The Moon Symphony

Camp

"How long have you been there?" Ani asked and looked at me.

"I just arrived here. Anan is still over there." Apo said.

I looked at him, but his eyes were blank. Did he hear what Ani and I were talking about? Apo just walked past us and moved towards the campfire. Ani looked at me with a confused expression.

We continued working on the ingredients, and everyone was silent.

Are you guys okay? Baku asked. Ester had a confused expression too.

"Yes, Baku. We are just too focused on setting up the camp, so need to worry." I said and smiled at the two.

We continued preparing in the camp area. I kept on glancing at Apo, but he was still silent. I can't stand this. I decided to go where he was.

Apo saw that I was moving towards him, and he just looked at me. It's like he was ignoring me. Did I do something?

"Hey, Apo. Are you okay?" I asked and helped him cleaning the vegetables.

Apo continued what he was doing and did not give me any response. What's wrong with him?

I stayed with him for some minutes, assisting him with what Apo was doing.

"I'm okay, Yari. I'm just thinking about a lot of things." Apo responded.

"You can tell me if something is bothering you," I said and tapped his shoulders.

"It's okay, Yari. Thanks for the offer, but you don't have to worry about me." Apo said and smiled.

"Okay, I understand. But if you want, you can talk to me anytime." I said, then stood up to help the others.

I can feel that Apo was looking at me behind my back.

The night fell, and we finished setting up the camp. Ani was the one who cooked this time. She was getting better at cooking, unlike the last time. We were teasing her that she can marry anytime. Ani said that she does not plan to marry as long as the Orient Seas is still in danger. We continued to talk about random things, and everyone was having fun. It's been so long that I have companions like this.

In the real world, I was a loner. I only had my mom and my sister. Some would talk to me if they needed something, but I'll never hear a word from them again after that. It's funny to think that they will speak with you with hidden motives.

I wish I could protect their smiles, and I need to get even better for me to do that. This journey started to teach me how to trust others. Not only my abilities were improving, but my outlook on life changed too. Honestly, If I were still in the real world, I would never bother talking with others like this.

After talking for some time, the others decided to take their rest already. I volunteered to be on watch tonight. I was left alone near the campfire, and I just gazed at the night sky. There were specks of light that were visible because the branches covered most of the view.

I heard someone was walking towards me and sat down beside me. It was Baku.

"How are you, Master?" Baku asked.

"I'm good, Baku. Why are you asking me like you are not with me all this time?"

"I mean, Master, how are you coping up with recent events? Everything was getting faster." He said.

"I'm fine, Baku. Look, so far, the trials that we faced, we can pass it, right? And it's thanks to you guys since you are here with me. I will never have gone this far if I was alone." I said and tapped his shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear that, Master. If you need someone to talk about what's bothering you, I'm here. I believe everyone told you that already, but still, I'll lend my ears to you. Everyone knows that you tend to hide things when something is bothering you. And I know that you had a hard time trusting us."

"I'm sorry if you saw me like that, but thank you, Baku. For being with me all this time. I never considered you as a servant. I consider you as one of my true friends. I'm glad that Mayari sent you to me." I said and placed my head on his shoulder.

Baku is like an older brother to me. I considered everyone here my family.

"Thank you, Master," Baku said.

"Call me by name, Baku. Are we friends, right? And let's stop this okay, we are getting dramatic. It would be best if you rested now."

"Okay, Ayari. If you say so. If you want to talk about something, tell us, okay? Or if you need advice with Apo." Baku said and slowly stood up.

"Hey, stop teasing me!" I said.

We looked at each other and laughed like little kids.