Chapter XXXII; Sanctuary

                                    

                                          
The little girl with red hair looked up at the sky with awe watching the twinkling stars. She stood on her tip toes as if trying to get closer to the stars. She was in the Outer Gardens standing on the edge of the fountain in the center. A bright smile was on her face, causing the light of the stars to be reflected in her bright blue eyes.
                          
"Kiu, you know you're not supposed to be out here alone." A familiar voice said. Kiu turned quickly to see an older red-haired boy watching her with his hands behind his head. She smiled at him and giggled a little bit before looking back up at the stars.
                          
"Lea, what do you think stars are?" Kiu asked. Lea sighed and crossed the garden to her sitting on the fountain beside where she stood. He leaned back and looked up at the stars with her. His bright green eyes locked onto one star as he thought.
                          
"Well, your grandma says that all the stars are different worlds." He decided. He glanced to Kiu who was still staring up at the stars in amazement. He smirked a little before looking back at the stars. "She also says the light is from the heart of the world." He added.
                          
"So they're kinda like us," Kiu said. Lea chuckled at the little girl and nodded. He didn't know how she had understood something like that so quickly. Or how that made any sense to her. He still wasn't sure he believed what Kiu's grandmother had said. But he wasn't going to spoil the kids fun. "Lea look! It's a shooting star! Hurry we gotta close our eyes and make a wish!" Kiu said suddenly pointing up at the sky. Sure enough where she pointed was a bright streak of light. Lea chuckled as he glanced over to see Kiu's eyes shut tightly. He sighed before closing his own eyes.
                          
Kiu was surprised when she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the Outer Gardens. Instead, she stood on a stained glass platform. Light shined up through the floor. The glasses pattern was Kiu her eyes closed and a hand placed over her heart. Surrounding her was a large group of shadow like creatures reaching toward her.  Behind the creatures looked to be a blue light of some kind.
                          
Kiu, however, wasn't looking at the stained glass. She was looking at a strange orb of darkness floating in front of her. Kiu stepped forward and cupped her hands around the orb. It stung a little to touch, but Kiu ignored it and looked at the dark light in wonder.
                          
"Oh, are you ok?" Kiu asked, her head tilting to the side in wonder. She looked at the orb a little closer trying to decide what it was. The stinging sensation in her hands remained as if her hands were numb. The pins and needles were uncomfortable, but Kiu decided helping this heart was more important.
                          
"Annoying." A voice echoed through the platform. Kiu smiled at the orb as she recognized the voice.
                          
"Oh! It's you." Kiu said happily. She looked over the orb again in interest. The stinging sensation increased causing Kiu to grimace. "What happened?" Kiu asked, still smiling.
                          
"None of your concern Princess." The voice said once again. Kiu felt an extra sharp sting in her hands that almost made her pull them away. But she didn't. It was just his negativity. It would fade eventually.
                          
"Ok, do you need help?" Kiu asked. The voice didn't reply, but she felt the sting in her hands fade. Uneasiness rolled off the orb telling Kiu all she needed to know. He didn't want to ask for her help. Just like before. But that was ok. Kiu laughed, moving one hand to cover her mouth. "That's ok! I'll help you, just like I promised. You need a place to stay, right?" She asked. Once again she received no reply from the voice. "You can stay here. I'll help you get better again." She said with a bright smile.
                          
"Whatever Princess." The voice replied. Kiu smiled, then quickly dropped her smile. She returned her attention back to the orb.
                          
"Oh, I don't know your name." Kiu said. There was a pause between the two. Kiu almost thought that meant she wasn't going to get an answer at all. She was surprised when he did in fact answer. She smiled and laughed once again. "Ok. Get better soon. I'll keep you safe until then." she replied to the voice.