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Belle stares up at the ceiling. No matter how much she tries she just can’t fall asleep. She doesn’t quite know what it is that’s keeping her up this time. Maybe it's a little bit of everything. No, she knew exactly what kept her up. Seeing her teacher again in those illusions She wasn’t thinking about her eyes or whatever powers it was that activated when she saved Xiao’guang. She was thinking about Xiao’guang leaving in the next couple days for her first void hunter mission.
No matter what she did Belle couldn’t stop worrying. Would Xiao’guang try to sacrifice herself again? Would the other Void Hunters try to stop her? Would Xiao’guang be ok without Belle by her side? What if the effects of the Qingming sword comes back and she forgets about home? What if she forgets to come back to the beautiful sights of Waifei Peninsula? What if she once again forgets about the beautiful sights she could see from Belle’s secret spot. What if she forgets all about her memorys… and Belle is left all alone worried about when she would see Xiao’guang again.
Belle suddenly sits up in her bed, only then realizing she had been hyperventilating this whole time “Calm down Belle. Everything will be ok. Just take some deep breaths.”
Belle takes the next several moments taking many deep breaths, each one getting less shaky than the last. It helped to calm her down but did very little to alleviate her worries. All she knew was that she needed to see Xiao’guang right now!
Within moments Belle was out of bed, outside her room, and knocking on Xiaoguang's door. Thankfully, it didn’t take very long for Xiao’guang to open the door.
Any preplanned words Belle may have had vanished in an instant. Xiao’guang stood before her bleary-eyed in a nightgown. “Junior? Are you ok? It’s pretty late.”
Belle stood there for a few moments silently staring. She couldn’t help herself. She was enamored by her seniors. It never mattered how much she prepared herself, nor did it matter that she already knew it was a fact, Belle just couldn’t ever prepare herself for how beautiful Xiao’guang was every time she saw her. “Uh, sorry Xiao’guang. I just couldn’t sleep.”
Xiao’guang seems to look at Belle for a brief moment before a soft smile spreads across her lips as she steps to the side to let Belle in. “Come in, I wouldn’t mind having one little sleep over before I leave.”
Belle can feel her heart rate accelerate so much she’s shocked that Xiao’guang isn’t able to hear it. No, she had to stay calm. Surely Xiao’guang wasn’t ready for that stage of their relationship. Besides, she needed to talk to her about what was on her mind. That was more important than anything else right now.
With a smile Belle follows Xiao’guang over to her bed as her senior sits down on the bed and pats beside her. One deep breath later, Belle sits beside Xiao’guang only then finding it hard to meet her seniors' eyes. “So, what's on your mind Junior Belle?”
Belle begins to scratch the back of her head as she meets Xiaoguang's gaze, “You could tell, huh?”
Xiao’guang smiles as she wraps her arms around Belle's and lays her chin on Belle’s shoulder, never breaking eye contact. “Of course, I’m hoping to be a reliable senior to you, my little junior.”
Belle could feel her cheeks flare up as she breaks eye contact. Oh she wasn’t going to survive this encounter, her heart can’t take it. Xiao’guang pulling that name out more than proved to her that the other Ye Shaunguang was a part of her. “Yeah well…” Belle sighs, she didn't want to ruin the mood with her worries, but she needed to tell Xiao’guang, not as her Junior, but as someone who truly loves her. “I’m scared Xiao’guang. I’m scared that with you out there on these Void Hunter missions I won’t be able to help you…”
“Belle…” Xiao’guang’s ears droop down as she looks at Belle with worry.
“It’s just that, these past few weeks I’ve been here for you. I promised you that I’d be by your side, that I would catch you!” Belle takes a deep breath and faces her beloved, fully exposing that terrifying, vulnerable fear that Belle has been harboring for far too long. “I support you, I really do, but what if the Qingming swords effects come back? What if you forget about home and- and I never find out. What if I never see you again…”
Xiao’guang just stares for a few moments, as if lost in thought before lifting her head off Belle's shoulder just to look down. “I am worried about that too. More than you can possibly know. I don’t want to forget everything again. I love my memories of Failume Heights. I love my memories with my brother and Shifu. And I am the most worried about losing my memories of you Belle.” Xiao’guang lifts her head and meets Belle’s gaze again. “I’ve already told you Belle, you’re incredibly important to me. I hope that, when it's time for me to lose my memories again, my memories of you will be the last to go.”
“Xiao’guang…” Belle didn’t really know what to say. Xiao’guang had been carrying that same exact fear on her shoulders for longer than she’s known her. Yet, here Belle was, coming in here and shoving her own fear of the exact same thing onto her.
Seeming to sense Belle’s oncoming guilt, Xiao'guang shakes her head. “But I know I’ll be ok! I have to keep my promises to you Belle, and the other Void Hunters will be there to help me as well. I’m sure everything will be fine!” Belle can’t help but swallow as Xiao’guang’s gazes directly into Belle’s eyes again, concern evident on her face. “I’m more worried about you Junior Belle.”
Belle feels her eyes widen, “M- me? Why? I’m perfectly fine!” Belle knew it was a lie. Her eyes were still bothering her, and her thoughts on her teacher were still a complicated mess, but she couldn’t have Xiao’guang worried about all that when she has void hunter business to prioritize.
Still Xiao’guang’s gaze told Belle that she wasn’t all too convinced. “Are you that worried about me Junior?”
Belle nodded vigorously, “Of course I am! I don’t want to lose you Xia’guang! You’re incredibly important to me! I need you in my life, not just as my senior but as someone I love!”
In an instant, Belle's fears are alleviated as she feels Xiaoguang's lips upon her own. “I love you too Belle. More than you will ever know.” Her soft smile returns to her face as Xiao’guang raises her pinky, “So I promise you Belle, I’ll come home to you again. I swear to you that even if I forget everything, I won’t forget you until the very end.”
Belle sits there stunned for a few moments before smiling and curling her own pinky around Xiao’guang’s. “Alright, it's a Pinky Promise.”
Still, despite the confidence in her promise Belle still couldn’t help but worry.There was still a part of her that was worried that she wouldn’t be there to protect Xiao’guang.
Seeming to sense that hesitation, Xiao’guang tilts her head as she looks at Belle. “Are you worried I’m not strong enough? I already told you Junior, I’m pretty strong. Besides…” Within moments, the air is knocked out of Belle as she suddenly finds herself laying back on Xiao’guang’s mattress, her cheeks flaring up as her beloved senior crawls on top of her. “I wouldn’t mind giving you a demonstration.”
Ju Fufu was always a fan of mornings, but this would be the morning of the last full day that Xiao’guang was here! She needed to make sure she could spend time with her Junior as much as she could before she ran out of time.
She didn’t even think about etiquette or manners. She was just excited to spend time with her Junior. So of course she barges right into Xiaoguang's room! “Good morning Junior! I-”
Ju Fufu couldn’t finish her sentence, right there on the bed was Junior Belle still fast asleep, and next to her with her arm draped over Belle's chest was the Junior she had been searching for. Both of them seemed to be wearing a lot less clothes than someone would wear to a normal friendly sleep over. Making the executive decision to let her juniors sleep in, Ju Fufu slowly closes the door on her way out.
As she walked away, Ju Fufu could help but smile a giddy grin. She knew her two Juniors would be good for each other.