Chapter Text
Cassian doesn’t know where it started. One day he found himself with a handful of an energetic girl, going by the name Saki. Quite literally new to his world, out of place, and understandably nervous, she didn’t let it stop her from being herself. Within the time spent with her, he found that the walls he carefully crafted over time stood no chance against the mayhem she brought into his life. He doesn’t know when the butterflies blossomed, but if he had to guess it would be the day he took her to the forest.
“Come on Cassian! We’re going to be late!” Saki says, rushing down the stairs. She takes them two at a time, and hops down to the bottom. Turning on her heel she pouts up at the man who’s taking them one at a time. “God! You’re sooooo slow!” She stomps her feet, and Cassian shakes his head. “You’re going to fall one of these days.”
Saki puffs her cheeks out, “What? No! I’m too graceful for that.”
“Whatever you say.” Cassian says, finally reaching the bottom. Saki smiles up at him, “So… where are we going anyway?”
Cassian shakes his head, “It’s a surprise.” Saki pouts again, but before she can speak up Cassian begins walking off. “W-Wait up!” Saki’s short legs struggle to keep up with his longer stride, but she manages.
The two walk in silence, leaving the hotel and making their way to the cathedral. Saki looks at him in confusion, “Why are we coming here, are we seeing Terra?” Cassian shrugs, “Kind of.”
Saki huffs, “So mysterious… hmph! Someone thinks they’re cool…” Cassian ignores her, and pushes open the doors to the church. Saki smiles at the inside, the stained glass windows painting lovely shades of reds and yellows across the building's interior. “Ah, there she is.” He mumbles, and awkwardly waves to get Terra’s attention.
The earth genasi woman notices, and jogs over with a smile on her face. “Saki! Oh my god, it’s so nice to see you again! This guys not giving you any trouble is he?” Saki giggles, “No, well… he refuses to tell me where we’re going, but I guess not knowing is kind of exciting!”
Terra laughs, “Well, I’m sure the two of you will have fun. Don’t go too crazy, you hear?” She winks at Cassian who flushes red and holds out his hand with a deadpan expression, “Keys, please. Stop filling her head with nonsense.”
“Huh? Did I miss something?” Saki looks at the two in confusion. Terra smiles at her, “Don’t worry about it Saki.” She turns to Cassian with a more serious expression, “Take care of my baby, I’m trusting you. If she comes back with even a single scratch you’re dead meat.”
Cassian nods, “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.” He turns away then softly speaks, “Thanks again.”
Terra just nods, “Show her something amazing, something she won’t ever forget.” Cassian smiles softly, still walking away, “That’s the plan.” He whispers to himself. He watches as the two girls talk for a moment longer, before Saki runs up to him. They wave bye to Terra, and exit the church.
“Are you borrowing Terra’s truck? What for? Are you driving me somewhere? Where? Is it far?” Saki asks these rapid fire questions, not giving Cassian a moment to answer any of them. He just sighs, “Yes, it’s a surprise, yes, again it’s a surprise, and no it’s not very far.”
Saki nods, accepting his short answers. Cassian unlocks the old beat up truck and opens the door for Saki, before walking over to and entering the drivers side. Saki is bouncing slightly in her seat, and as Cassian inserts the key the speakers blast country music. With a wince Cassian’s hand quickly shoots to the volume knob, turning it down before he changes the channel to something more his speed. Saki giggles as this happens, ignoring his dry stare.
Gazing out the window Saki smiles, as they drive off and she begins admiring the passing buildings until they exit the city. She turns to Cassian with a smile, “How long until we get there?”
“Probably about three hours.” He says, his eyes fixed firmly on the road. Saki nods, “That’s pretty fast, these things are so nice.” She pats the dashboard of the car, and Cassian smiles slightly. “Man… Things are so different from home.” Saki says, a wistful look coming over her face.
Cassian makes a noise of acknowledgement, and Saki continues to speak. “Gofu and I used to just walk everywhere, then we got Nobu and that helped some, but even Nobu needs to rest. It would be days of travel just to get to the next village, and with this trucky thingy you can take me to the next town in less than an hour.”
Saki sighs, “It’s just so… crazy. I still feel so lost sometimes, I-I’m just glad you’re here.” Cassian blushes slightly, and clears his throat, “I know how you feel.”
Saki’s gaze shifts over to him, “And you did this all alone? That must have been hard…” Cassian shifts a bit uncomfortably in his seat, “I managed.”
