My Journey With You: chapter.1 Emil's journal

Emil and Marta had been on the road for six months now and the season of Celsius was now upon them while they traveled, covering the land in a blanket of snow and chilling the skin with cold breezes. While traveling together, Marta would ask questions like "Should we go here?" or "Do we need this?" and sometimes "Do you want to rest for a bit?" All while Emil was only half-heartedly listening, along with his slight nods and short responses, such as "Sure" or "That's fine" because as of recently, Emil had been neck deep in his own journal, reading, and scribbling, taking notes and sometimes just adding a few comments to some of the pages. Marta felt a little neglected by this and wanted to ask him about it, but lately, he hadn't been a very open book about his journal the way he used to, it made her feel like it had become more like a secret dairy than a journal about their journey together.

Emil and Marta finally reached Palmacosta for a quick visit to see her dad and for a quick bite to eat before heading back on the road. She and Emil both agreed to meet up at the pub when they were both finished and went their separate ways with a smile and a wave of the hand goodbye.

The boy sighed a white misty cloud, watching it disappear into the cold air as he held his journal close to his chest, lost in his own thoughts as he watched the sky, studying how gray the blue sky looked and how slow the clouds moved. Suddenly broken from his daydreaming, he was startled but the dark Centurion who appeared before him, gazing at him and his journal curiously with his amber eyes.

"And what exactly is it that you've been writing in there?" He asked as he peered over, hoping to snatch the journal from his master. In response, Emil quickly leaned from side to side and even ducked down to avoid the Centurion's hand-like tail.

"It's private and not for a nosey Centurion like you!" The boy finally spouted,

"I see, very well then," The Centurion said with a sigh, disappointed in the outcome...but what really bothered the Centurion was his master's sudden secrecy. Emil had a few secrets sure but he had always been open about sharing his journal before. But with respect for his master, he says nothing more and disappears into a black misty cloud as it fades into the cold air.

Emil sighed, slumping his shoulders. It's not like he wanted to hide anything from his faithful Centurion or Marta but...his mind had recently been filled with a very cool, very smart, very tall red-headed half-elf recently, and it was a bit embarrassing and didn't feel comfortable sharing his thoughts about the man anymore.

"Richter-san" The name left his lips in a whisper, as he closed his eyes and allowed the memories of his time with the older man to flood his mind. He remembered the time they first met in Luin and how the man used to intimidate him before, their secret travels together, and most of all, their conversations. Richter has helped Emil overcome obstacles in his life...

The blond boy continued to stand in the middle of the cold streets of Palmacosta, eyes closed as his mind was flooded with thoughts of the half-elf, unable to stop the lonely feeling in his heart as his thoughts continued. The Palmacosta plaza was crowded, people passing by and shoving passed the boy but not once did he open his eyes or pay them any mind. Just then, something or rather, someone, broke the boy from his trance when an all too familiar and stoic voice called to him.

"Emil?" The voice called. The boy shot his eyes open, quickly turning his head to see the tall redhead standing behind him with a bit of a surprised look to his face but Emil was more surprised, happy to see him, more so than Richter had been. When Emil turned around to get a full view of the man, his heart almost jumped out of his chest from the sight of him. His beautiful tan skin that made those emerald green eyes stand out so vibrantly that was framed by those silver-framed glasses, and that long red hair...He was just like how he remembered him.

"Richter-san, what are you doing here?" The boy asked, as from last he had heard from his Centurion Aqua, Richter had planned on traveling the world, never to be heard from as he would research and explore places no other has. So then why was the man in Palmacosta? Whatever the case, the boy was happy to see him.

"I should be asking you the same thing" He replied, as he had thought that Marta and Emil would have found someplace to stay together in for the rest of their remaining days.

"Well, Marta wanted to see her father" Emil explained, unable to stop the smile on his face, as he was still overjoyed by the man's sight, along with that all too familiar scent that came with him, sending his heart aflutter.

