A/N: Contains minor spoilers for the events from the latest chapters of the manga (38 and 39). NOTE: the idea of Adam actually bunking with Sio is purely my idea; the manga does not suggest this in any way, shape or form.

…

"Huh…" He woke up suddenly, as if he'd heard someone talking but there was only the sound of the rain, blowing gently against the windows. Beneath him, buried warmly in his embrace and tucked underneath the covers she continued to sleep, her breathing faint and even as it tickled his skin.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone had just been talking to him; or rather, wanted to talk to him. Easing up ever so slowly so that she wouldn't be disturbed, he rested his head one elbow, wanting to just watch her for a little bit. The way her newly trimmed and dyed hair spread onto the pillow, her eyelids fluttering as she seemed to be in the midst of some dream. He hoped it was a good dream; she deserved so much more than to be terrorized by her fears night after night. After all, it was the main reason she'd petitioned command for him to share her quarters, if just for the time being. Under normal circumstances it would've been met with scrutiny, and likely rejection, but she'd proven her worth; and more likely, even the Commander knew that it was futile to try and deny this bond they'd formed.

To hold her tight as she slept, even if he had no power to prevent those nightmares that haunted her, he'd gladly spend the rest of his life protecting her. As he reached over to just brush one single fallen strand out of her face, it was there again.

…

There was no mistaking it this time; he was awake, and this sensation was familiar. Sighing, he closed his eyes, but his hand remained against her face.

'…What do you want. It's late…'

…

Still no response from the other woman that was a vital part of his life, no–his very soul. Getting irritated, Adam huffed slightly, threatening to break their connection if she didn't respond soon.

'Either yeh spit it out, or I'm goin' back t' sleep, Nightingale.'

You're in love.

'!' If it weren't for the fact that it was the dead of night, and that he was in a relatively calm state, Adam would've been sputtering in shock. What the heck possessed her to bring this up…not that he would deny it in any way, but to have it be pointed out so clearly…

'…I…what are you talking about? Why are yeh mentionin' this now…'

I find it fascinating, is all. Well…and also I do think it's rather sweet. Though, even I did not think it would actually happen…

'…What d'you mean…weren't you the one who told me before, that she would become someone very important to me?' He remembered that odd little conversation they had, back when Sio had been nothing more than a shy, clumsy schoolgirl as the Alex Logan hovered over Japan and his e-gene had hinted that someone down there, would one day become the most important thing…

Yes; you understand how my powers work, as well. But when you two first met, I must admit it was worse than a cat and a dog.

'Tch…lousy old hag…' He rolled his eyes, but to his surprise Nightingale gave no sign of being offended. 'All right, I'll admit we…didn't exactly get off on the best foot…'

The newbie, rookie, 'squirt', as he so affectionately teased her…wait, affectionate? Had he always felt something from the first time they met? Or was this just his thoughts now, after everything had been said and done? Now that he'd started this train of thought, he couldn't stop; analyzing all his past thoughts and memories, from that first moment of when he'd spotted her, just a girl who didn't care about her striped pants showing because she was hell-bent on saving her friend, Asao-san…

'…Did you know, from then?'

What do you mean?

'When you saw her; I–no, we tried to stop her–you, me, an' even that old warlord. Did you know she was an e-gene holder…did you, know that…' Hands stroking her hair now, the girl sighing and turning a little; thoughts unable to continue because perhaps he feared what it was she might say, if only it would confirm his fears that his entire life was nothing more than a puppet on strings:

Did you know she was that one person who become very important to me?

Even if he didn't directly send this thought to her, he knew that she knew. Whether by their bond or her powers, it didn't matter. What mattered was that maybe he would spend the rest of his life thinking his choices were his own, when his path was, in fact, already laid out.

…At that exact moment, no; it's not as if we e-genes can sense each other right away, especially when she hadn't fully awakened. I just didn't wish for an innocent soul to get involved.

Her skin was warm and soft beneath his fingertips. '…But you knew. Before I was aware of it myself.'

…Yes. I had a feeling she might be.

'…When. Actually, don't answer that.' Stupid, of course she would know. Even if the voice of God wasn't controllable, just the fact that she'd had that premonition alone… 'You knew I would eventually fall in love with her…Sio Ogura…'

I suspected; not right away, but do keep in mind, I'm an old woman. I know such things when I see them.

He could've sworn her tone carried a touch of slight teasing, but it was hard to tell, with Nightingale sometimes. 'Are you trying t' say I'm a dunce when it comes to romance?'

Not a dunce. Just a man.

