𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒

〶

Toku and Kiri parted ways, each promising to see one another the next day. With a heavy heart and a small smile on his face, Toku headed back home. 

There, he was met with the sight of a much calmer looking Aonung and his parents engaged in hushed whispers. Tsireya, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Tokus' parents glanced at him, and their whispers stopped in an instant. His mother nodded towards the exit, a signal for them to talk, presumably about Kiri. Everything seemed to be about her these days. Toku followed his mother outside as she let out a deep sigh, staring out at the sea.

"Toku... your father and I have decided that you should follow your heart," she said with an almost sad-looking smile.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded, "We're not going to hold you back from getting what you want, but we want you to at least try for a little bit with Ayani, only for a small amount of time, and if nothing changes, we'll let her parents know, okay?" She asked.

"Yes, yes, thank you, Mother," he said, a smile on his face as he pulled her into a hug, making her laugh.

"Just please try with Ayani, though... for me?" she asked.

Toku nodded, just happy he even had a chance to be with Kiri. "I promise," he said, making her smile.

"Thank you... and I've arranged for you to spend the day together. You and Kiri can see each other later, okay?"

He nodded a small sadness rising in him that he'd only get to see her in the evening but it was better than nothing

Toku walked back inside to see his brother seemingly waiting for him. "I talked to Lo'ak, he's not so bad..." Aonung muttered, unable to meet Toku's eyes.

"Cool," Toku said, attempting to walk off before he was stopped.

"Wait, wait Toku! I'm sorry, okay. For everything, I'm sorry I hurt Kiri...really, I mean it," Aonung said sincerely.

Toku sighed "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have punched you; it was an overreaction."

"Well, at least now I know the rumors are true. The big mighty Toku really can throw a punch," Aonung said, making Toku laugh and ruffle his hair.

The next day, everything felt warmer, and Toku's life seemed almost back to normal. He was once again sitting in front of his mother as she braided his hair.

"How come you never braided his hair when he went to see Kiri?" Tsireya asked.

"It's obvious, Mum doesn't like her," Aonung chimed in.

"That's not true," Toku protested, trying to defend Kiri as his mother continued her work.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, she is... well, a little odd," she spoke honestly.

"What? No, she isn't," Toku insisted.

"You gotta admit..." Aonung said slyly.

"Hey, Aonung, nice eye," Tsireya teased, poking at the bruised mark left by Toku, making Aonung retaliate by hissing at her and slapping her hand away.

"Don't hit your sister, Aonung!" his mother scolded, accidentally yanking Toku's hair in the process, causing him to cry out in pain.

"But she–" he started to argue, before Tonowari gave him a sharp look, silencing him.

"Aonung, Tsireya, why don't you go get the Sully kids? They still have a lot to learn," their father suggested.

"Is Toku not coming?" Aonung asked in confusion.

Toku shook his head, and Aonung sighed. "Well, now you won't be there to stop Rotxo from staring at Kiri," he said, laughing like a maniac, which made Tsireya roll her eyes. She waved goodbye to Toku and followed Aonung.

"Seems you have some competition," Tonowari remarked, sounding surprised.

"Please, Rotxo is not competition," Toku replied confidently.

"Well... he's not cut out to be a warrior, that's for sure," Tonowari said, reminiscing about the past.

"Ah, isn't he handsome." Ronal asked Tonowari showing off her creation

"Looks just like his old man." he said smiling

"Please you're not that old." She said pulling him into a kiss

"Ok, okay I don't need to see that and besides you guys already have a baby on the way okay?" he said feeling awkward

"Calm down." Ronal said rolling her eyes

"Now go, Ayani should be waiting for you," Toku's mother brushed over his hair with a smile.

He made his way to meet Ayani, his mind still filled with thoughts of Kiri. Toku was certain about his feelings for Kiri, and despite the promise he made to his mother, he wasn't feeling very open to the idea of a relationship with Ayani. His heart remained entangled with Kiri, and he couldn't shake the strong connection they shared.

This time, Toku and Ayani found themselves in the center of the village, helping the elders of the tribe with their harvesting. Toku watched as Ayani laughed while the elders shared their stories, and she listened intently, engaged in their every word.

Ayani's beauty was undeniable, and with each smile and laugh she shared with the elders, Toku couldn't help but feel a slight blush rise to his cheeks. 

However, in those moments, his thoughts went back to Kiri, and he felt guilty for looking at someone other than her. He quickly shook his head and redirected his attention to helping one of the elders lift a small box filled with this season's harvest.

"She's quite the looker, isn't she?" the elder known as Eytukan, who had once been a mighty warrior, smiled at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose," Toku agreed, and Eytukan patted him on the arm.

"Nothing quite compares to that Kiri of yours, though, huh?" Eytukan asked, making Toku's eyes widen in surprise.

"I- what? How did you–" Toku began, but Eytukan interrupted him.

"I may be old, but I am not entirely blind...yet," he spoke with a hearty chuckle, making Toku laugh.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Eytukan said, taking the heavy box from Tokus hand and walking off.

Toku could only watch in surprise as Eytukan seemed to suddenly regain his strength from his younger days.

Ayani happily skipped over to Toku, a joyous smile on her face. "Your village is filled with wonderful people. They have many great stories to tell," she said cheerfully.

Toku nodded. "Yeah, they're something alright."

"Toku...are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with this," she said, gesturing towards Toku and then herself.

"I–I'm...no," he spoke bluntly. Ayani seemed slightly taken aback by his response.

"Can I ask why?" she spoke, sounding slightly sad.

"Of course, but I can't tell you. Not here, at least," he said, noticing the prying eyes of those around them.

Toku nodded, motioning for Ayani to follow him, and she did so without hesitation, leading her to a more secluded area.

"Okay, if you had to lead me to somewhere much quieter, it must be serious," she remarked with curiosity.

"Do you remember that first day we hung out?"

"Of course, it was a lot of fun," she said, reminiscing.

"Well, do you remember that girl?"

"The one who was near those fighting people, the angry one?" she asked, remembering Kiri's spiteful attitude towards her.

"Yeah, yeah... the angry one," he said with a laugh.

"Well... there's no easy way to say this–"

"You like her?" Ayani asked without hesitation.

"Not just like... I, well, I love her," he said, taking a deep breath.

Ayani sighed, "Well, I can see how that would stop us from being together," she said with a laugh

"I'm really sorry, Ayani... you're lovely–"

"Toku... It's okay. I'm not angry; I'm just disappointed, to be honest... I really did like you," she said with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry, but... Kiri is always going to be the one for me," he said, making Ayani nod in understanding.

Ayani pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he whispered back.

"Telling me. I'm glad it came out now rather than later," she said, pulling away. Toku noticed a very angry-looking Kiri with the rest of the usual group beside her.

"Great..." he whispered to himself, making Ayani turn her head to see his stare. She instantly received a glare from Kiri that softly turned into sorrow.

"Goodbye, Toku...." Ayani spoke. "Also, sorry..." she whispered once again after looking at Kiri one last time before leaving Toku standing alone.

Kiri quickly stormed away from Toku, a worried-looking Tsireya following her, trying to console the upset girl as they got on their Ilus and rode off somewhere.

Toku walked towards Aonung, Rotxo, and Kiris brother, who gave him an awkward look.

"It wasn't what you think–" he began.

"Well, don't tell us that, go tell her! We were just about to go to the spirit tree, so Tsireya and Kiri should be there." Aonung spoke

Toku glanced towards the ocean, letting out a sigh before hurrying after the pair, with the rest of the group in pursuit.

〶