So. I did it. I wrote a sequel to No Man's Land. I got a review for NML that basically screamed to me that people might be missing the point of it, so I opted to write this in an effort to clear up any misconceptions. I tried to make this so it you would not have to have read NML to get this...I suppose time will tell if I succeeded.

I hope you guys all enjoy this as much as you enjoyed NML, and I really hope this fic lives up to its predecessor.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia, or any of its associated characters.

Credits: A huge thank you to Starr for just...being awesome and making me realise how much people liked NML. Another huge thank you to Cappy, for, well, helping me with this baby. And, last but definitely not least...thanks, Shannon. For giving me the will to write this thing. Not to mention you guys, my readers, and the readers and reviewers for NML. You guys all rock!

A Whisper of the Truth

Yuri could not sleep. The guild had stopped for the night in Capua Torim, following another long day of doing odd jobs for people. This time, they had been commissioned to find and capture a rare monster that was supposed to be running loose on the plains of Tolbyccia, not far from the port town. So far, however, they had been unsuccessful. Honestly, Yuri figured the guy was just a lunatic. In all their travels, they had never seen anything like what this man had described.

"A humanoid creature with flame-like spines on its head that can disappear?" he muttered, sitting up. "The guy was probably trashed at the time…"

Hooking his arms over his knees, the dark-haired swordsman gazed about the room. Still lumps on the other beds marked the slumbering forms of Raven and Karol. Apparently, whatever was bothering him was having no effect on them. Well, that was fine by him. Part of him was half-convinced he was dreaming, anyway. He was not sure why, it was just that…some part of this did not feel right. He was not at all sure what he even meant by that, as nothing appeared at all out of the ordinary, but, well…it still felt off.

Great. Now he was sounding like a trashed loon. Well, at least he fit the requirements for finding the 'mystery monster' this way.

Deciding he needed a walk to clear his head, the swordsman got up off of his bed and made his way out of the room, intent on taking a walk. On his way out of the inn, he could not help but notice that the inn's night clerk was gone.

"Somebody had too much coffee, apparently," he muttered as he pushed the door open. Oh well, if the man was not back by the time he returned, he could always break back in.

The first thing Yuri noticed as the door clicked shut behind him was the fog. Being that Capua Torim was a costal town, fog was not unusual, or anything; it just was. Stepping out into it, he headed across the upper level of town toward the wharf. Gazing about, Yuri could only just make out the outline of buildings through the thick mist. Here and there a light shone through the darkness, its path being disoriented and stretched because of the water particles dancing in the air. It created an eerie image in the night.

He noted idly that though there seemed to be a fair number of people awake at this late hour, there did not seem to be anybody out in the streets. Probably a product of the fog. People in cities like this learned to stay in at night, as fog created the perfect cover for muggings.

Well, at least he did not have much to worry about. Not only did he carry nothing of value on him, Yuri was also more than a little confident that your average pick-pocket would meet his or her match with him. He had grown up on the streets, too.

The smell of salt and fish grew rank on the air as the swordsman approached the docks. Not long after, the slow and steady thumping of ships hitting wharfs and the lapping of water at wood met his ears, stifled as it was by the fog. Yes, everything was painfully…normal. So why, then, was that feeling in his gut slowly growing stronger?

Descending the stairs to bring him to sea-level, Yuri made his way out onto the docks. The hollow thumping of his boots on the wooden planking sounded muffled in his ears as he made his way to the end of the boards. This close to the ocean, the dampness in the air became painfully apparent, compliments of the soft breeze streaming in off of the ocean. A pity it was not just a bit harder so it could blow the fog away completely, but it did at least thin it a bit, as well as gently ruffle the Fiertia's sails.

Ignoring the cold as best he could, Yuri made his way to the end of the dock and sat down with one leg hanging off the end as he stared out over the ocean. Propping up his other leg, he rested his left arm on it, Last Fencer dangling from its cord to rest against the damp boards. How long he sat like that, free of all thought save how wonderful it was to have such peace—he was mostly a loner at heart; he enjoyed his solitude—he could not have said. Eventually, however, he could not help but notice how…complete the silence was. Certainly, the normal noises of nature were there, but there should have been a nightly patrol of guards on the docks to protect the ships from thieves or vandals. Even on the ships themselves there was no life. Most sailors with cargo would leave their own watchmen on board. There was none of that.

