The Fire Under the Stars: Chapter 2

As Stardust and Cepheus get to know each other more, they reveal to each other their pasts, and it seems that one of their shattered hearts is slightly repaired. 
==Included Characters==
Stardust the Cat
Cepheus the Cat
==Story==
Cepheus grinned as he watched Stardust bounce around happily. She was extrememly excited about the whole situation; almost dying, meeting Cepheus, and exploring his "tree house". It was almost like she'd never seen the forest before, or had never made any friends. It was almost like she had never even been outside. Being a serious person who had witnessed the death of his village by his own hand, he rarely ever smiled. But now he realized that her smile is all he needed to feel truly happy for once. 
When she finally settled herself down, Cepheus was able to talk to her. He wanted to know more about her, and maybe get some answers as to why he was constantly having visions of her. 
"So, um. . . Stardust? Who are you, exactly?"
Her smile suddenly vanished when she registered what he was asking. She knew that Cepheus was a kind person. After all, he had saved her from death. But deep down, she wasn't sure she could trust anyone at this point. The guards were most likely looking for her, and if the news got out that she was the missing princess, then she might lose her new friend, or worse—put him in harm's way. She was trying to find a way to tell him without truly telling him, but Cepheus interrupted her. It seemed that he had noticed her discomfort of the subject, and decided to leave it to another time. 
"It's okay. If you're not comfortable with telling me, you don't have to... But at least tell me something. Are you from around here?"
Stardust shook her head, feeling that this information would be alright to tell him.
"No, I'm not. I've never been to this forest before. It's really nice, though!"
Cepheus perked up at hearing that she wasn't native to the forest. 
"Oh? Did you come here with your family? Friends?"
Stardust shook her head again, to his dismay.
"No. . . I'm here by myself. It was sort of an accident that I came here."
Now Cepheus' mind was racing. If she wasn't from around the forest area, and her family wasn't with her, was she from a whole continent over? Maybe even a different dimension? He knew the latter was a very rare possibility, but it wasn't impossible. He had heard such tales of people coming from different dimensions to Mobius. Taking a chance, he decided to put the idea out into the open.
"Are you, possibly from a different planet? Or a different dimension?"
Stardust's eyes were wide now, shocked that he could even think that. Was she that obvious?
"Um. . . well. . . Yes. I am. I'm. . ."
She sighed. There was no way around this. She would have to tell him everything for it to make sense. She took a breath.
"I'm a run-away princess from the Starshine Kingdom. There was a raid on my castle, and these people were trying to kidnap me for my Star Powers. I ran away because my mother and father were so strict; they told me that I wasn't allowed to even go outside anymore. I couldn't make any friends, I couldn't have fun. . . I was just forced to study all day about my kingdom's history. I got away through a portal, and I woke up nearby this beautiful forest. And then you rescued me, and now I'm here talking to you. I don't think they know I ran away, but if the guards find me, they'll take me back to my kingdom, and I'll never be free."
Cepheus was silent. He seemed to be lost in thought, staring at the ground. Stardust simply stared at him, wating for his response.
". . . Why did they want you? Couldn't they just have taken anyone with Star Powers?"
Stardust shook her head, and quietly replied.
"Because I'm the only one left who has them."
Silence.
"Let me just make it clear that I don't mind if you ran away from your kingdom. I don't mind if you're a princess and I don't mind that you have Star Powers, which for all I know could be really dangerous. But. . . would you mind if I told you that I burned down my village and killed everyone within it by accident?"
After a moment, Stardust shook her head. 
"How?"
Cepheus decided that if Stardust was going to pour her heart out to him, he might as well do the same.
"I. . . have pyrokinesis. My village --  the one I burned down -- thinks that fire is a sin. And I can't control my flames. They react to my emotions, like if I'm angry or upset. . . they just, y'know, come out. And I guess my emotions got the best of me on my eighth birthday. Everyone hated me, and I guess it just went too far. So I let all my anger out, and I burned my village down. And when I went back to see if anyone was alive. . ."
He closed his eyes, putting his head in his hands. Stardust instantly hugged him; seeing others upset always made her upset, too, so it was normal for her to try to cheer others up, even if she barely knew the person. 
"It's alright. You don't have to tell me everything."
Cepheus nodded, and waited for her to let go. He wasn't used to hugs; he rarely recieved any, due to everyone virtually hating him ever since he was born. Stardust let him go and smiled genuinely.
"It doesn't matter that you accidentally burned down your village, or your powers are out of your control. I think you're a nice person. You're just a little misunderstood."
Cepheus gave her a small smile, mostly for her sake. 
"Thanks." 
Next: Chapter 3 
Category:Fanfiction