The Magic of the Heart (OPEN)

As he walked away from the garden to head inside his thatched hut, perhaps to write some more for his dearly beloved the noise of her voice permeated into his mind. For a second he brushed it off as mere whimsy. Why would Anna of all people be on Earth looking for him? She should be living her life free of fear within their home realm. She was better off there without him around, better off without his pariah-like reputation hanging over his head, and she would more than likely find a better man to hitch herself to than he.

That is when the sound of her voice filled his ears once more.

Instead of him ignoring it this time, brushing it off as mere wishing her to be around him, this time Zunza turned to look out into the forest near his hut, and begin to expand his senses looking for the source of the noise.

It didn't take long to find her.

It was her. The one he loved so much and couldn't stand to be without. She was here in this area looking for him! In that moment all of the aching and dullness in his world seemingly faded away, it was if in a moment all of the gray that had clouded his vision faded into nothingness, and the world was bright once more. He instantly grabbed his staff and made his way out of the hut at a brisk pace, ignoring the fact that he looked quite a mess. At that moment it didn't matter, the only thing that mattered to Zunza at this very moment was appearing before his beloved, and being reunited with her. Everything else was secondary. He marched through the brush and foliage of the forest near his hut, rushing as fast as he could with as little care to his surroundings as possible, well at least until...

BOOM!

Zunza staggered a bit at the sudden sound of an explosion and as his eyes looked above the tree line, he spotted smoke. His horror had been realized in this very moment. Anna was here in this world, looking for him, but she knew so very little about this place, she knew nothing of the natural predators, or the war brewing. She knew nothing of Hollows, of Arrancar, or of even Shinigami. All she knew was the kingdom she lived in and fear spread through him like a wild fire.

Other thoughts spread through his mind and quickly took root as well.

What if she was injured or in danger? What if she was dead? In that moment Zunza hastened himself to the source of the smoke, jumping over fallen trees, and dashing through muddy brooks to reach his beloved. His face squinted with the rage of a man who had everything to lose, but did not wish to lose it. Protectiveness and the need to see his beloved overrode any caution he may have had as he finally reached the meadow where Anna was at, a sole woman stood between him and the woman he loved. He would not hesitate in this moment.

"Get away from her! I will not hesitate to scatter your ashes to the winds!"

Zunza shouted as he leapt from where he had entered the meadow from the woods to be between her and Anna. His staff pointed directly at the woman with one hand and his other hand reaching back to Anna, beckoning her to him. He was concerned and scared for her safety, he would not hesitate to destroy anyone who targeted her, no matter how strong they were.

"Anna, are you alright? Take my hand...I won't let any harm come to you."

And he meant that, no harm would come to Anna while he was here.

Familiarity with the realm of earth was nil when it concerned Anna. She traveled here on occasion, ever curious to see the sights and sounds of different nations, admiring landscape and countries alike. Earth, for all the war going on, could be a truly beautiful place and Anna did not blame Zunza for coming here. Thus, as she continued to call out, she had not been aware of the hollow that was descending towards her vicinity. Her eyes had turned around, her body froze into fear, and her senses had aligned themselves to plan a counterattack but she was unprepared.

The hollow would reach her by the time she could initiate an incantation or chant for a spell. Fortunately, fate would be all the more in her favor as a Bala struck the hollow unexpectedly.


Within a flash, a woman with a warriorlike appearance came before the hollow, mocking it with gestures one would extend to their pet and then killed it with a cero, incinerating it into nothingness. Anna blinked as she saw the sight happen before her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as she turned her attention to the woman who had now introduced herself as Ulv. She seemed very friendly and Ulv sensed no ill-intent whatsoever. Even so, before she could introduce herself, she caught wind of a familiar voice.

Get away from her! I will not hesitate to scatter your ashes to the winds!

In a moment that seemed like an infinitesimal blur, he had appeared before her, hurrying between her and Ulv. He was... well, not exactly how she had remembered him. He seemed so panicked and unrelaxed, and there were signs of exhaustion she could sense which had worried her more than the way he rushed between them. Anna would correct him for not assessing things but at this moment, none of that truly mattered.

He was right here, in spirit and flesh. The female magus could not contain herself as she pulled him by the arm, into a warm embrace, and then no sooner, kissed him upon his lips. It wasn't as magical as the first... and it seemed to be a taste reminiscent of some type of stew... and yet, to her, just to have him in her arms, at this moment, was nothing short of magical. A reunion she had longed for ever since that day. Tears of joy began to trickle down her cheek as she gazed into his eyes.

"Zunza... I'm sorry. I ran from you that day and avoided you out of fear...I was foolish to do something so stupid. Each day that passed by was torturous and when they told me you had resigned from your position and traveled to earth, I felt like I had betrayed you. Please, forgive me... " Hugging him tight, she paid no heed to Ulv at this moment but she would definitely thank her. In the meantime, all that mattered was that her beloved was here in her arms; a place she wished to have him permanently.

His caution flared more so than his rationality at that single moment, but to confuse his abrupt appearance, and assessment of the situation as him not thinking things through would have been inaccurate. Through his head hundreds upon thousands of combat strategies that he had learned as a child from his father's instructors blurred in a single line as he assessed his opponent's strength. He had met a Shinigami before, just one was not a good sample size, but it was very clear that Ulv was very much the superior in terms of strength. It was almost night and day in terms of comparison, and that was extremely concerning for him. If someone like this was just walking around looking to attack whoever crossed their path, then it could be potentially lethal. Especially Anna. If his assessment of Ulv's power was accurate she was stronger than him.

