45 Someone special by my side

Once the three lessons were over, Gaby joined with Trevor and Kurt as they moved to the cafeteria in order to grab something to eat.

The meals of this world were a mix of different species of dragons that Kurt was unfamiliar with, as well as a couple of specials dishes prepared with the local vegetation of the land.

Kurt did not take long to get used to this kind of food since even in his old life he wasn't exactly a picky eater, but he was still shocked every now and then to shove his fork in a dish and suddenly spot an eye staring at him.

Once all three kids decided on what they wanted to eat, Kurt with a grilled water dragon covered in some strange yellow sauce, Trevor with one of the special vegetarian bowls that they served separately, and Gaby with a huge plate with a little bit of everything in the menu, they picked the nearest table they could find and began to listen to Kurt's proposal.

"A study group...?" Gaby mumbled while grabbing a bite from her meal as she and the boys enjoyed the lunch break in the cafeteria.

"Yeah! We could gather after classes to revise what we saw during the lessons!" Kurt explained while placing his plate down on their table.

"I don't really have problems with the lessons, though..."

"Well, okay, it's more to help me out so I don't fall behind."

"Oh, I see" she commented while wondering if this would be a good chance to pay him back for all his support.

"By the way..." Trevor mumbled while noticing the empty seat on Gaby's side, "Is Saramin not coming?"

Gaby and the two boys glanced to one other table and spotted Saramin giggling with a couple of faces from their classroom.

"Well... Unlike us, she actually has friends" Gaby commented with a slightly angry smirk.

"Oh. That reminds me!" Kurt suddenly looked at Trevor, "Were things okay with you? After the duel? Did anyone tried to pick a fight because you joined our team?"

Trevor was surprised by Kurt's sudden showcase of worry, "Don't worry, I'm fine! It's like Gaby said, I also didn't have many friends before meeting you! I wasn't cast out from a circle or anything."

"Ah... I see... So this is basically the loner table" Kurt joked.

"Can't really be loners if we are by each other's side though..." Gaby noted.

"Then, what would you call us?"

"How about 'The self-destruct group?'"

"We are not self-destructive" Kurt noted.

"Sure we are! We keep pissing people off and acting like none of us care even though they could very easily attack us at any point!"

"You mean like how you kept beating everyone up in the self-defense classes with your talent and getting them all to hate you?" Kurt commented while smiling at her.

"Or like how you went telling everyone how much they suck and that you hate every single one of them right on the second day of school?" she replied.

The two of them proceeded to then stare at Trevor and began to talk at the same time, "Or maybe choosing the side of the two most hated students in the class instead of letting fight on a three-on-two battle against Saramin's group and saving them from getting beat up?"

Trevor just laughed in response, "Hey, it wasn't really that big of a deal..."

"Dude! If it wasn't for you, Saramin would have destroyed us!" Kurt declared.

"Yeah man, you just rescued the top two school jerks when you could just have left us to die! Even though the rest of the class might end up hating you for it!"

"I wonder..." Trevor sighed, "I just hope we can all just leave this stuff behind and begin to focus on things that actually matter..."

Gaby's expression became serious all of sudden, "You mean, something like the game?"

"The game...?" Kurt repeated, causing Dorothy and Trevor to suddenly flinch.

"You don't know about the game?" Gaby asked with wide eyes.

"I could write a book about all the things I don't know..."

"Pretty sure you could write several..." Gaby mumbled, "Anyway, the game is a thing that happens between the dragon empire and the other nations. It's basically a way to let them know who's on top and who's on the bottom. It's really silly."

"Ah. Sounds lame... " Kurt commented, "Trying to establish who's better than who is the kind of thing a five-year-old would do."

The red-haired boy felt like he was diving into a familiar topic. He would often hear his classmates discussing which character from a cartoon, movie, or Japanese show could beat another in a fight.

It would usually get even worse whenever someone would present their original character and start going on saying things like 'My Oc could beat all the asses of all your favorite characters!! Hahahaha!'

"It's actually a little more than that..." Trevor added, earning him a small glare from Dorothy, "But it's really not what I wanted to talk about..."

"Well, what DID you want to talk about?" Kurt wondered while taking another bite and splitting a bit of source all over his cheeks.

Gaby noticed that and picked up a napkin to help him clean it up, "Here."

"Thanks."

Trevor joined his hands and placed his elbows above the table as if he was about to start an interview, "I'm curious about what's going on with you two."

"Going on...?" Kurt repeated, "In what way?"

"Like... Are you two dating or something?"

Kurt and Gaby froze for a split second and glanced at each other, causing both of their faces to turn red.

"Something like that..." Gaby admitted.

Trevor began to widen his eyes, "Oh! I... I wasn't serious..."

"Yeah... Gaby kinda asked me out after the duel with Sara" Kurt confessed while scratching his chin and looking away.

"Just like that!?"

"Just like that..."

