Emily smiled happily, her eyes following Mikaal as he trekked slowly across the field towards her waiting form. She wasn't about to complain at his lack of speed after the torturous gym class he had endured, the whole period being spent running laps. She was almost ready to have her father talk to the school about the lack of professionalism that was being shown in their training method.

A small part of her felt a pang as she recalled how her mother was always on top of such things in the past, checking in frequently to make sure the school took their job seriously. It didn't help that, for the first time ever, she didn't have her brother around to help fix things on their own.

"Are you okay, Emily?" Mikaal's soft voice startled her for a moment before she looked up with a bright smile, pushing back the thoughts she didn't want to deal with to the back of her mind again. They had waited this long, they could wait some more before she finally dealt with them.

"I'm fine now that you are here!" Jumping up, she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace, a few loose strands of hair tickling against his neck as his face grew warm from the rush of blood to his cheeks. They only grew warmer as she leaned in closer and whispered into his ear. "As long as I have you, I'll always be fine..."

--------

She didn't like it but he refused to listen to her when she asked him to stop, when she told him things were fine the way they were, that he didn't have to change. Didn't he understand that she didn't expect him to be strong for her, that she would instead be strong for him? Did he think she couldn't protect him, was that it? He didn't believe in her that much?

Her thoughts came to a freezing halt when she felt soft, trembling lips graze her cheek before he came into focus in front of her. Although he couldn't quite meet her awestruck gaze, the results of the first time he was the one to kiss her even if just on the cheek, she could see the determination in his eyes.

"It's not that I don't like being protected by you, Emily, or that I don't think you are strong enough to do so. It's just that I want to be strong enough for you, too. It would be nice if I could be the one able to protect you if the chance ever comes," the underlying firmness in his gentle tone caught her off guard, him rarely showing so much resolve in something that didn't have to do with his studies or their meetups.

"If this is what you really want to do, then I'll give you all the support I can. Just tell me how I can help!" Standing up straight, she sent him a blindingly bright smile that had his heart racing in his chest.

"Knowing that you will be here for me... That's already more than I could have hoped for," he stated as he pulled her close again, blushing as he gave her another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Emily."

It was all Emily could do after that to get her mind focused on what forms of training would help Mikaal best to achieve his goal, her heart fluttering in her chest as she kept losing herself in thoughts of how soft his lips were and how much she loved the feeling of being held close to him.

"Anything for you, Mikaal. Anything and everything."