazy for a while. Everyone in the Velt was born working and struggling.

  He took her hand. “I should show you my favorite place to hang out. You showed me yours.”

  “Are we going to the Velt?” She asked.

  “No, my favorite place is here actually,” he said. “It’s on that big hill where the church is. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

  “We have a lot of big hills with churches. You have to get more specific.”

  “Well, this church is made entirely of brick and it’s the only building on the hill. I saw it as I was coming to your house,” he explained. “It’s not the church itself but the view from the hill that I love. You can see the whole world from where you’re standing. It makes you realize how small and big everything is,” he tried to pull her off her bed. “You have to come see it!”

  “I can’t come now! My mother and father will notice that I’m gone!” She pointed out. “Can you take me to it tomorrow? I’m sure it will look just as nice in the daytime as it does at night.”

  He pouted a little but agreed with her. “Fine then. I will come and pick you up and we’ll go down there together. Does that sound better?”

  “It does. Can I ask you some questions now?”

  “You know you can always ask me questions. You know all my secrets.”

  “First question is a big one.” This was something that was on her mind for a long time. “How would you feel is someone you knew turned out to be an Elemental? What if it was one of your old friends? What would you do then?”

  His face darkened at that point. “Do you have a friend that’s an Elemental?”

  “No, I don’t! I just wanted to get your thoughts on that. It’s a hypothetical situation.”

  “A hypothetical situation, huh? Well, I would be shocked to find that out for starters. I’d feel a little betrayed that I never knew sooner,” he admitted. “If it’s a very close friend of mine, then a lot would be at stake. Our friendship wouldn’t be the same again. However, because they are my friend, I wouldn’t be able to kill them so easily. Not unless they tried to kill me first. Then that friendship would be severed and I would have no choice.”

  “However, if they don’t try to kill you, you wouldn’t try to kill them?”

  “No, I don’t think I could. We might be on different paths, but I couldn’t kill my friend. Not even if a mission told me I had to do it,” he said. “I would get out of it in any means possible.”

  “That’s nice to know. You care a lot for your friends,” she noted.

  “I don’t have very many of them to begin with. I try not to get too close with anyone. I am a hunter, after all. I don’t want to drag any of them into my dangerous lifestyle. I will end up hurting them or worse if they get involved.”

  “Same here. I don’t really have anything in the form of friends.”

  “What about us?” He asked. “Would we technically be friends? We’ve been talking to each other for a few days. I’ve met your family though you have yet to meet mine. You know about my love of marzipan and curry. I know that you are very strong and can take me down easily. I have the bruises to prove it,” he pointed to his arm where there was a fading bruise. “I’m still so proud of you and how you nailed me down.”

  “What can I say? It’s all in the wrist,” she blew on top of her knuckles. “You just need to know your enemy’s weak point and you can have them down for the count in no time.”

  “Aw, I’m your enemy now?”

  “No way! You’re the best thing to have happened to me in all my life!”

  “You’re being way too kind.”

  “No, I’m serious. You are really the greatest thing that ever appeared before me,” she admitted. “I’ve been wishing to have a friend for a long time. Granted, I never thought the friend would be a hunter, but you surprised me. You’re a lot deeper than most of the hunters I’ve heard about are.”

  “You’ve heard about hunters?”

  “Well, I’ve just heard the stories. I’ve never run into one until you,” she swung her legs back and forth as she was sitting on her bed. Her feet were scrapping the floor as they moved. The noise was a little annoying but Kian found it heavenly. Even when she was moving her legs, it was a nice sound. “You’ve got to tell me more stories about your hunts.”

  “Are you sure you want to hear them? They could be very violent.”

  “I’m not a child, Kian. I can handle violence,” she knew that his stories wouldn’t scare her, but he was still a hunter of Elementals. If he could keep details to a minimum, that would be a good th
ing. “Tell me about the greatest hunts that you’ve ever had.”

  Before Kian could open his mouth, he heard Mrs. Benton calling from downstairs. “Rukia, I need your help!”

  Rukia winched and yelled back. “Give me a second, Mom!” She turned to him. “Never mind, Kian. I think you better go before anyone finds you.”

  “I’ll save my stories for another time then,” he said. “I’ll tell you why I’m known as the Dragon of the Velt.”

  “Ooh, you actually have a nickname? It sounds ferocious.”

  “You’ll learn all about it soon,” he went over to her window and got one foot out of it. “When will I see you again?”

  “Hopefully, we can see each other tomorrow,” she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “That’s to keep you warm tonight. It’s cold out there.”

  Kian could feel his face growing hot. “How about that Elemental you found? Has he gone back home to his family?”

  “He’s in hiding now. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you where he is,” she whispered, running her fingers through his dark hair. “I hope you try and understand this. I can’t reveal much about his whereabouts even if I do trust you.”

  “No, I get it,” he said, taking his other foot out the window. “You want to keep him safe from hunters. He doesn’t trust me, does he?”

  “I’m sorry. He can sense that you have something that you’re hiding,” she said. “I didn’t tell him anything, but he asked that you don’t ask about him.”

  “All right, I won’t,” he decided, giving her a kiss now. “That’s to keep you warm as you go to sleep tonight. Dream about me, okay? Dream about our life together.”

  “That’s all I ever dream about anymore,” she whispered, giving him a hug. “Hurry back home, okay? I have to answer my mother now.”

  “She’s not going to find out I was here, will she?”

  “I highly doubt it. You still need to get out of here though, okay?” She gave him one more kiss. “That’s for good luck. Now go!”

  He blew her a kiss as he started to climb down. “I’ll be thinking of you.”