"I see...and what are you doing?" He asked, looking at the small blond, who looked just the same as he remembered him. His head only reaching the lower part of his chest, his eyes kind and green, his hair a soft short blond...in fact, sometimes it was hard for him to think of Aster when Emil was always the one to appear in his memories recently.

"I-I was just thinking about you actually" Without even thinking, Emil responded as honestly as he could, as he always felt he could tell the older man anything that bubbled in his mind. He was a bit embarrassed by his words, though it's not like friends can't say that to each other though, so it should be fine...Is what he told himself but that didn't really seem to help with the embarrassment he felt.

"...I see" You couldn't quite tell, but it had made Richter a little happy knowing the boy had thought about him in the last 6 months. He adjusted his glasses to keep himself composed as he fought the small blush that dared to graze his cheeks.

To answer the boy's previous question, Richter returned his gaze to the young blond and said. "I came to Palmacosta to pick up a book that an acquaintance of mine left at Marbles for me"

"R-Really? Can I come with you to pick it up?" The young boy asked, eager to walk by the man's side once more, not wanting to lose sight of him just yet.

"...Fine" Richter sighed a white cloud, as he too couldn't help but miss the boy at his side, that and it was always hard to turn down those puppy eyes. But most of all, watch how the boy's face would light up when he would answer one of his questions or allowed him to travel by his side, was always cute.

And so, the two walked through the cold streets of Palmacosta together to pick up Richter's book from the store. The whole way over there, their walking pace was slow, as they exchanged their stories from their six months of being apart. The two didn't have to be enemies anymore, so they could be as open and honest as they wanted. Emil was beaming with excitement as he talked, Richter with a slight smile on his face listened carefully to the boy, realizing just how much he had come to miss the boy's presence in his life, that kind and sweet smile, the way the boy always looked at him with such admiration and excitement...you could say it warmed his heart even. " Richter-san" The way he calls out his name with that sweet voice, with that kind and innocent face that was no longer Aster's but Emil's, always put a slight flutter in his heart...lighting a bright candle in his dark world.

It was at least thirty minutes before the two had finally reached the store. The book Richter received from the young girl looked a bit old and had strange writing on the front of it and looked like it might be a little heavier than most books that size, which wasn't very big, but very thick. Emil had asked Richter what it was about as he had a questioning look on his face. Richter had a slightly amused look when he saw how curious the boy was and only explained that it was about a very special summon spirit and that it was written in the ancient elven language. Once they exited the store, Richter had come to a halt in their walking and turned around to face the small boy, who seemed to be giving him another questioning look but this time with a slight tilt of his head.

"Richter-san?"

"Now that I have my book, I need to head out again and make my way to the northern mountains," The older man explained, putting the book in his bag.

"O-Oh...right..." The boy lowered his head, as he had forgotten that the half-elf was only visiting. Being with Richter was like another world, and realizing that he was soon going to leave him again after so long, made the boy feel like his heart was being torn apart, being forced to realize the reality of everything, wanting to just run away and stay at the older man's side forever, stay in his world that he's come to know as Richter.

"...Emil" Richter hadn't spoken loud enough for the blond's ears to hear but he could see the torn look in the boy's eyes, even if his head was lowered.

"Richter-sama, why don't you stop someplace to read the book?" Aqua suddenly suggested as she appeared through a mass of blue bubbles, floating beside the half-elf as curled her hair-tail around the man in a friendly manner, suggesting she does this with him often.

"..." As much as Richter might appreciate the Centurion, but he really wished she would stop butting in when it came to his personal affairs...like when she told Emil things in the past that she shouldn't have, or asking Emil to come to Triet that one time long ago.

"Aqua?" The boy turned his head towards the Centurion, questioning her sudden appearance, but when she gave a quick wink at the young blond, he instantly knew what she was doing and played along. "Y-Yeah, why don't you stay a bit to read the book!" he encouraged, holding his fists to his chest, hoping he could convince the older redhead to stay in town a bit longer.

