Nanako opened her eyes to utter horror , finding herself without clothes, tucked comfortably the naked Jin. She freaked out. But before Jin could open his eyes, she collected her garments, got dressed and left the place in a hurry. No sooner than she took a few she could hear voices coming her way. She hid behind the structure to let them pass.
Instead they stopped too and their voices grew loud and clear.
"You think it worked?" Asked one voice.
"It's foolproof. Brother Jin is going to be thankful to us for the rest of his life" Said another.
"What if he gets angry? '' Was another curious voice.
"No he wouldn't. Wasn't he the one who placed the bet in the first place. " Assured another.
"Come on. Come on. Let's not waste time and go catch them in action, "said another.
"Go.go.lets go. " The chorus faded as the crowd got going.
The words pierced Nana's heart like a sharp blade. She didn't know how to react. What a she has been. She swore in her mind to stay as far away from that bastard Jin as . Revenge was on her mind, but she decided to hold on to her grudge. She couldn't it with anyone. She needed to be strong herself to get her own revenge. Fuming with , heart broken and shattered, she went back to the premises.
Jin on the other hand woke up with the sounds of his friends. They were pulling and pushing , demanding where Nanako was and how they spent the night together. He was lost for as he remembered nothing from last night. Neither did he see any trace of Nana around when he woke up. He couldn't understand what ruckus his comrades were building up.
They too eventually got back to the campus. There they saw Nana happily training on the . They even approached her, trying to figure out if anything did happen between them or . But she put on a perfect act, convincing them that she had long returned after getting dizzy night.
Jin was actually happy knowing he didn't do anything to violet or offend Nana in his state of . But Nana, unaware of that, keeps harboring hatred towards the one person she adored in the entire place. She started losing sleep, hunger and concentration. The only led her to think of ways to get her vengeance, vent her anger. The smile she put on day felt like a heavy load which she no longer could carry.
Jin could not understand Nana's indifference towards his approaches. Everytime he tried talking her she would ignore or run away. He thought she might be uninterested in him or may be shy to respond. He decided to give her some space and try convincing her about his later on. This did have adverse effects as Nana thought even more ill of him. His translated as ignorance and arrogance to her. She felt he used her to fulfill a mere that he had with his friends. Nana, who was the core of existence for her father, had now reduced to a mere commodity, which was discarded after its purpose was served.
Whatever feelings she had towards Jin, evaporated in the fire of this burning vexation.
Days went by and so did their misunderstanding. It was building up like tsunami. Soon it was for their spring break. The students got to go back home for couple of days, meet family friends, before returning for the next season. Everybody was full of joy and enthusiastically their bags. Nana was finally relieved a bit and was dying to meet her father. But as soon the nights incident and Jin's intentions flooded her mind, her joy got transferred to that of . She wondered how she was going to face her father. She had never hid anything from before, how was she going to hide something so big and hideous now. She knew her face mannerisms would give her away. She needed to stay composed.
On the last day before departure, Jin had made up his mind to come and confess his feelings Nanako. He finally found her, sitting all by herself, brooding over something as her beautiful frowned. He came from behind and tapped her shoulder. She freaked out , startled.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Jin said.
"You? It's you again" Nana tried her best to control her anger.
"Nanako, please hear me out. Don't get me wrong. My feelings towards you are genuine. I have harboring it for a long time, and now I can't hold myself back anymore. I have never felt way for anybody ever before. " He said, sitting on his knees.
His words, his face was enough to melt Nana had she not overheard his friends' hideous . She pushed him hard with whatever force she had, tears rolled down, indicating she felt something towards him. But that made her even more angry, now at her own self.
"Don't. Don't you dare try to sweet talk me. Is this part of your sick plan? Or are you trying to your old bet still? I have never met anyone with a more repelling character than you. Are an exception or are all others in your family the same? The Eastern kingdom does indeed rotten " She finally was able to get all these out, it did make her feel a little bit better.
Jin however was taken aback when she mentioned the bet. He did feel ashamed. But he how she knew about it. He didn't have any excuse to justify himself, so he admitted.
"I am sorry Nana. I don't know how you came to know about the bet, but I was ignorant. It was of me. I apologize. But don't grab the entire eastern province into this. They don't share guilt. It was my mistake. I sincerely ask for forgiveness for my offense" Jin sat with his head down.
" You think. You wish. Apologize. Women have such little value in your eyes. And you dare talk feelings. You punk, you moron, you bastard. Don't you dare come near me ever again"
She stormed out of his presence, leaving him dejected. He stayed there for few moments after left. Tears rolled down silently. He swore to himself to make it up to her until she truly him. He decided to make it up to her whether she ever forgave him or not, whether she loved him back or not. The most important thing was to get back to being respected in her . Hence, instead of going back to the eastern palace, he decided to follow Nanko's carriage the eastern lands.