Way stronger.

A ping of fear did manifest itself in his psyche, but his rational mind that was cycling through all of the "files" that his photographic memory had in store, pushed that all aside to make way for more searching. He would not falter in the face of someone stronger than even he, not in front of her, not in front of the woman he loved more than even himself, or his own kingdom. She was his everything and in the face of this threat...

His thoughts were pointless as he felt the warmth of Anna grab on to his arm and drag him back, for an instant he thought he was under attack from behind, but the feeling of Anna was unmistakable. She dragged him back to the world around him and brought him into her embrace for a kiss and in that moment all of the other things did not matter. The year they had been separated? The struggles of living in a new realm with no idea how it functioned? The anxiety of living on his own and trying to make the most of his situation? All of it faded away with a single kiss from his beloved. When their lips finally parted, Zunza realized just how much of a mess he was right now, and just how he must appear to her.

His hair disheveled, a beard flowing down from his face, and his eyes sunken in from lack of sleep. Zunza was a wreck far beyond the mere words of description that he had available to him. And Zunza was an avid reader. For the first time in a while he felt right, even though he looked so wrong, and looked deep into the green eyes of the woman he loved, and held her tight as his arms wrapped around her. She spoke to him, for the first time in a while he heard the native Sugiuran tongue, and at first it almost seemed too complex for him, but his mind adjusted, and he understood her rather rapidly. She was asking for him to forgive her, which caused a great deal of concern to him as she seemed to have misunderstood the reason why he had left in the first place. Had Reinhilde said nothing of his reasoning when he had explained it to her in detail?

Zunza didn't need to listen to another word as he leaned in and kissed her once again on the lips before pulling her into a warm hug. At least he smelled good, he mused in his own mind as he began to talk to the woman he loved calmly:

"What are you talking about? You ran away from me? I assumed you needed time to process what had occurred...I myself needed time to process why a girl like you would be interested in a man like me. But this trip to Earth had nothing to do with that and everything to do in making sure that you were safe. I told your sister that I was going to exile myself as to take the blame for the king disappearing....after hearing of what had happened to you last time that was the only way I could repay the kindness you showed me and the love you made me feel that I hadn't felt since the days that my house still stood."

Zunza pulled back a bit and looked her dead in her eyes, he wanted to take in all of her before saying what he had to say.

"I would never run from you, Anna...you are too important to me to ever do such a thing. Everything I do...everything that I ever thought of since that dinner was you and how I could best insure your safety. Because...I love you."

He realized at that moment he had dropped his guard, his staff had been discarded, and he had focused solely on Anna. His eyes panned over to the weird woman with confusion. Why had she not attacked? Had he made a mistake? Still, he would not allow her to harm Anna, even if it cost him his life.

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdk_76z38bA)


Emerald orbs stared lovingly into Zunza's eyes as Anna held his gaze, listening to him as he spoke of his reason for resignation from their kingdom. Love had eluded Anna once in the past, and when Zunza had done so, she was certain that it was due to her sudden departure during their interaction long ago that Zunza made residence on earth. She was certain love had eluded her again; Reinhilde had never told her why, which furiously annoyed Anna. Did her sister derive some type of pleasure from seeing her look like a clown? Each word that left his lips had eased any tension she may have felt.

In truth, seeing him in the flesh was all that she needed to find peace of mind. Reinhilde allowed her to come here whereas she remained in her own realm, intent on maintaining the kingdom that her glorious king built in his image.

Anna knew that with the way the realm was seemingly sealed off, an immediate return was out of the question. As such, Anna had made the conscious decision to find a home on earth. It wasn't a grand mansion or a large house, rather a modest home with all of the necessary appliances anyone could ask for. Lovely mirrors, a kitchen with gracious space, and one bedroom for now. If she so desired, Anna had improved so much with her magical prowess that she could easily build another room if it crossed her mind. Hearing Zunza's explanation was all that was needed to shatter her misconceptions. However, he gazed deeply into her eyes and said;

I would never run from you, Anna...you are too important to me to ever do such a thing. Everything I do...everything that I ever thought of since that dinner was you and how I could best insure your safety. Because...I love you.


Hearing those words made her pale cheeks blush with red as she gazed up at him and her heartbeat quickened. She could not deny how her emotions were for this man nor would she ever abandon him again. Even though his appearance was unkempt, none of that stopped her from kissing him once again. Deeper, this time, with all the affection she could muster as she held him in her embrace. Pulling away, she flashed a warm smile that would lull the heart of any beast and returned his affection.

"I love you too. Truth be told, I had fallen in love with you the first time we met - as cliche as that may sound. Even now, with you looking like this, nothing has changed the way I felt about you since that day. To be with you has been an ardent wish of mine. To love a kind man with a noble heart and spend my days at his side, I could not think of anything more I wouldn't enjoy. In fact... "

Anna pulled out an ornamental ring gleaming with golden light, bedecked with diamonds that glowed with a mystic aura, and held it before Zunza. It was perhaps the most unconventional way of asking for marriage one could think of and yet the Magus was never one for conventional methods and never would be.

"Zunza Lowellen, it would be an honor to have your hand in marriage. Or... um, if you want it to be conventional, you can ask for my hand in marriage? S-sorry, I'm still getting used to earth customs "