  “Right back at you,” she whispered as he got to the ground, gave her one last look, and ran off into the night. She hoped that he would get back home safely.

  As she sat down on her bed, she began to think about him and what he was. It was like the story Romeo and Juliet from back in the past. Her only love had been sprung from her only hate. The difference was that their families didn’t hate each other. They just happened to be born on different sides. She had powers and he didn’t. She was wealthy and he was poor. She was keeping secrets from him while his were now in the open. They might have been different in many ways but the one thing they had in common were their feelings for each other. They knew they wanted to be together.

  One day, we will be together. She decided. Hang in there, Kian. I’m yours for now. I’ll be yours forever. I promise you that.

  Chapter 16

  Once again, Kian felt like he was floating around on a cloud. If he could, he would have been flying through the air. Her kisses were so sweet and soft. He could still feel them on his mouth. Reaching up, he touched his face and could feel how hot he was. She knew just what to say and do to warm him up again. She knew how to get his heart beating. He turned the corner, ready to go home and think about how he would propose to her. It would be simple, but she would not expect it. He would have to do it in a way that she wouldn’t see.

  That was when he saw them. They were showing off their powers to each other by making small fires and waterfalls. He bit down on his lip and hid behind the building. Those were fire and water-manipulating Elementals that didn’t seem to have a care in the world. They were just laughing and playing around with their powers.

  He was looking over at where the Elementals had gathered and felt his blood boiling. He hated them so much that it made him wonder about what he told Rukia. Would he truly be able to get over a close friend being an Elemental? It would just depend on what that close friend was doing. If it was something like hurting children, then that friendship would be over between them. If it was nothing, he could probably overlook it.

  They were just having fun so he decided to let them go. Killing them would just be a waste of time and they seemed to know what they were doing. He turned around and decided to take the long way home. He was going back without hunting a thing, but it felt right. He didn’t want to jump those Elementals for no reason. They weren’t doing anything to hurt anyone.

  What is wrong with me? He asked himself. I would have killed them all by now, but I let them go. Am I okay? What am I feeling inside now? If I don’t want to kill them, then why am I a hunter?

  His mind went back to Rukia and the mystery that surrounded her. She had asked him the strangest question ever. She wanted to know how he’d react to being friends with an Elemental. It was something that he had never thought about before.

  Why would she even ask me that? He wondered. Why does she want to know my reaction?

  He figured that she wanted to know because he was a hunter. Calensa had their share of Elementals and maybe she knew some of them. She didn’t want him to get hurt or them to die. It made perfect sense why she would ask him such questions. She wasn’t about to lose anyone that she loved.

  Oh, Rukia, why didn’t you just tell me? I wouldn’t hurt anyone that you care about.

  Then again, he couldn’t tell who was an Elemental and who wasn’t. He got the briefings from the higher ups that told him about certain people. Elementals looked like regular people when they were walking down the street. They didn’t like to use their powers out in the streets since they knew hunters were lurking about. He made a vow that he was not going to attack anyone just because he felt like it. As a hunter, he had to be careful and thorough with everything that he did. He had to follow his briefings all the way through or else he could risk losing his job.

  “Well, she doesn’t have to worry about me hurting anyone she loves. Not unless they’ve done something wrong,” he said to himself.

  Of course, he had no idea if his targets knew who Rukia was. He had no idea if Rukia knew them in return. All he knew was that he had to get rid of his targets. As he promised, he wasn’t going to go after the Elemental that had been frozen in ice. He had no idea where to start looking for him in the first place.

  He ran his tongue across his lips and felt Rukia’s kiss. It was so warm and soft and it made him feel better from his toes to his head. He hugged himself and imagined that he was hugging Rukia. She smelled so good when she leaned over and he could smell her perfume. He could still feel her fingers going through his hair as she stroked it. Her nails were gently scraping against his scalp. Her hands were so silky smooth and smelled like vanilla from the lotion that she rubbed on them.

  Rukia’s hand was so warm against his skin. In her dark eyes was a flame that danced anytime she was happy. He couldn’t help but love that fire inside of her. He wanted to see the flames go higher and keep her happy for the rest of his life. He didn’t care about anything else now. He could give up being a hunter and that would be fine for him. Rukia would be his everything. Rukia was everything right now.

  “I should stop being a hunter,” he said to himself. “There’s no reason for me to keep doing this. She’s all I care about now.”

  He had no idea who he was trying to convince with this decision. At the moment, hunting was where he got his money from. His parent didn’t pay him for looking after the front desk at their motel. He felt that this was unfair, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. They had to keep their money for more important things. One thing they had really wanted to do was go on a trip but they didn’t have either the time or the funds. Kian had been saving some of his hunting tips over for them. It was all in a jar under his bed and it was almost filled to the brim. A few more dollars and he would have enough to send them overseas. This was going to be his present for them since their anniversary was
coming up. They had done plenty for him. It was high time he did something for them.

  Now he was wondering if he should save up money for his trip with Rukia. That would be a wonderful thing. The two of them could see everything they wanted and then some. For that to happen, he needed to earn more money. Everything he earned, he would put away in a new jar and hoped that would fill up soon too. They both needed this vacation. They needed to get away from the hellish lands that they had grown up in. Calensa might have been a nice place, but it was boring. It was the same old thing for miles. She needed to see something new and so did he. They both needed to explore what was beyond their gates.

  Chapter 17

  Kian had been dreaming of nothing but Rukia. He was almost certain that he was infatuated with her. He didn’t know why, but there was something about that blue-streaked hair, those gorgeous eyes, and that figure that made him want to dive into her. She had a beauty that no one in the world could compare to. He had seen some people claimed to be the most beautiful and they didn’t hold a candle to her. They never could.