chapter 14

                                    

                                          

Swiriya held her palm over her face, looking down at the ground, walking past the people looking up at her questioningly, she walked with one destination in mind, the small river where she first kissed Ewkiro, she could not tell you why her brain led her there, all she knew was she was barely in control of her legs, the strong strides leading her to the valley not feeling like her own as her ears picked up someone humming a soft tune, she put down the hand covering her face, spreading shrubbery slightly to get a better look at the person.
Ewkiro.
Swiriya walked quietly to Ewkiro's side, sitting down at her side like both had done to each other before, what she had not noticed before, was that Ewkiro's eyes where closed, her queue connected to the ground, the hums similar to the ones her grandma let loose as she prayed to eywa, but why, what reason did Ewkiro have to pray?
Ewkiro looked distracted, Swiriya understood she was in a different realm of her own, the only thing she could probably hear was her own blood and Eywa's own heartbeat.
Swiriya turned her back to the girl, leaning to the small stream which she had looked at with such fierceness  before, she breathed in cool air, reaching into the water, the way the water cascaded along her fingertips eerily familiar to the stuff of her nightmares. She brought a now glistening hand up to her mouth and drank slowly, the liquid refreshing her parched throat, she felt the water dripping out of her palm, splattering onto the rocks beneath her.
"Swiriya?" Ewkiro's wispy voice sounded behind her, making Swiriya jump, not daring turn around and face her..lover?
"Swiriya!" Ewkiro jumped onto her, hugging her so tight she felt as if she might suffocate. Swiriya brought her hands to her face, covering what was left of her eye in a desperate attempt not to change the girls views of her.
"Swiriya whats wrong?" Ewkiro grabbed the sides of the girls face, making her face her, the girls hands not budging, not moving from their place covering her face, Ewkiro moved her own hands from Swiriya's chin to her wrists, moving them lightly, catching a peak of her good eye.
"No- i don't- i dont  want you to see me-" Swiriya coughed, trying to look away from Ewkiro but the more spiritual girls grip was surprisingly firm.
"Swiriya- whats wrong?" The girl attempted to wiggle Swiriya's wrists more, but the one covering the good side of her face came down, eyes glistening with tears almost distracting her from the sharp pain in her wrists, the girls recently freed hand clinging onto her wrist, pulling it.
"Swiriya- Swiriya you're hurting me." She stated, her face turning desperate, trying to free her wrists from the deadly grip of the soldier  "Swiriya- stop!- please!" the last words were yelled out and hoarse, not the annoying type of hoarse, but the heartbreaking type of hoarse that made Swiriya pause, her grip on Ewkiro's wrist loosed, Ewkiro pulling back, cradling her wrists.
"Ewkiro- im sorry-" 
"What happened, Swiriya?"
"I feel.. Weak"
Swiriya dropped down the hand covering her face, and chuckled as Ewkiro struggled to hold back a gasp.
"I didn't thing it was that bad, either, one grenade and you'r fucked for life. Its ok if you think i look like a monster, i think so too"
"Swiriya- you're still you- that's what I care about. A cut on your face isn't gonna change the fact that i- i kind of like you, a lot, yeah?" Ewkiro released her wirst, trying to hide the forming bruise, she grabbed swiriya's hands, holding them in her own.
"I...i- Ewkiro i feel like a monster, people look at me and expect me to be a monster, and deep down, i feel like one."
"Swiriya, thats the thing, i believe There's No Deep Down, I Believe That All We Are Is What We Do, and what you do, from what i know, makes me believe you aren't a monster, some people will see that, and some wont, trust in yourself and be happy when they do." Swiriya looked down at the ground, at the stream, at her dark crouched legs underneath her, gazing into the darkness shrouded world she could access through her left eye
"How'd you learn to trust it- the whole being happy thing, i mean""
She whispered looking at Ewkiro, seeing her ghostly white eye reflect from her beautiful green and azure eyes.
"I didn't, but i trust you"
Swiriya smiled, putting her hand on Ewkiro's cheek.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, really, and if it means anything, I kind off, really like you too." 
She leaned in, kissing Ewkiro softly, no violent grasping at each other, no moans, just a soft kiss which expressed far more than any words they could utter, Swiriya's hand migrating to Ewkiro's carefully braided hair, gently grasping at it, her thumb caressing the girls temple.
They both released each others lips, looking at each other with starry eye's.
"Be my girlfriend" Swiriua uttered out quickly, her face slowly covered with more red by the second.
"Alright" Ewkiro's soft voice assured her, before they kissed again, this time Swiriya bit Ewkiro's  bottom lip, lightly rolling it between her teeth, opening her eyes to cheekily look into her eyes.
She loved this girl.