Chapter 112 - HURT

Maki loosened his grasp and the sword fell to the ground as his eyes dazzled upon locking eyes with a girl. 

It was love at first sight. 

"Bai Yanar! Bai Yanar!" In the background, Maki heard that her slaves were looking for her. The young girl's eyes widened as she heard that she was being called. She ran to his back and held his sweaty arms. 

Maki became conscious of himself. He stinks from sweat and stays in the sun from morning to afternoon. He was sticky and dirty but the young girl did not mind at all. 

"Hide me, they were trying to doll me up again!" She said, leaning close to his body. By reflex, he backed away from her. 

"Bai, I'm dirty." He said to her, The young girl pouted and crossed her arms. 

"You are not. You're just sweaty." 

"That's dirty." He stuttered as he was trying to look away from the young girl's gaze. He could feel his heart thumping loudly like it wanted to scream how adorable she was. 

"Baba told me, we sweat because we are working hard. You are working hard learning swords, right? Are you ashamed of that?" Maki did not reply. 

Of course, he was not usually shy when he was like this. However, if it was the young Bai, it's different. This was the first time he saw her this year, when he would see her, it was so far and just a glimpse of her. The boys his age at training on becoming Datu Pita's warriors were her admirers. He thought it was silly, to like an upper-class Bai. Nevertheless, the loud pumping of his heart tells him otherwise. 

She was making him aware of his appearance. He wanted to be his best now that they saw each other but she showed out of the blue. Making him nervous and anxious at the same time. 

Her sweet and musky scent entered his nostrils. It was distinctively from his stinky and sour smell. Her white soft skin on her little adorable hands was even stained by his body sweats. 

"Why are you outside? Your Baba would be mad." He interjected, avoiding her inquiry. She pouted even more. Her pinkish lips were exposed to him like it was inviting him for a kiss but he knew that she was being a child and he was being a scumbag. 

"Because! It's boring! I want to play too! This! I want to learn this. Teach me to do swords, Maki!" 

"How do you know my name?" 

"Of course, I know. Because you're cute." She giggled and took the sword while he was dazed, "Come on, Maki! Teach me how to sword!" She exclaimed in a boisterous manner and took the sword that he had let go of earlier. 

He was startled when she was picked up, although it is not big enough, the sword was still too heavy for her to lift. Because of that, her hands slid on the blade, and it bled immediately. 

They were both stunned as they saw blood gushing out from her skin. "It… hurts." She mumbled as her eyes started to get misty. 

"B-bai! Yanar!" He rushed in her direction and held her wrist but he panicked as he saw her eyes and nose getting red yet she's preventing her from crying. 

"It stings--- it hurts Maki..." She sobbed as she wiped her cheeks with her other palm, she was holding her tears. Maki was distressed witnessing her whimper so beautifully.

"Let's go, I'll call a babaylan to heal you!" He blurted out and carried her body and ran to the place of Babaylan. But he was halted when the young girl pushed his chest.

"No! No! Baba will be mad at you!" He paused when he heard what she said. 

"I-is that why you are not crying?" 

"If I cry someone will hear me, they will blame you." Maki bit his lips to stop himself from smiling at this critical moment. 

"It's alright, Datu Pita is a good Datu. If we explain everything to him. He will understand." 

"You won't get punished?"

"No, silly. Should we go to a babaylan now?" He blows on her wound trying to elevate the pain she's feeling and she nods as a response. 

The Babaylan was surprised when she saw the daughter of Datu Pita outside the balay, but what got her fearful was when she saw the young girl bleeding. She immediately aided her and put herbs on her skin that could prevent it from making visible scars. 

After she got mended she was retrieved by her slaves to get back home. She smiled and laughed before waving him goodbye to go home. Maki was not himself, he thought that the Bai liked him, because she thought he was---cute. He could feel his cheeks burning as he remembered her eyes and lips peering on him with that confession. 

That night, Tala came into the banwa with her mother. And Maki was also startled by the fact that the young Bai of the balay was Tala's half-sister. He was happy by that fact and even told Tala how angelic the young Bai was.

But, later that day. Maki was punished by Datu Pita because Yanar told him off. When he tried to look for her and asked for an explanation, she never talked to him again. She often bullies him along with Tala, the angel he once knew was gone --- but actually, she was just different to him and Tala. 

Aside from them, she treated everyone nicely. As he looked back, he was not mad because she was maltreating him. He was mad because he was jealous. He was angry because she made him believe a lie. The misconception of her words deeply wounded his young heart. That time she disturbed him and treated him as an equal when he was practicing, she did not do it again.. He found it unfair, he thought that she liked him, but she was just affable to everyone.