"Damn, either I am going loony…or I'm dreaming," he muttered, gazing around with increased interest. The fact that he was even thinking about something like this certainly seemed to support the first option. However, dreams were bloody stupid as often as not, so who could say?

Every sense of his was screaming that the complete lack of life other than himself was…wrong. Yuri had never been one to ignore his senses; it was how he had survived to adulthood. This time, however, something even stronger told him to just stay put. It was telling him that there was nothing he could do this time, so there was no use wasting energy. So that was what he did. Turning his eyes back over the ocean, Yuri pushed up a front of relaxed ease, although inwardly he did not relax for a moment. Dream or not, he would rather not take the risk.

It was in that way that he realised he was suddenly not alone any longer. He did not see anyone, or even hear anything out of the ordinary…he just knew that, suddenly, he was no longer alone.

Tilting his head a bit to the side, he caught sight of someone sitting propped up against a mooring post near him. He did not say anything, though. Something told him that he needed to wait and listen this time. It had never been his thing—he was one hundred percent action oriented—yet he would make an exception this time. His gut was telling him to.

"Yuri Lowell."

And he knew that voice. Had Yuri been the sort to keep even the slightest less control over himself, he probably would have gasped aloud. Instead, he settled for holding his peace.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Yuri Lowell?"

Still, he said nothing. There was nothing he could say that would change anything, so instead he kept his eyes glued to the slightly rippling ocean, listening.

"Don't ignore me! I won't stand for it!"

At that moment, Yuri tilted his head ever so slightly, dark eyes meeting crimson for the briefest of moments before he turned away again. That one look said more than words ever could. So much passed between the two that could never be said with words: feelings, emotions, unspoken questions…and suddenly, Yuri knew. He understood what this was about.

"Why did you come to me?"

"Don't be stupid! I didn't!"

So, whatever it was, then, Yuri had been the one to come, not the one called. Interesting. He did not pretend to be a genius about these sorts of things, but there was something else going on. Of that, he was certain.

The two sat in silence for several more minutes—or at least that was what Yuri perceived it to be—just watching the waves lap at the dock.

"The Old Man asked me something, once." Yuri figured it best not to mention when.

"And why the hell should I care, Yuri Lowell? It doesn't matter to me!"

"Let me finish."

"Why would I do that, Yuri Lowell?"

Finally getting tired with the other's tirade, Yuri just went on over him. "Every solider has a reason for fighting. Why did you?"

The silence that stretched in response to his question almost had Yuri regretting asking it. Almost. However, all doubt sprang from his mind when the other spoke.

"...I don't know." There was definitely a painful note of honesty in those words. "I never gave it a lot of thought! I was raised to fight; it was what I did. That was all, Yuri Lowell."

"Raised to fight?"

"Bastard old man taught me to fight, so I fought. Then I killed him, and the woman, too. And Mari, dammit! Then I was taken and told to use those skills. What the hell else should I have done?"

Yuri had never been the philosophical sort, and his strength at making people feel better came from not letting them dwell on problems, and therefore keeping them from getting down. In this sort of situation, he really did not know what to do. Still, he felt that what was said here was going to be very, very important.

"...Mari?" Maybe he should not ask, but he felt that it was important, so he did.

"Yes, Mari!" the shadowy figure snapped back.

So, who exactly was this 'Mari,' then? He could not say for certain, but Yuri could take a stab at it from the context. Being that she was mentioned in the same breath as the other's parents, he would have to guess she was a relative—possibly a sister? That would be his guess, at any rate. Why kill her, though? He had to assume the other had been abused as a child, but by a sister? That seemed odd. Maybe he was wrong about that.

"Who was she?"

"My sister. Why the hell does it matter, Yuri Lowell?"

"Was she like your parents?" Yuri could not say why he was pushing this issue so hard, but he was. It was probably because he was intrigued by the other's strong reaction to her name. There was something there...