Richter sighed a white cloud, as he felt the two pair of eyes, looking at him as they were gleaming with hope. "Fine" He huffed, tossing his hair and letting it fall back into place, accepting his defeat against the two pairs of pleading eyes.

"Really?" Emil asked, grinning from ear to ear as his cheeks glowed a soft pink.

"Yes...now stop staring at me like that," He said, turning away to adjust his glasses in an attempt to keep the small build of heat that was growing in his own cheeks. The boy and Centurion chuckled and giggled to celebrate their victory against the redhead.

The three now made their way to the Palamcosta inn, since Richter never leaves a book unfinished once he starts...though that could just be an old habit from working in Syback. Emil assumed that once Richter was finished, he would most likely stay the night and leave early in the morning, so maybe if he got up early too, he could see the man off. Once they had reached the inn, Richter got a key to the top floor and headed upstairs. He would just share the room with the boy until it was time for bed and have him leave, so it should be okay to share it until then. He opened the wooden door and locking it behind him after allowing the boy passage first.

Richter removed his shoes, gloves, and coat, sitting down on the bed with the sheets over his legs. Something about the sight of older man without his gloves and coat made the young boy's heart pound harder. His skin crawled as if it craved those hands and the warmth that they carried to touch and caress him. His face began to heat up but he quickly shook his head to cease the heat from growing and quickly removed his shoes, taking a seat beside the redhead, hoping the man won't mind. Before disappearing into thin air, the Centurion lit the lamps in the room to help give the room more lighting and even help keep the cold out at least a little.

Emil pulled his knees up to his chest, pulling out his journal from his bag and flipped it open, quickly scribbling away about all that happened between him and the older today. While writing and sitting so close together, the boy realized he could study the man much easier, like how his breathing was slow, the way his chest would expand when breathing in or how the man would rub his eyes a bit after removing his glasses before continuing to read again. Emil even noticed that it happened every 30 minutes and most of all, he couldn't help but notice just how nice Richter smelled when sitting this close to him.

The temperature had dropped and Chonos continued to pass until this side of the earth had become Shadow's domain as Luna had risen high in the sky, stars sparkling like pieces of everyone's prayers in the night sky all lighting up together, lighting up the dark night. Richter rubbed his eyes, finally closing the book and setting it down in his bag, slightly relieved to have finally finished it. But when he looked over his shoulder to check on the boy, the young blond seemed to have fallen asleep long ago with his journal in his lap and his head tilted to the side with his cheek rested on his own shoulder. Richter sighed at the sight of the boy and carefully pulled the journal out from his lap but once the book was in his hands, he noticed that the current pages that the journal was open to, it was a beautifully sketched picture of himself with Emil by his side.

"Did Emil really draw this?" It looked really good, having no idea the boy could draw so well...unlike Aster. His eyes then noticed the writing next to it, about how he breathed and rubbed his eyes...it was written in such a way that it was really sweet how the boy paid such close attention to him.

"Emil..." He whispered, moving his gaze from the boy's journal to the boy himself, sleeping so peacefully.

Richter set the boy's journal down on the nightstand beside him and carefully laid him down on the bed, gently tossing the sheet over him, lightly and gently giving a soft pet to the boy's head. As he eyed the boy, painful thoughts and memories of trying to kill him so long ago came to mind...How could I have really tried to take his life? He thought, damning himself for being so stupid...Aster must have already been mad at him for corrupting the Vanguard and for trying to kill a boy who loved and admired him so, he must have really made Aster angry with him now, even more so when he had made a pact with the demons.

"Aster...did you send Emil over to stop me?" He murmured, smiling down at the young boy. He might have missed Aster deeply and wished that he could travel by his side again...but with Emil by his side, he knows he'll be just fine and even if looking back to Aster filled his heart with pain, it'll become a fond memory of the past while looking forward into his future, thanks to Emil for saving him...for Ratatosk giving him that second chance.