********
Land out of bound
Nana's carriage swept past through the rugged mountains at full speed. Jin was close in pursuit.
It was his first time seeing the breathing taking western sceneries. They were never told how land lay in the Western countries. It was too beautiful for eyes. The clouds were of a and blue hue. The land stretched into beautiful gardens with flowers never known to his . They danced magnificently in the subtle breeze. The valley gave way to hillocks at many . Streams sprouting from here and there. The aura filled the entire stretch, calming the and cooling the view. The hillocks gave way to gigantic mountains. Those were decorated flying lanterns to make transportation easy for travelers at night. The peaks were covered in and at places there could be seen wild fountains and waterfalls. The animals were the on top of the crown. There were so many species, grazing, hunting, playing, that one could their entire life gazing and marveling. As Nana peeked out of the window, absorbing the of her homeland after so long, Jin stole a glimpse, amidst the scenic beauty, of the one beloved to him. But he was quick to hide, least she sees him and freaks out. He was there mend amends with her, not make the situation worse. He knew she was upset about the bet had placed, she was right about that too, but he had no idea what she was actually shattered . He had no recollection of the night not any knowledge about his friends' evil deed or Nana about them. He rode joyfully behind her, confident that he would be able to win her with his sincerity. He was in love with her, the land they were now passing, her entirety.
He never knew what it felt to love everything beloved to one's lover, until he witnessed it first that day. The ballad continued and so did the journey, both unaware of the eternal exile love story was about to bring for them.
Nana arrived home to a huge celebration. She almost thought there must have been a festive she had forgotten about. She forgot everything about her sorrow and worries. The drumroll her fathers warm smile melted everything away. The feast continued. Her father had invited entire kingdom to the feast. It was a big day for him. He was meeting her for the first in their lives. Jin too joined in the feast as a commoner. He took the opportunity to around and learn more about the Western customs and culture. The more he learnt, the fascinated he became. He was falling in love with every step he took in her land. The food tasted nothing like je had tasted before. The dishes in his land were bland and more to balance and health. However the focus of the Western dishes was pure flavor.
They were savories. He couldn't stop eating. Several others joined him too, patting him on the and rejoicing with him, even though they were complete strangers. This camaraderie his soul. Immortals in his land were too busy minding their own business to socialize or a few good words to each other. From the place Jin stood at the moment, Nanako far out of reach. She was inside her father's quarters, sharing her experiences at the 's place so far. He was on the streets, devouring the foods and looking up places, people
, stalls and stores. Soon the sun would be setting in the horizon. Jin knew he had nowhere to go this new world. He needs to find shelter soon. While he was inquiring about inns nearby, started a scuffle. Everyone was rushing towards a particular direction.
"What is happening? " He stopped one of the men and asked.
"You don't know what is happening? The fireworks. It's time for the fireworks. You seem new . Come along. " He pulled Jin along as they went up a hillock. "Here you will have the best " He smiled enthusiastically.
Soon the night sky was filled with lights. The lights gradually took the shapes of many mythical . One dancing over the other. The dance of the lights continued till the image of the fox appeared in lights. It gobbled up the other creatures in seconds and the show with loud applause from the audience. In that moment of ecstasy, Jin saw Nana jumping joy along with her family, from a hillock higher than his. That cheerful face of her's , so long their journey to the stars, really made Jin's day. Seeing that smile on her face, Jin felt his to the Western wander lands was worth it. He felt he could do anything to keep that smile on face forever.
Just at that moment when he was happily staring at her, Nana too caught a glimpse of him. As as their eyes met, Jin disappeared in the crowd, afraid Nana might feel insecure. But she catch a glimpse of him nevertheless. She kept wondering whether her mind was playing or she really did see him. But that seemed impossible. How could an eastern prince be the Western commoners? She silently went back to her pavilion, thinking.
"Nana, is everything alright? " Her father asked.
"Hmmm" She nodded.
"I don't know but it feels you have changed so much ever since you came back. Are you sure are alright? " He asked again. She smiled, kissed his hand goodnight and reassured that were fine. Deep down, she knew nothing was going to be the same.
Jin too found a resting place for the night with his new friend, who had taken him for the firework . Though it was his first time sleeping on such humble beddings, he felt he had never a better rest. Both Jin and Nana dozed off to the land of dreams, lost in their thoughts of the .