(disconnected!)The way it was meant to be

In this chapter, it focuses on Cain and Naomi making up after their previous argument. How will things play out for them?

The way it was meant to be

“Here we pick up the day after the events of last chapter, where Cain mistakenly hurt the feelings of Naomi in an outburst of all the grief he bottled up from the death of his old man. Angry, confused, and hurt above all, Naomi fled the scene. Only realizing his fault long after it was possible to correct it. This leaves the rest of the party wondering when the duo will make up, with no one having a doubt in their heads that it will happen eventually. The question at hand was 'when', not 'how'.

Will this be the final chapter to Naomi and Cain's friendship? Of course not! What, are you blind? Continue reading the story to find out the answers to your questions!”

It must have been about 4 in the morning. The air smelled faintly of moisture, due to the light drizzle throughout the night. Cain didn't sleep at all that night, so he had witnessed it. All he could do was sit against that tree, deep in thought. He didn't even feel tired at this point, which he found strange but didn't ponder on it. He spent the night thinking about Naomi. He thought about the words he had said and the way she had reacted. It was as if his mind was on repeat, like a broken record. It constantly reminded him of the foolish things he had said. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase it. Eventually he just accepted it as a sort of punishment for his idiocy.

The other half of him was worried about her. Where she had gone off to, and what she had gone off to do. No form of rationalization could purge this worry. The feeling itself had come straight from his heart, and for the longest time all he could ask himself was “I know that she is absolutely fine.... so why am I still worrying so much?”.

He wondered for awhile, living in his head for a time. As was expected, he got up and started to walk off. He froze for a moment, thinking about what she would say to him if he just suddenly showed up after their disagreement. He didn't want to anger her anymore than he already had. The thought bothered him severely, until his thought process was broken entirely by a nearby comment.

“It's already beginning to bother you that much now is it?”, said Vella from the nearby tree that he never even realized she was sitting in.

She leaped off the tree, landing about 4 feet away from Cain with a perfectly clean landing. Her left hand in her pocket and eyes closed. He could never keep anything from Vella, she was way too perceptive for anything like that. For as long as he had known her, he can't lie successfully either. He was a bad liar to begin with, so there was no choice other than to just tell her.

“Is it that obvious?”, he said dejectedly.

To that, Vella moved near him, eyes closed the whole time but with a smile on her face. She placed her hand on his should and looked him in the eye.

“You aren't accomplishing anything here man! Go find her.” She was uplifting as usual with anything she said. She was too good at that kind of thing. Her positive attitude was always infectious too. Cain often thought she had the ability to talk a person out of committing suicide (I'm aware this is a rather dark joke, however you get the point).

To this, Cain had a light smile on his face and nodded triumphantly. He turned around and began to jog in the opposite direction. He felt a breath of fresh air in his lungs. As usually, she filled him with energy, and he was ready to do whatever it took to find Naomi.

Vella saw him continuing further and further in the opposite direction. She then cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled: “While you're at it, tell her Vella said 'Sup'.” By that point, Cain was already out of sight. She crossed her arms and smirked.

“Those two are always good for a show. It's adorable to see him worked up like that.”

She turned and climbed back up into her tree, wondering how things would play out.

Naomi woke up suddenly, curled up in a soft patch of grass. She was a bit confused at first, but then she remembered the night before. After giving herself a moment to wake up, she sat up and stretched. She wondered what Cain was doing. Naomi was not one for holding on to frivolous arguments as grudges, and given the circumstances she was willing to forgive him easily. At that point she had a devious thought. She would forgive him, but who ever said she couldn't pretend she was still angry with him? She had a grin on her face.

“That'll teach him to lose his cool on me.”, she stated with confidence. The sheer thought of the look on his face when she was done messing with his head was enough drive for her to want to find him already.

She stood up and began to walk until a sudden thought petrified her. 'What if he's mad at me?' she had wondered. Just like Cain, she began to let her mind fly off in all directions. Rationality was no longer enough to suffice. No matter how much she knew that there was no way he would still be angry, the thought bothered her. She sat in silence for awhile, almost in horror. This worry grew with every second that passed.

At that moment, Cain emerged from the brush behind her. Naomi was in such a deep thought process that she hadn't even realized she had company. She was a prisoner of her own mind. All while this was happening, Cain was in a pause himself. He had sat there wondering what to say, until he stopped his mind from processing for once. He no longer cared to over think and just came out with the first thing that came from his heart.

“There you are, I was worried sick.”, he stated in a straight forward fashion.

Naomi's thoughts were severed, and she mellowed out. She merely sat there in surprise. She didn't think he would have come looking for her so soon. This happened all the while Cain had wondered how she would react to his sudden greeting. Would she yell at him? Or perhaps she would merely walk away. The both of them had thoughts that were starting to fill their minds.

Naomi reacted in the only way that she could think of at the moment. Her erratic emotions had taken the stage and she turned around, rapidly advancing towards Cain. She closed in quick and wrapped her arms around him forcefully, burying her face into his right shoulder.

