33 Thank You, Lin Ke

"Eh?" Lia was confused. She was caught completely off guard by that statement. "Wh-what?"

"Seriously. Lily can talk." Lin Ke was slightly amused by her stunned face. It was still slightly pink from earlier and with her lips slightly parted from surprise, she looked extremely stunning.

"Lin Ke… If you don't want to tell me… It's okay. I won't ask. Everyone has their own secrets." Lia sheepishly replies, thinking that Lin Ke was making up a ridiculous excuse.

"No, I'm serious. You can go talk to her when we go back to the cave."

Lia examines Lin Ke's face closely, trying to find any trace of him lying, but was unable to. That, coupled with her trust in Lin Ke, as well as it being quite ridiculous of him to make up such a lie, made Lia accept what Lin Ke had said.

"Okay." Was all Lia said.

After seeing that Lia accepted his answer, Lin Ke turned around and started to walk up the mountain. Finally, without any other interruptions, they reach the top, where a mound of disturbed dirt layed facing the edge of the mountain. Lia walked up to the grave, while Lin Ke stood back. Lin Ke didn't know what to use as a grave marker, so he decided to just leave it as is.

Looking at the dirt, Lia got an intense urge to start digging, to shovel away the dirt in place, and take one final look at her grandfather. However, another part of her also didn't want to take another look. She felt that if she did take another look, and see her grandfather in such a terrible state, she might really just break down.

Standing in front of the mound, Lia couldn't help but recall all the memories of her grandfather. How strict her grandfather was sometimes. How kind he was. How funny, caring, warm, gentle, smart. Lia felt tears start to flow down her face. Unable to help herself, she sniffles and quickly wipes away the tears in an effort to remain strong. Trying to hide the pain away, stowing it deep inside her heart, she puts on a courageous expression. Despite it all, she couldn't stop the tears from inevitably coming out.

"Grandpa. I'll avenge you! I'll definitely avenge you! I'll make you proud… I'll make you proud! So please… Please watch over me…" Lia chokes out. However, what she was really crying, deep in her heart was: "Please don't leave me! Grandpa… If you leave me, who am I supposed to rely on? Who is there left?"

After a few minutes, Lia wipes her tears away with an arm and turns back towards Lin Ke. Lin Ke was standing behind her, waiting silently for her to finish. He didn't know how to comfort her, but when she turned around with her 'calm' expression and her reddened eyes, Lin Ke couldn't help but pull Lia in for a hug.

Lia, who had just gotten her emotions slightly under control, felt someone's warm embrace. Surprised, she finally snapped out of her own world to feel someone's arms around her. For a few seconds, she froze.

Lin Ke, realizing that what he was doing was extremely rude, and with a reddened face, he loosens his arms. "Sorry. I-I didn't-" However, instead of Lia pushing him away, she instead loosened up.

Lia felt as if the dam she had put up in her heart completely collapsed in a matter of moments. All it took was one person's compassion, one person's embrace, and the wall broke down. Unable to help herself, she grabbed Lin Ke tightly and began to cry loudly.

"Why? Why does it have to be like this?" She sobbed. "All I wanted was to have a family. To have people that loved me. To live a normal life! Why?"

"Why does this world have to take everything from me? My parents, my grandfather, my home, my family… Why?" She cried. Lia felt such a sharp stabbing pain in her heart, a hollow deep hole, a void left by the death of her loved one. She felt an emptiness that couldn't be satisfied, not until it devoured her whole. Lia cried, and cried and cried.

Lin Ke didn't know what to do. With his arms awkwardly hovering behind Lia's back, he didn't know whether he should comfort her or let her express her feelings. Slowly and cautiously, he wraps a hand around her shoulders and just leaves it there. Lia seemed so… vulnerable, so fragile right now, he knew… He knew he had to say something.

"L-Lia… I know you're extremely hurt from seeing your last family member die… I know that I might not know how it really feels, that the pain you're suffering is probably worse than I could ever imagine… But... " Lin Ke pauses for a moment as Lia opens her eyes and looks up at him. Her eyes were blood red, not from the moon shard, but from crying, and she looked at him with such a heartbroken expression… "But… You have to be strong! Your grandpa wouldn't want to see you like this. He wanted to see you happy! Remember the last thing he said? He just wanted you to live! So live on Lia, live your life, that's what your grandfather would have wanted! That's what he would be happy to see, and even though he's no longer in this world, he will always be a part of you! The sixteen years that he spent with you, the lifetime amount of love he gave you, all that will be part of you! Remember that!" Lin Ke was shouting at the end of it, his voice shaking with emotion.

Lin Ke's words were like a wake up call. Still looking straight at Lin Ke, Lia slowly thought about his words. "I-I… But grandpa… My family… How am I worthy… If I don't…"

"Revenge?" Lin Ke asks. "I can't tell you to give that up, not after what had happened… However… If you really want to avenge your parents, your family, your grandfather… I'll help you. Even though I'm useless right now, even though I can't really fight right now, and even though I have no idea about how strong these other major families are… I'll still stand with you! So you don't have to carry the burden alone!" Lin Ke says while resting a hand on his chest.

Lia looks down at Lin Ke's shirt, thinking about what Lin Ke had said. At this point, Lia's head was a little clearer, and she found the logic in Lin Ke's statements. His words were quite powerful, and she felt herself moved by them. Slowly, she gives a small nod to acknowledge what Lin Ke had said. Then, Lia's face turns red again. She was still holding onto Lin Ke quite tightly, and had also stained Lin Ke's shirt with her tears. With her face blushing heavily, she gently lets go of Lin Ke and turns away. "I-I'm sorry…" She said embarrassed.

Lin Ke also realized the very intimate position they were in earlier and also felt his face heat up. "Err… No it was my fault… I shouldn't have taken advantage of when you were vulnerable."

Lia shook her head. "No… In fact…" Even though she was blushing deeply, her cheeks tinged pink, she forced herself to meet Lin Ke's eyes. Looking deeply into his eyes, she saw the truthfulness, the sincerity and his strong belief in what he had said. Inhaling deeply, she smiles at him. "Thank you Lin Ke."