Okay, she was definitely teasing him now. 'An' what the bloody hell's that supposed to mean?' So maybe it had taken them a few battles for him to start begrudgingly admitting to himself that this rookie had some skill. And that maybe she wasn't that clumsy. And maybe not that plain after all.

'…Strange; I can't even recall when I first started thinking of her…differently.' In fact, he couldn't imagine thinking of her as anything but the person that was most important to him. The one he loved the most…

…You're scared.

He didn't even bother to try denying it. In a way, Nightingale was him; knew his thoughts, his feelings, because in some sense they were one and the same as hers. '…Yeh. I am… Sometimes I think, just what the hell I've gotten myself into…fallin' for a girl like her…' He gave a sardonic chuckle, but not loud enough to disturb her.

Love is not easy, Adam. It's not meant to be. If you want to treasure something, then you must also acknowledge the fear of losing it.

The instant she said that his grip tightened around the sleeping girl and his breath grew short. 'Don't…please don't talk about that…!' Even though he knew the risks, that in all likelihood the odds of them both surviving each upcoming battle, let alone surviving the entire war was getting slimmer day by day…couldn't he at least hope, to dream that there was a real possibility of sharing a life with her eventually?

Reality is what it is, Adam Muirhead. Neither you nor I can change it, child.

'No–!' What he wanted to say, to protest was that as long as he was by her side, nothing would happen to her. And yet he also knew, just from this past battle, how close he'd come to losing her permanently. If it hadn't been for the voice of God…who was to say she'd have been saved, if at all?

"Hnn…A…" Suddenly she shifted, muttered something before furrowing her eyebrows, a look of distress across her features. Another bad dream? Or just something merely unpleasant? In any case, he gently brushed her hair back, lips just gracing the smooth skin of her forehead, nonsensical whispers of reassurance that were nearly routine by now.

"Shh…it's okay, Sio, it'll be all right; I'm here…"

"Nnng…hnnn…no…" Her whines became more distressed, and he knew now that she was in the midst of another nightmare. "A–"

"Sio, Sio! Wake up, it's just a dream…it's not real…"

Whose name she'd been calling, or if it had even been a name, he would never know; her maroons opened in one flash, pupils flickering around wildly as her consciousness played catch-up. "Wha–I, where…Adam…"

"Hey…you all right, squirt?" Maybe it was because he'd been reminiscing with Nightingale about how they'd met, but that nickname slipped out, though it was a bit of a misnomer nowadays with her promotion.

"Y-Yeah…just, just…you know…" She sighed, as if all at once relieved and yet ashamed that she couldn't stop thinking about it. "…Sorry. Did I wake you?"

He shook his head. "Nah; I was, uh, awake myself." She peered worriedly at him and he hastily backpeddled. "Ah, uh, it wasn't…it wasn't anything bad, really…just, reminiscing…"

Her eyes blinked and she nodded, although he could tell from her watery maroons that she was still upset. "Oh…I see…"

He frowned, and his emeralds turned even more downward than they already were. "Oy…you want to talk about it?"

"I-I…it's, it's not a big deal…heh, I mean, what more is there to say…!"

She stilled as he thumbed her cheek, catching the teardrop before she could even register it was falling. "You're crying…"

"I…"

"Shh, it's okay, love…I'll always be here, Sio…"

And he held her in his arms, not caring that his shirt was getting wet as she cried, not full-on sobbing but she still hiccuped here and there as he patted her back soothingly, until at last she cried herself out and fell back into a slumber.

The poor thing.

He wasn't surprised to hear her, but he was surprised to see her reach out, a ghostly hand that just brushed the top of those silky strands.

'Is this what you wanted to prevent? You an' Nobunaga…you wanted to shield her from this life, didn't yeh?'

Well, we both know how futile that turned out to be…but there's something to be said for trying, isn't there? In the same way you are so desperately trying to protect her; because you love her.

'Yeah…' To love someone, love them so deeply until it hurt, strangely enough. Even though nothing brought him more joy than to be with her, there was also this…ache, some inexplicable tightening in his chest whenever he thought about it.

Was it possible to love someone so much and yet never be satisfied?

Funny that he was thinking so much about love, and yet he realized, as he pulled the covers over them a little more tightly, neither of them had actually confessed it to the other. How ironic, that they seemed to have skipped that stage and proceeded straight to the next.

Love can be unspoken, you know…

And with that last whisper he felt his mind empty out, as the spirit took her leave. Unspoken love…perhaps it meant that their bond was deeper than some arbitrary declaration, their trust innate and knowing without either of them having to say a word. Turning, he folded her deeply once more into his arms, once again both her guardian and savior, until the sun rose once again.