THE MOON IS SOAKED IN SADNESS

"Hey...what're you doing looking so sad? You already have everything...everything that I could ever want...everything...I could never have."

"Soma." Soma hears his name being called and turns to search for its source. After examining his surroundings and finding no other soul there besides his own, he dismisses it as his mere imagination but the moment he turns forward to return home for the day, he stumbles slightly at the sound of a 'boo!' and the sudden appearance of the den's fearless leader, smiling down at him.

"Shit, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me?" He sighs in resignation at Vendetta's usual recklessness.

"Idiot, what if I thought you were an aragami? I could've slashed you to hell." Soma scowls at the thought itself and glowers at the laid back lieutenant who is currently chuckling in amusement.

"One, if I was an aragami then you'd already be dead and two, technically, I didn't sneak up on your back. I snuck up on your front." She smiles that same lighthearted grin that had saved them all time and time again. That kind smile that calmed Sakuya down during the search for Lindow's armlet, the same smile that Alisa happily woke up to everyday when she was detained in the nurse's office, the kind and vibrant grin that assured them all that everything would turn out fine even as Nova's activation leave tremors on their feet. She stares at him blankly, confused by his silent gaze.

"Tch. Wiseass." Hiding behind the cover of his hood, he blushes in embarrassment at being caught staring. Understanding Soma's habit of hiding his face away whenever he's embarrassed, Vendetta laughs silently at his flustered state. Understanding Vendetta's habit of concealing her laughter whenever she finds something amusing, Soma glares at the chuckling girl in front of him.

"So, what're you doing here? I didn't ask for any backup." He finally stops to wonder. It was unusual for another Gods Eater to be sent on a mission that someone's already accepted. Though he had no doubt that the doc, their current acting director, wasn't scheming anything behind their backs like his SOB father, still, Soma couldn't help but feel a sense of worry as the memory of their clash with Lindow's team in the 'Moon In The Welkin' mission flooded his mind.

He knew very well how that mission ended and he couldn't think of what they'd all do if their well-loved (perhaps to the point of obsession) rookie leader wound up missing. Every Gods Eater in the Far East Branch could disregard their responsibilities just to find her. Even he couldn't give a rat's ass to what Tsubaki had to say, he won't give up searching for her until he brings his idiot moron of a leader back to the den.

"Relax. I just got back from a mission when Hibari told me that you went out on a mission alone." Sensing his growing anxiety, she assures him that she wouldn't be going MIA or KIA anytime soon.

"I can handle a few Ogretails alone, you know." He sighs again but out of relief for the most part. Of course, that's something he would never admit out loud. He starts to walk again and Vendetta follows suit.

"I know but it's been a long time since you've gone out on your own so I was just wondering if something was up." Come to think of it, it really has been a long time since he took on a mission alone. Lately, if Tsubaki wasn't forcing him to train the new-type rookies, he'd be on a mission with his group.

"And if something was wrong, you think I'd actually tell you?" She flinches slightly at his hostility and even Soma finds his own words too harsh. He knew that their leader was just trying to help and he knew that reverting back to his old ways wouldn't solve anything but even so, at nights like these, he couldn't control the bitterness he felt towards everything around him.

"No, but I could guess." She looks to the sky. Staring at the moon as if she knows more than she lets on and perhaps she did. To a bystander, it would seem like she was smiling to herself but Soma knew that she was smiling at the little girl on the moon. The little girl that he fell in love with. The little girl that he had to devour just to save this godforsaken world. He winces at the memory of having to devour the girl he loves. They became one, yes, but not in the way that Soma would have wanted.

"...It's nothing. Not like you could actually do anything about it." The sound of his voice dies out towards the end of his sentence as he realizes that lashing out at her would also solve nothing. So he resigned himself to just staring at the bright moon, mysteriously covered with vegetation. He wonders if Shio misses him too.