This had shocked Cain in such a way that he simply sat there taken off of his footing, leaning back at a small angle and unable to respond for a moment. Once the wires reconnected in his head, he closed his arms around her waist in return, then laid his head to the side of hers.

Their embrace was inseparable, yet neither of them had any desire to leave. They merely remained there in each other's arms. It was a warming feeling that was best explained as unique. It didn't feel like any ordinary hug.

Naomi turned her head just enough so she could speak.

“God damn it you're so stupid sometimes! Don't you dare do that again alright?”, she said with her face slightly blushing. Her eyes were flushing with tears, but not out of sadness or pain. Rather, they were indeed tears of joy. They were tears that showed she was glad for being able settle things so quickly.

Cain took a soothing breath and said: “Yeah... I suppose I'm not as bright as I can be sometimes. I'm sorry I put you through that.” His words were filled with a sense of relief while saying it, as if he had lifted an enormous weight from his chest.

“I'm not without fault either on this one. I kind of lost my cool last night and said things I shouldn't have.”, she said in response.

“It was truth though Naomi. The truth hurts, and in my case it hurt a lot.”

“I'm sorry... I should have rephrased my words more carefully.”, she said in low spirits.

At that point Cain had a snappy response to her. He sarcastically retorted: “What else could you have done?”

The familiar words chimed in her head, and she looked him in the eye, unable to respond.

“Exactly, so don't dwell on it”, he said with a sincere smile.

Naomi smiled back with a slight giggle. She slipped from his gripped and shoved him lightly.

“Shut up you jerk.”, she said facetiously.

This made Cain chuckle, and then their eyes met again. It appeared as if he had seen the real Naomi for the first time. Something seemed different about her, yet he couldn't throw a name on it. She was acting differently, but in a good way. On the opposite end, Naomi felt empowered. She made a realization. She needed Cain in order to control her emotions. For awhile, being around him had only stirred up the emotions inside of her uncontrollably. Now? Well, now it seems as if she had been waiting for something since then. For awhile she couldn't put her thumb on it, however now it made sense to her. She had been waiting for her heart to truly decide what she wanted. Just now, her decision was made, as well as Cain's. They both were seeing each other in an entirely different light. All they needed to do was let their hearts lead the way, rather than thinking about it.

“Let's head back, I have a party I need to lead.”, Cain said with a hearty smile.

Naomi merely nodded like a young child and followed close behind him. They slowly made their way back.

Like a dog who heard unfamiliar footsteps in the front yard, Vella's head perked up. Cain and Naomi were far in the distance and advancing towards camp. This put a grin on her face.

“There you go Casanova.”, she said smugly while descending from her perch in the tree. She moved over towards the rest of the party by the fire to share the good word. It had relived them all to know that all was well once again.

“I had complete and total faith in the man the whole time.”, Sol had said arrogantly.

“Oh did you now? By the look on your face I would say otherwise.” This statement was said by Waverly in a condescending manner.

“Your wits are wrong, princess. I had faith the whole time.”, he retorted with more arrogance than the last time. This time however there was a strong sense of a playful tone, as is to always be the case with him.

Waverly scoffed, closing her eyes and looking off in another direction.

“Stupid dog, my wits are never wrong. You should lower your ego for once.”

“No way I'd do that, It's always been a dream of mine to get a head as big as yours Waverly!” Upon delivery of the statement, he gave her a smug look that indicated that he was kidding the entire time. Waverly opened one eye, childishly turning to see the look on his face before closing her eyes again. Her serious face began to show a smile of agreement. Their relationship was strange to understand to many, but this was how they bonded. Their conversations often dripped with sarcasm.

By this point, Cain and Naomi had been close enough to camp where everyone was able to see them from the distance. They were barely a few inches out from each other, side by side. Naomi suddenly decided to wrap her arms around his to get closer to him. She looked up, as if expecting a response to her motion. Cain simply returned a smile of acceptance, and she resumed wrapping herself around his arm.

“What the hell happened while they were gone?”, Xenobia proclaimed.

Vella replied: “They finally decided to stop thinking and let their emotions out.” She stretched her arms up over her head.

“Took 'em long enough.”, her speech distorted by the stretching.

“I for one think it's adorable.”, Cecille said heartily.

“Everyone saw it coming besides themselves. It was only a matter of time.” This smart remark came from Xenobia.

“That's the problem with smart people. They're so intelligent that they don't have a clue what to do when it comes to their emotions. That's why I'm one of the idiots, and Waverly can't get enough of me.”, Said Sol in a playful tone.

With a big smirk on her face Waverly wisely retorted: “I can't get enough of insulting your intelligence, dog. It's unlikely that we would ever be that compatible.”

“I couldn't help but notice that you used the word 'unlikely' and not 'impossible'.”, he said in response, catching her up in her own game. Sol had backed her up into a corner and had scored a checkmate. Her cheeks had flushed and she simply turned in disgust, attempting to hide her shame.

The couple were a mere few meters out from camp, and Cain turned over to Naomi.

“Hey, I know this is out of the blue but can we talk later?”, he asked.

Naomi's face lit up a little.

“yeah.. sure thing. When?”