Saki smiles, “I’m glad. I’m sure I would’ve lost my mind without you.” Her gaze turns to look out her window, and Cassian is thankful because his face is burning hot. He doesn’t respond, and tries to focus on the road. He turns the music up slightly, and the next hours are spent in silence as Saki watches the landscape fly by.
Eventually Cassian turns off of the long freeway, and Saki perks up. “Are we almost there?” He nods, “Kind of.”
Saki smiles and begins bouncing in her seat and watches eagerly as he pulls into a small parking lot. They pass a sign, “Freya’s Forest… Oooh, is it a nice one?” Saki asks, and Cassian nods again. “Yes, but we’re going to a different part of the forest.” He parks the truck and exits it, starting to make his way to the other side to open Saki’s door, but she throws it open and hops out in excitement. She lets out a small noise as she stretches, before relaxing and smiling at Cassian, “I’m ready! Let’s go!”
“Let’s go.” Cassian says, and begins leading her down a small pathway into the forest. Saki smiles, “Is there anything we need to worry about here?” Cassian frowns, “The last time we were here some vampires were here.” Saki frowns and swallows nervously, “Uh, that’s not good Cassian! We’re martial artists…”
Cassian shakes his head, “We took care of them.” Saki slumps, “Lead with that next time! God, don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry.” Cassian says.
Saki pouts, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you! You know I scare easily!” She grabs Cassian’s arm and starts shaking him, and Cassian just lets her for a moment before he gently pulls away. “Come on, we should be there before nightfall.”
Saki falls silent and follows the man into the woods, and the two walk in silence. Saki admires the trees, enjoying how the sun shines through the leaves onto the floor. She gasps when a small deer springs across the path ahead of them, and smiles when she realizes what it is. Cassian smiles softly before continuing on, and after about two hours of walking Saki sees light begin peeking through the trees ahead of them. It’s an ethereal pink glow that is inviting and Saki ooh’s at it.
“Are we almost there?” She asks softly, and Cassian nods. “Just a bit more.” She smiles and the two of them pick up the pace slightly, the light growing brighter and brighter until they burst into a small clearing. Saki gasps as the sight of large trees with white and pink leaves that glow brightly greets her. The floor is covered in them as well as white and pink flowers, and a small dirt path that leads to a small pedestal. Cassian stares at it as a feeling of sorrow grows inside of him, but it fades slightly as Saki steps forward in awe.
“I-It’s beautiful… I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Her eyes are wide, “H-How…?” Cassian steps forward, “I had a dream of this place, telling me my masters sword was here.” He raises a hand and points to the pedestal, “I thought it was lost, but it found its way here somehow.”
“Wow…” Saki says softly, and she looks up at him. “W-Wait, why would you bring me somewhere so special?”
Cassian blushes and shrugs, “You said you wanted to see something that would… blow your mind.” He gestures out, “I trust you to be respectful of this place as well, and it’s not very far.”
Saki blushes, and her bottom lip trembles before she turns away. She sniffles, “Thank you… t-this is beautiful.” She wipes her eyes, before turning back with a wide smile and red eyes, “You said your masters sword was here, right? The one you always care for?”
Cassian nods, and Saki smiles. She begins walking down the pathway to the pedestal, and takes a seat before bowing deeply to it. Cassian’s eyes widen, and he’s frozen in place as she begins speaking.
“I wish I had incense, but regardless my respects must be given. Korrin, you have trained an amazing man. He lives everyday by your teachings, and it’s those lessons that have given me light and passageway into this world. For this I must thank you, and I hope that wherever you are you are at peace.” She says this loudly and clearly, and Cassian watches as the leaves begin to rustle around her. They whirl up into a flurry around her, as she keeps her head bowed and is now muttering a prayer.
They begin to glow slightly, and Cassian nearly loses his breath as the faint image of Korrin softly smiling down at the two of them appears, before Saki finishes her prayer and raises. The wind picks up, and blows the image away and Cassian lets out a small gasp. “Master…” He mumbles softly.
His attention is drawn as Saki begins sputtering and coughing, and he sees that the wind has kicked up some leaves and dirt into her face and hair. He shakes his head and jogs over to her, “A-Are you okay?”
She coughs a bit, “Blegh! I’m fine, the wind just blew some leaves into my face, and I almost ate one…” He sighs, “Here, let me help.” Gently he begins picking some of the leaves out of her hair.
Saki flushes red, “T-Thanks… Hmph, my prayer was going so well too!” Cassian’s hands still for a moment, “It was perfect, don’t worry.” With nimble fingers he pulls out the rest of the leaves, “There, I got them all.”