"The moon is soaked in sadness. It quietly paints the land red and disappears. The tears that overflow your heart are surely proof of your wish for a future. Gaze forward without lamenting your current powerlessness. If you still hold feelings for someone even though your wings have become tattered, you can fly away no matter what pain you might face." She finishes her puzzling rant with a smile on her face. A kind smile, for once not directed at anyone else. A gentle smile, for once holding no vibrancy. A sad smile, for once lingering on her lips. A smile for herself. A smile that not many has had the misfortune of noticing. A broken smile. A smile that has braced countless painful memories locked deep within her heart. A smile that many has overlooked. A smile hidden beneath her assuring warmth.

Soma could only stare as his mind slowly starts to process her words. If he had ever felt as powerless as he does now, it would be the time when he could only watch as Shio took Nova to the moon. Now, at this very moment, he feels that sense of powerlessness once again, when all he could do for his clearly saddened leader is remain silent so that he doesn't hurt her more than he already has. Guilt etches his mind but he refuses to think on it any further.

"It's a part of a song. I can't remember how it was sung but those words haven't left me since the first time I've heard it. It always makes me feel better when I'm PMS-ing. Maybe it'd do the same for you." She smirks at her hidden insult and chuckles at the length of time it took for him to understand it. Realizing that she had practically called him a PMS-ing bitch (indirectly) Soma growls out a rather loud "HEY!" while she runs off, laughing all the way. The tension and bitterness from before, buried and forgotten.

She always did have a way with changing the mood of even the most dire of situations. A long time ago, he felt that she'd even become a second Lindow. But he realizes soon after that it wasn't Lindow's charm that she was imitating. It wasn't Lindow's charm that gathered people around her and it wasn't Lindow's charm that made Lindow himself respect her as an equal. It was her own.

Still laughing to herself, Vendetta leaves him behind to find his own peace of mind. Though his thoughts lingered at her words, his heart wanders toward the young leader behind him. Perhaps it was his enhanced senses or perhaps it was his unusual habit of tuning into every sound Vendetta makes but his ears listen intently for her silent footsteps. Sensing that she's stopped in her tracks, far beyond the range of a human's hearing, Soma again listens intently to whatever sound his leader would make.

"Happy anniversary, Soma...Shio." Soma suddenly chokes on air as he turns to face her but she was already beyond even his own enhanced hearing so she was nowhere near his line of sight or his radar. Deciding to cut his visit short, since his thoughts were filled by a certain raven-haired leader of his (and he's not talking about Lindow, mind you) he returns to the pick up point, hoping that she'd still be there.

"Hey..." True enough, there she stood tall, her dark raven locks contrasting sharply against the white snow of the Forgotten Temples. Still thinking that his short lovesick tantrum against her was absolutely uncalled for, he stays silent even as he catches up to her, debating with himself on whether to apologize or not. Her usual smile assures him and he finally responds to her with a slight nod of his head. Motioning her free hand upwards, Soma looks up to see the chopper arriving retrieve them.

The aircraft's loud propellers had blocked out any other sounds within the vicinity which Soma found extremely annoying as he could see his leader speaking to someone over the intercom but he had no way of knowing who she was talking to and what they were talking about. He barely makes out a man's voice from their conversation and a slight irritation crept up on him. Vendetta smiles, not at him but at something the voice had said and he frowns. She laughs and at this, Soma glares violently at nothing in particular. Oddly enough, he doesn't even stop to think about the unnatural possessiveness he had towards his leader.

'Tch. What the hell am I getting all pissed about?' He finally asks himself but he glances her way and he sees that she still had that stupid lovestruck smile on her face. He was irritated. He was angry and to top it all off he suddenly felt sick to the stomach. No, not the stomach. What felt sick…was his heart.

lunyan, thanks a lot for pointing out that typo, I can't believe I missed it! How awkward would it be if Soma suddenly started slashing origamis? LOL

Strife Atreyu, I've never been commended before and you did it twice. So thank you! :D I followed your advice and I cut the really long paragraphs in half for easier reading and as for the similes, I'll try to look them up.

Again, thank you both for the reviews and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Reviews really do make my day so keep them coming. Cheers~