“Sometime later on tonight would probably be nice. As for now I have a team I have to lead.”, he said with a smile. Naomi nodded in agreement.

Upon reaching camp, Naomi had released her grip from Cain and continued further off. Cain opened up: “Now that things are all sorted out, We have a serious problem we need to assess folks!”, He said in high spirits.

“World hunger?”, Vella said with her usual sardonic tone.

“No, Vella”, he crossed his arms and laughed quietly to himself.

“Then let's hear it almighty leader!”, she said in response.

A silence filled the air for but a moment, and then he said: “Ragnarok. We're now officially a threat to them. This can only mean one thing.”

The gears in Sol's head began to turn. He was a dim whit with anything common sense, but he was by no means a moron.

“It means we have something that can be a serious issue to their plans.”, he claimed.

That was hitting the nail on the head, so to speak.

“Precisely, Sol. I believe we should return to the Sanctuary first thing in the morning and report this incident. We will figure out our next move from there. At this point we are wasting time out here and making things more dangerous for ourselves.”

The group sat quietly for a moment, contemplating the decision. After a while, Naomi opened up: “I agree. This task is no longer of importance.”, she said. Shortly after, the entire group agreed.

“Sound's good to me”, Vella said.

“Alright, I'm game”, Sol continued.

“Count me in as well”, Waverly said.

“And me too sis”, Xenobia responded.

“Don't forget me too guys!”, Cecille interjected.

Cain smiled.

“Then it's settled. Everyone rest up for one more night, we will head out in the morning.”, Cain said in conclusion to the conversation.

Night had taken over, and the sky was littered with far too many stars to ever count. No one would have the time, nor the patience. Half of the group was asleep by this point. Cain sat alone, a short ways out by a cliff. Naomi watched him for a moment, then proceeded to close in and sit next to him.

“You called?”, she said when she had settled down.

Without turning his attention to her, her replied: “I wanted to ask you”, he said in a mild hesitation.

He realized after awhile that he had gone completely silent. For some reason he couldn't quite form a sentence in his mind.

“It was hard. Wasn't it?”, Naomi said suddenly.

This put Cain in thought for a moment.

“What do you mean?”, he said in response.

“The orphanage I mean.”, she said discontentedly.

He reflected back to the lonely days of the old orphanage. He remembered the training he went through. He remembered the paths he took to wind up where he is now from back then.

“Yes. I was alone for awhile. Vella was the first person who dared to step into my world, and not to my consent I must say.”, he said with a slight wince, scratching the back of his neck.

Naomi smiled at his attempt of humor. You could still see small signs of regret in her face.

“I never once properly apologized for that. I left my best friend behind in attempts to protect him. It seems counter-intuitive now that I think of it.”, she stated quietly.

After a long pause, she concluded: “I'm sorry for putting you through that. You must have hated me for it at first. Don't lie to me by saying you didn't either.”

Come to think of it, he had only just realized that he was indeed filled with a mild hatred towards her for leaving him alone. He had always thought of her as an inseparable half of their friendship. It tore a hole in his being to know that she had thrown it away, even in an act of selflessness.

After a little while, Cain had changed the subject.

“Why did you care so much about protecting me?”, he suddenly said.

She saw that question coming from a mile out and it made her apprehensive. Paradoxically, she was also eager to answer it, and throw out all of the thoughts she kept hidden from him all this time.

“Why else?”, she said. “I was in love...”, she said openly.

He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it instead. He just wanted to confirm it.

“We were always together when we were younger, and we had a strong bond between us. I didn't understand it well when I was younger, but I was genuinely in love.”, she continued.

Cain sat in silence, taking in her words. He had no clue what to say. Then suddenly, Naomi broke the ice that Cain was to hesitant to approach.

“So what about you then?”, she stated looking him straight in the eye.

Her look paralyzed him entirely. He was fixed on her look, unable to speak for a time. He decided to simply breath, and go with it. He smiled and said: “Is that honestly a question? Of course I do too.”

She closed her eyes and smiled.

“Good, I'm glad.”, she said with glee in her voice.

They both simply sat there for a long period of time, not speaking. They had leaned against each other, slowly drifting off to sleep. Before the point struck where they had both fallen asleep however, they turned to look at each other. Their eyes locked for awhile, and all they could focus on was one another. At a sudden instant, their heads converged.

All of their heart and soul was placed into that kiss. This night was best described as... adventurous, for the both of them. It was one that neither of them were to forget for a long time to come, if even at all. Before long they had both fallen asleep along with everyone else. The camp was dead silent, minus the sounds of faint snores. Vella, still up in her familiar tree branch had curiously watched the entire display. She smiled mischievously, then tilted her beret down and fell asleep herself.

This was only the beginning of a long road ahead of our heroes. Many more trials will lie in the future for them, and this future is anyone's guess. Not even I, myself, can predict it. This is mainly due to the fact that it is not yet written. This concludes the first chapter of our tale.

Author's Note

This piece just kept seeming to get longer and longer as i thought of the conclusion to it. I know there a LOTS of errors in it, not even including the dozens I CAUGHT while uploading it. Be aware to let me know lol.