Aska had risen now, lighting and warming the cold streets of Palmacosta with its warm raises. Emil slowly opened his eyes to Aska's warm light shining down on his face. He quickly sat up when he realized what time it was, and quickly scanned the room...but Richter was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone..." The boy lowered his head, feeling the aching in his heart once more and fell back onto the bed...that is until he realized he was in a bed.

"H-He must have let me sleep in the bed instead..." Emil blushed at the man's kindness and dug his nose into the pillow, taking in the scent that the man had left behind. The scent was faint but it still smelled so much like him that it made his heart race. While taking in as much of the smell as he could, he realized three strands of hair that the man had left behind on the bed and quickly sat up once more. He gulped, feeling nervous as more blood rushing to his face when he reached for them, trembling. He had never touched Richter's hair before, so he couldn't help but feel nervous, even if it was just a few threads.

"Richter-san..." With a gentle and careful motion, he picked up the red threads of hair. They were soft and thick, still retaining the wonderful scent of the man. Emil quickly grabbed his journal from the nightstand and taped them to a blank page where he ended up sketching a picture of the man, looking as stoic as ever. He smiled at the image and blushed a bit at the threads of hair. When he flipped the page to bookmark where to write next, he froze, his heart pounding against his chest and his face lighting up like fire.

"R-R-R-Richter-san...w-w-wrote in m-my j-j-journal!?" Emil carefully traced every letter with his finger as he read through it, imagining those warm bare hands stroking every letter with his feathered pen, sending a chill down his spine as his blush grew a darker shade of red.

"Emil, thank you for always believing in me, even when I pushed you away. I'm sorry I never told you this before up until now but thank you for everything, you really helped Aster with a fool like me. Sleep well Emil and don't hesitate should you wish to travel by my side again, it'll be nice to travel as friends and not as enemies. Your mentor, Richter Abend. " There were no words to describe how Emil felt. He trembled and held the book tightly to his chest, feeling his chest ache.

Emil's heart fluttered, overwhelmed with joy...but something suddenly dawned on him. "Would Richter-san love me back?" He wondered, as Richter didn't seem the type to love another guy, not that he himself was either but in this case, Richter was special and the only man he could ever find attractive. Emil lowered his head at this thought, realizing now that his precious Richter might never love him the same way...Just then, he heard the familiar voice of Marta calling out from outside the building calling for him.

"I-I completely forgot to meet back with Marta!" He explained out loud, quickly getting out of bed, putting his shoes on and heading out the door. He fiddled with the doorknob for a minute before taking a glance behind his shoulder to have one last look at the bed that Richter had sat on...He closed his eyes to imagen the man for a moment just before exiting the room and quickly making his way downstairs and outside the building. He was quickly hit with the cold air of the town, goosebumps covering his skin, his breath revealed as a white cloud that fades into thin air.

"Emil!" The girl cried out, looking around town for the boy, worried something might have happened to him. Emil quickly noticed the girl and rushed over to her. When the two finally met up, the boy apologized to the girl, explaining that he had met up with Richter and ended up falling asleep. The young girl forgave him and they headed for the pub for a bite to eat and hide from the cold. When the two ented the building, they both took a seat in the corner and made their order's. Emil was having a simple steak with juice and Marta with a tea and fruit salad.

"Um, so how was your dad?" The boy asked, taking a sip of his drink through his straw.

"He's doing okay...but he still feels really bad for what he did," The girl said, playing with one of the grapes in her bawl with the fork in her hand, her left cheek rested on her left. She desperately wanted to help her father...but what could she do?

"Oh..." Emil understood that feeling of guilt more than anyone...as the death of Aster never stopped haunting him.

"S-So" Breaking the sad and awkward atmosphere, the girl asked, "Where do you want to go after this?"

Emil raised his head a bit and blushed as a thought came to mind. "I think we should head north"

"North?" She questioned.

"Y-Yeah, let's head north, up the mountains," He said, smiling brightly.

"Well, okay" She smiled in return. And so, the two finished their meals and made their way towards the northern mountains.