"Well... That was fast" Trevor commented while staring at Gaby, "Haven't you know him for like, two days?"

"Ugh... I just asked him out, I didn't ask him to marry me or something..." Gaby explained, "It's not like I forced him to say 'yes'."

"Hey, I'm not judging!" Trevor stated while lifting his hands up, "I'm just shocked you went from hating each other to being in love so fast."

"We're not really in love, were just dating..." Kurt commented.

"Oh! I... I see..."

"Yeah. We're just trying to see if we are compatible." Gaby added, "But I don't wanna risk finding out we are after he already finds someone else. So I proposed this just for safety. "

Kurt released a weak smile, "Ah... I wouldn't worry about it... If it was that easy for a girl to show interest in me, it would have happened a long time ago..."

"Hey! I chose you, didn't I?"

"You did..." he admitted, "For now at least. But I'm pretty sure once you get to know me better you will change your mind. I'm not that interesting..."

Gaby grabbed his palms and stared right into his eyes, "I'll be the judge of that! If I chose you, it's because I see something of worth in you!"

Kurt gazed at her orange eyes and could tell that she was serious about it, "And what would that be, exactly?"

"I don't know yet..." she confessed while looking away, she didn't expect him to stare at her so suddenly "B- But I know there is something special about you! I've been in this school for three years and no one went to such great lengths to help me out the same way you did! You... You made me feel like I have value as well!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Well, of course, you have value... Why wouldn't you?"

Gaby just smiled at that remark. Kurt doesn't find value in himself, but he sees value in others, the same way Gaby herself would often forget to place value in who she was.

"See? It's because you say things like that that I like you!" she commented with a wide grin.

Kurt didn't really get it but if she was happy, he was happy.

"Just you wait! Once I'm done, you will be able to like who you are just as much as I do!"

The red-haired boy couldn't help but feel a warm sensation starting to appear inside of him. He never realized how much he needed to hear someone say that there was something about him worth being loved.

Which made him realized something he never stopped to think about before.

Why didn't he seek help in the past? Why didn't he talk with his family about his problems? Why was he so eager to help Gaby but never tried to help himself? Why didn't he want to fix his own life and just tried to run away from it?

Why did he give up?

Why does Gaby saying she will help him find value in himself made him feel so happy?

[I guess... I didn't saw value in myself...] he mumbled.

'So it seems...' Dory whispered.

[I see...]

Gaby continued to stare at the kid while he started to talk in his strange speech, making her unable to understand anything.

"Hey... What are you mumbling about?" she wondered while poking his nose.

"Hey, Gaby..." Kurt suddenly turned towards her again and released a bright smile, "I'm gonna be waiting, okay? I want to know what it's like to feel like I have value as well!"

"Oh... O- Okay..."

Gaby wasn't sure if it was the light of the room, his words, his expression, or the way he said he was counting on her, but for some reason, the way he looked for that brief moment was all it took to make her heart start throwing intensely.

"I'll... I'll do my best..."

"Thanks!"

The two were so busy lost in their own little world that they didn't notice Trevor suddenly trembling with worry on the others side of the table as he kept thinking about how he was going to break this news to the empress. The same empress who always behaved with an extreme distaste for letting anyone suspicious getting near her son and that could split a boulder into pieces with nothing but her hands.

"Ah... This will be fine... Right...?" he whispered while staring down and holding his head, "Right?"

_______

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Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the empress was enjoying a nice cup of tea when one of her maids suddenly noticed her placing the drink down without finishing it.

"Something wrong, your majesty?"

"I'm not sure..." Sabiri mumbled while glancing outside her window with a cheerful smile and forming a pulsating vein on her forehead, "But for some reason... I just got this strange feeling that something that belongs to me is about to be taken away..."

However, the sound of someone suddenly knocking on the door took her out from her pondering and breaking her concentration.

A man with long red hair entered before she could give permission and approached her before she could react.

The empress' maid hurried to bow before him, but the man acted like he didn't even notice her.

"Ah! G- Greetings... My emperor!" Sabiri mumbled while gently bowing towards Lian Garen who had invited himself into her room, "I wasn't expecting you to grace us with your presence!"

"Well... I just felt like seeing your lovely face and decided to visit!" he replied while caressing her skin.

"I- I see!"

"After all, what kind of husband and father would I be if I didn't dedicate some time for my family?"

Sabiri turned her gaze away as Lian started to walk around the room and gazing at the decorations.

"Does this mean you will be staying with us for a while?" she asked, nervously.

The emperor noticed her shaking hands and released a soft smile, "Actually, I was thinking about setting up a dinner for Kurt to meet the rest of his family! And I came here to invite you two!"

"The rest of the family...?" she repeated, "You mean..."

"Yes!" Lian responded before she could even ask while noticing a vase of flowers on top of a table and picking one out in order to smell it, "It's time for him to meet his brothers and sisters!"