Saki smiles up at him, “Thanks.” She begins to push herself up, “So… what now?” Cassian pulls his backpack off, “I made some food, I figured we could eat out here before heading back.”
Saki smiles, “Reminds me of eating out on the road back home! That sounds great!” Cassian nods, and pulls out a few containers of food before handing them to Saki.
Saki walks a bit off of the path, before taking a seat under one of the trees. Cassian follows and the two of them eat in silence, enjoying the soft noises of nature. Saki finishes first, and stretches before leaning back on the trunk of the tree. She lets her gaze trail up and smiles at the glowing pink leaves, watching as one begins drifting down. It falls in a zigzag pattern before finally coming to a rest on Saki’s hand, and she watches as the glow dies off. She lifts it up to inspect, and sees that even though it’s lost its glow, it’s still bright pink.
Cassian watches Saki inspect the leaf, before she gently sets it on the floor. He finishes eating, and Saki sighs. “I almost don’t want to leave… it’s so beautiful and peaceful here.”
He nods, “I know how you feel.”
“I feel like I could be myself here, and I wouldn’t be judged for it.” Saki mumbles. Cassian sees an odd expression flash across her face but is unsure what it was, “You could, and you wouldn’t.”
Saki shakes her head, “No, I can’t.” Cassian frowns, “Why?”
“It’s… I-I…” She trails off, “I’m scared.”
“Of?” Cassian asks, concern beginning to grow inside him. Saki slumps, “That you’d… I know you say this world would accept my true form, but I-I can’t believe that.”
Cassian sighs, “Saki. Your true form won’t change anything between us.” Saki shakes her head, “You don’t know that…”
“I do.” He sighs, “Wearing your mask for too long, it’s unhealthy.”
Saki sighs, “You… you promise? You’re not going to hate me?” Cassian looks up, catching her eyes for just a second before nodding. Saki feels her heart jump, knowing how much the man hates eye contact. “F-Fine, j-just let me focus…” She takes a deep breath, and swallows thickly.
Cassian watches in silence as Saki closes her eyes, and after a few seconds the pale cream of her human skin color begins to fade. A slate gray color replaces it, and his eyes are drawn to her hair as the vibrant red turns white, and it loses its length and waviness. Her hair stops just short of her now pointed ears, and is pin straight. Her face no longer holds that soft roundness, and is instead sharper with virtually no features. Her hands tighten into her knees, and her eyes open to reveal bright white eyes.
The minute her gaze sweeps over him, he swears he’s forgotten how to breathe. Not knowing what to expect, he knew she would look different. But he didn’t expect her to be so… beautiful? His heart begins thudding in his chest, feels his face redden, and his palms grow damp. He averts his eyes, “Y-You look fine.”
Saki doesn’t say anything, and he darts his eyes back over to see her crying. His eyes widen, “What’s wrong?” She shakes her head, “N-Nothing… I just expected the worst.”
She sniffles and brings a hand up to wipe her eyes, “This… this feels right somehow.” Cassian smiles softly, “You don’t need to wear a mask here.” He stands and reaches down a hand to help her up.
She doesn’t say anything and takes his hand, standing with slightly shaky legs. He feels her trembles, “I mean it. Here. This world. You don’t need to wear that mask.”
Saki takes a shaky breath, “One step at a time. This is a lot for me, I haven’t willingly taken that form down for a long time.” Cassian nods, and flushes red when he realizes that he’s still holding her hand. His heart begins thundering in his chest again, and he doesn’t know why. It’s just Saki, it’s never been like this before…
Saki smiles at him, and he feels his heart stutter for a bit before she speaks. “Should we head back? It’s getting pretty late.” Cassian nods wordlessly, and begins leading her through the forest again with her hand still in his grasp. Saki says nothing as she follows him, with a dark purple blush on her face now that he’s ahead of her.
The two of them walk back, the time seemingly passing faster as they exit the forest. Saki tenses as they reach the parking lot, glancing out to make sure no ones around before allowing Cassian to guide her to the truck. He opens the door, and lets her in, finally letting go of her hand.
He can’t help but feel like somethings missing the minute he lets go.
He enters the driver's seat, and begins the drive back to the city. Saki looks out the window, gazing at the stars before closing her eyes. She slumps a few moments later, causing Cassian to shift his eyes to her in worry, before realizing that she just fell asleep.
He turns his gaze back to the road, and lets out a sigh.
“I promised nothing would change…”
He drives back silently trying to think of anything but her.
He fails.