Author note: I do not own the Last Story.

Summary: In which Mirania craves to eat a pie, and Zesha wonders why he stays with her despite the obvious risks, such as being broke from spending so much money on food, and on a more serious level, the tension beween the humans and the Gurak.

Characters: Zesha, Mirania

Pairing: ZeshaxMirania

Warnings: Takes place post-game, possible spoilers, maybe slight OOC on Zesha's part...?

Constructive criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks! XD

Pie

"I like pie."

Zesha glanced down at Mirania (height difference never helped them with communication-it got awkward at times, but they managed somehow). "Pardon?"

Mirania smiled at the newest Gurak King. "I think I'd like pie for snack. Is that alright?"

Zesha nearly went pale at this. If Mirania was having muffins, she wouldn't have one of them-she would have tons of them.

If she had pies...well...he didn't want to imagine how scary her monstrous appetite for pie would be at the moment. Then again, well...

"Alright." He finally managed, smiling at her. "Let's go get some pie."

The two walked through Lazulis City, eventually found a café, and Zesha ordered some apple pie to start.

...Hopefully she wouldn't eat too much pie. He didn't want to nearly go broke like he did last time, but he was prepared enough to have at least eight-thousand Gold on him if necessary this time. Hopefully she wouldn't eat too much, but it was hard to tell with someone like Mirania.

When one had a big eater for someone they loved romantically, it helped to be the Gurak King at times.

...Of course, spending all the money on food for one's girlfriend wasn't good, either, but Zesha did his best to keep it in check. As he watched Mirania start eating the first apple pie (he cut a slice for himself before giving the rest to her, knowing her appetite), his mind began to think back to when he first met her.

It was in battle when he first met Mirania. She had been nothing towards him but an enemy, which was perfectly natural because she was human and she worked with those 'filthy humans.' He was trying to avenge the death of his brother-how dare they kill him of all people! He didn't care what he had to do-cast aside his pride, attack the enemy from behind like a coward-he was willing to do it all for Zepha, absolutely everything.

The mercenaries somehow got him too exhausted to fight. Unlike when he had shot and killed the one called 'Lowell,' he was truly too tired to fight. And he hated them for it. If they were going to defeat him, they might as well kill him-it would get him closer to his brother...

One of those mercenaries had felt bad for him, and gave him a blanket to rest with, as well as healing the more fatal injuries-and that mercenary was none other than Mirania. Mirania probably would have done more for him, Zesha figured, if Syrenne hadn't yelled at Mirania for 'being kind to a killer.' He didn't blame Syrenne for hating him. He did temporarily kill the man she loved, after all. Zesha doubted that Syrenne was anywhere close to forgiving him for that-and he doubted she would, for a long time.

The next thing he remembered after blacking out from the battle was that he was awake and alive in Lazulis Castle's hospital wing. He thought he was a prisoner-Zael and Callista told him otherwise, that they needed an end to the fightin,g the war, to everything that had caused the chaos between the Gurak and the humans.

Zesha had no choice but to grudgingly agree with them.

Making the peace treaty had taken long, difficult days. Zesha felt like bashing his own brains against a wall-it just got so frustrating to talk with the both of them (it especially didn't help that they were among the ones that killed Zepha).

And then, after one particularly difficult day, he met Mirania in the courtyard. She had just been passing by when she saw his stressed out being, and asked if he was alright. He would have probably snapped at whoever else had approached him at the time, had it not been Mirania. She was the only human that had ever really given him any kindness, after all.

The next thing that happened was that they just...managed to talk things through with each other. They found that they had a lot more in common with each other than expected-from losing someone close to them, to the grief they had for the very people and land they cared about, there was so much out there that they shared.

...Of course, there were things that they weren't happy about, too. Just because the war over the Outsider had finished didn't mean that the tension between the Gurak and humans had gotten any better. It felt like, at times, that it just went worse. Murders and assault all increased between the humans and the Gurak, blaming each other for old grievances that should have been put to rest by the peace treaty.

Then again, peace treaties couldn't solve everything. The people that created it and the people accountable for the laws of the treaty had to work together to make their world a better, safer place. And...it wasn't going to be easy.

It didn't help when Zesha realized, slowly, that he was falling in love with the healing mage.

He wasn't sure whether to act on such feelings, at first. Was it truly alright to tell her? What if she didn't like him back in that way? What if his own people or anyone else found out? Would they be horrified that the former right-hand man of Zangurak was falling in love with their former enemy? Would they try to hurt him or Mirania because of this? Would they...?

He tried to keep it in. He didn't want her to be in danger.

But then...it just all came out later. All of the concern, all of the sentiment-everything.

It was all kind of embarrassing and mortifying for the former right-hand man, but Mirania seemed to take it well.

In fact, she even told him that she liked him back.

He was lucky that he was strong-willed enough not to faint-had he been any mentally weaker than he was at that moment, he possibly could have passed out on the spot. They tried to keep it a secret from the others, but, well...

Callista and Zael found out. They promised to keep it a secret, which was good...

And then Syrenne, Lowell and Yurick walked in on the two kissing once in the library.

Syrenne exploded into complete fury at the sight.

"Mirania! He-he killed Lowell and you're making out with him!? What are you thinking!?"

Thank goodness Lowell and Yurick were there to restrain her before she could do a thing. Zesha wasn't sure how much worse it could get if those two hadn't been there to stop her before she could do any harm.

It made him rethink his entire relationship with Mirania. Should they continue being this way? Should they throw away the idea of being with each other romantically? It was all so...troubling for the both of them.

Thankfully, at the end, he decided to still be with her in such an amorous relation.

So far, he wasn't regretting that decision for sure. Yes, there were some that might not be so pleased with it, but he was willing to risk it for her-and she was willing to risk it all for him, too. The true course of love never ran smoothly, after all.

"Zesha?"

"Hm?" He blinked out of his thoughts, looking up at Mirania. "What is it?"

"Well...you were kind of staring off into space just now..." She trailed off quietly, her facial expression one of concern. "Are you alright?"

He smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm fine, Mirania. Thank you." He forked some of the pie into his mouth, still smiling at her.

She smiled back, before she nervously looked down at the table. "Uh...Zesha?"

Uh oh. "...Yes?"

"Um..." She paused, nervously smiling. "I kind of ordered five more pies earlier...and ate them all..."

He swallowed nervously. "Oh...dear..."

That was when he got the bill.

"...Six-thousand gold!?" He stared at Mirania, before staring at the bill. He then let out a breath, trying to calm down.

Thank goodness I brought more than enough Gold this time...

"...Sorry." She squeaked out, cringing a little.

He merely chuckled a little, taking one of her hands in his.

"It's okay."

He meant it. All of it. And he was going to make sure that whatever happened, they were going to make it through alright.