"No! Of course not! Why the hell would you dare even think that, Yuri Lowell? I should spill your blood for that!"

Well. Apparently he was going to have to watch his words more. This seemed to be a touchy subject.

Lowering his voice, the swordsman took a deep breath and let a long moment lapse while the other calmed down. "Then...why did you kill her?"

"I-I..." There was a definite faltering to the other's tone, this time. After a moment, he spoke again, "...didn't mean to."

Wait, so it was—had been—an accident? This was starting to smell ugly.

"I didn't...ugh! I didn't do it on purpose, Yuri Lowell! She came in, and...and...I was trying to protect her from them! Those bastards were going to...!"

Yuri did not dare ask what they were going to do. It seemed that his original theory had not been so far off. Something had messed the guy up as a kid. His parents, to be precise. Yuri could not say that that surprised him. All-in-all, it sort of made sense. Who else had that much influence in a child's life other than his or her immediate guardian? Not that the swordsman could really say from personal experience, but he assumed not many.

Yuriwas not really sure where to go from there. He had never done this before; it was so not him. Yet, this time, there was no one else. This time, it was up to him.

"I wanted to protect her! Protect her! Dammit, I should carve you up and bury you with her!"

Of course, this would be easier if the person he was talking to was wholly sane.

"Is that it, then? You fought and killed because you hated yourself for killing her?" Was that the answer? Why he had been so maniacal, so obsessed with death?

"No! Yes...maybe! Ugh, damn you, Yuri Lowell! I didn't remember!"

"Didn't remember?" Then it hit him. It was not unheard of for people to block out events mentally. Perhaps that was what this guy had done.

"Yes! I...only remembered...while I was waiting for you, Yuri Lowell!"

So...maybe he had found his answer, just a different one from what Raven had meant back then. Or maybe it was both. Perhaps he had fought for revenge, and ultimately he had learned who had killed his sister while simultaneously fighting to his own death—effectively gaining him that revenge...

Whatever it was, Yuri felt the start of a headache coming on.

Pausing to think for a moment, Yuri stared out over the gently rippling water, tuning out the other's ranting as he did so. At first, he thought he was imagining things when he saw a dark shape forming in the distance, yet a sudden, icy-cold gust of air lifted the curtain of mist for an instant—just long enough for him to spot the distant outline of a ship. He did not need a clearer picture to know which ship it was: the Atherum. The last time he had seen the ghost ship had been that time they were in Capua Nor and had followed Patty out onto the docks for one final confrontation with...

No, that was neither here nor there. All that mattered was that Yuri was certain that the ship was only in this close to land because it had business there. It was still a ways out, but now that he was certain of what he was seeing, Yuri could also be sure that it was coming closer. How, he was not even sure. The fog was less dense over the water, of course, but...he still should not be able to see that far.

...it was almost as though the ship wanted him to see it.

"I think I get it now, Zagi," he finally stated quietly. "Why you fought, why you killed—why you did what you did—and I'm sorry." And he found himself really meaning that. Somehow. Yuri Lowell, who was never sorry about anything, was sorry now. He was sorry for the way he had treated Zagi, what he had done...even his final words to the other. It was all just...so awful. He could not say he regretted it—Yuri Lowell did not 'regret'—but he was sorry. It was amazing what the truth could do to a guy.

"Don't be, Yuri Lowell. We all play our parts in life; choose our own paths. You could have been like me, right? But you weren't! So don't say you're sorry now!"

"Fine then," he muttered with a dry chuckle. "Then how about 'get the hell out of here, you damn bastard'?"

The two sat in silence for a long time after that. Eventually, though, the Atherum drew close. That was the last thing Yuri remembered.

"Yuri?"

At Karol's call, Yuri blinked, slowly drawing himself back to reality. Carefully taking stock of his situation, the swordsman realised he was sitting on his bed at the inn, staring out the window. Now when had he...?

No. Asking the air was pretty damn useless. Besides, it was, ultimately, inconsequential. The fact was, here he was, staring out the window back in his hotel room. Had he ever left it? Well, even he did not know.

"Yuri!"

"What's up, Cap'n Karol?" he asked, smoothly falling into his normal roll.

"You were acting all weird."

"Who, me?" Yuri asked smoothly, a slight smirk coming up to play at his lips. "I think you're imagining things. Hit your head last night?" The dark-haired man poked his young friend in the forehead as he spoke. "Maybe you fell out of bed. Have a nightmare?"

"I did not, Yuri! How old do you think I am?"

Laughing at the young teen's antics, Yuri cast a quick glance Raven's way. The older man was watching them calmly, an unreadable expression on his face. Raven knew something, but this time...Yuri would not ask. It did not matter. Not anymore.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

Realising that Raven was attempting to steer the conversation away from Yuri himself, the swordsman stepped back while Karol replied enthusiastically, "We're gonna look for that monster some more, Raven."

"I've been thinking..."

"You, thinkin'? That's a first, Yuri."

Ignoring Raven's jibe, the swordsman continued, "The description of that monster...I'll bet it was a Gentlematch."

"Ya sure 'bout that, Yuri?"

"Yeah, sure. They're rare, but we've seen them here on Tolbyccia, and the guy said it was raining that night."

"Yeah, but didn't he say it could disappear?"

"Think about it, Cap'n. It was a match in the rain. Of course it would disappear."

"Huh...I guess you're right..." Yuri was not going to mention that they typically liked coming out in the rain if Karol was not. Raven...Raven would let it slide.

"Look, why don't you and the Old Man take another look, but I gotta go."

"Go where, Yuri?"

Now how to answer that? There was no way he was going to tell them the whole truth. No way. Not about this.

"I just have an errand to run," he muttered with a light shrug. I'll meet you two back at Dahngrest later, okay?"

Not waiting for their answers, he pushed himself upright. Motioning for Repede to follow him, Yuri made his way to the door.

"Go catch a Gentlematch and drag it back to that guy. I bet he'd love it! Just make sure you don't burn any buildings down with it!" That said as he was walking out the door. Shutting it behind him, Yuri motioned for his dog to follow.

"Come on, Repede...we have some investigating to do."

The day was overcast, the air thick with the fresh rain that had just fallen. Repede's paws felt damp and heavy from dragging through the wet grass, yet that did not stop the tough hound from following his partner as the swordsman walked away from the small graveyard on Tolbyccia. Behind them, the damp breeze stirred the small bouquet of purple hyacinths and sweet peas, the purple and pink flowers making the faintest of rustling sounds that even the dog's keen hearing could barely pick up.

While he did not pretend to understand all human customs, Repede had a pretty good idea what this was about. He could not say for certain, of course, but it was tied to him. Yuri had only ever taken the time to tell Repede the barest of details of that night, but the intelligent hound had pieced the rest together himself. The conversation with the florist over the meanings of the flowers had not hurt in that area, either.

He also understood that the flowers behind them were not from Yuri. Merely, his partner was acting as the messenger this time. Just this once.

Tilting his head back, Repede took another long look at the graveyard behind them. Nothing moved down there to his eyes, now, the brief breeze having long since died away. Still, he stared back, almost imagining he could make out the engraving on the tombstone from where he was. He could not read, of course, but he could imagine.

Turning back, the dog made his way to the top of the hill that Yuri had just disappeared behind. Pausing, he glanced back one final time as the wind picked up once more, wafting the perfume of the flowers up to his sensitive nose. On a whim, Repede tilted his nose skyward and let out a long, wailing howl. Perhaps nobody would understand him, but he wanted to have one last say, too.

"Come on, Repede!"

At the sound of Yuri's voice, the blue-and-white dog turned and loped after his partner. Falling in beside the human, the two walked on. So far as Repede knew, Yuri would never again lay eyes on that small cemetery.

Behind them, the weak breeze ruffled the flowers' petals once more, exposing the crude inscription on the stone plaque:

Rest in Peace

Mari

The end. That's it for NML, guys. No more. XD I really hope you all enjoyed this, and I'd love to hear from you all!

On that note...NML may be done with, but I AM working on another Zagi fic. It's eluded to in here. If you liked this, I hope you'll check out Black and Grey when I post it.

Thanks for your time!

Rydia