It had been the late night hours when he had finished looking over his homework, determined to be on top of the class once again – a triumph he wanted to keep away from Queen. With a need to stretch his limbs, Ace stood and made his way out of Class Zero's dorm common room.

He passed several of his classmates before he reached the exit.

Nine was passed out on the couch, with the Art of War sprawled across his chest and left arm hanging, hand touching the floor. Spotting him, Queen crept up from behind the class slacker, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she hit him upside the head.

Jack, watching from an armchair beside the fireplace, burst out into laughter. King, who turned his attention away from Sice's retreating form, smirked to himself. Even, Trey, Eight, Machina, Rem, Deuce and Seven glanced over before disappearing into their respective gender-only sleeping quarters.

"Honestly, you can't go through a simple reading without falling asleep! It's only a chapter. We don't have to take notes!" scolded the Class President.

Ace stepped through the threshold when Nine began his retort. It was muffled when the card mage slipped out their dorm wing. No one even realized he had gone with all the commotion. He would have to thank Nine for that later. Closing the door quietly behind him, he blended with the shadows, moving from hallway to hallway, avoiding the Thirteen Prefects and Moogles on duty.

If the Class President could see him now, well he'd hear hell from her.

Cutting around a corner, he reached an open entrance to the grounds. Ace breathed in the fresh air and glanced out to see his favorite bench unoccupied. He smiled to himself, plopping down and lifting his eyes to the clear, dark skies above.

It was just the way he liked it.

Raising his hand to the heavens, the magician began to number the stars before he became mesmerized by the moonlight. The round orb was at its highest point and would linger there before its descent, signaling the ending of night. If it was up that high – Ace cursed – he would never get the right amount of sleep. He'd be a walking zombie at homeroom.

"Don't lose your focus."

Startled by the voice, Ace whipped his head around to see white-haired transfer student. Titled the Red Agito, the outsider, Luna was different from the rest of Class Zero. She hardly interacted with everyone else, even with Queen attempting to bridge the gap between her and everyone else. But for her to be talking to him so willingly, surprise took over his face.

"Please be careful. I don't want you to lose yourself."

It felt as though she had rehearsed these lines, as if she had said them to someone before. Her words held a kind touch to it, different from when she awoke from her in-class nap, screaming for quiet. Maybe she wasn't that bad. Her eyes were hazed over as if she were in a trance.

Perhaps, she was sleepwalking and wouldn't remember this in the morning?

When Ace gathered his composure, he cleared his throat, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. "Ha, I won't. Don't worry. I'll take me more than that for me to lose myself."

"Really, Ace?" It was as if she doubted him.

A quiet gasp left his lips. Silent fell between them. No one had ever second-guessed him, not even Queen. And for some reason, he failed to retort. Something about her presence stopped him from speaking up.

"Don't lose yourself now or in the future. When the time comes, we can't afford to be weak. We have to protect our crystal." She said, walking in front of him with her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes were forever fixed on the moon, not on him.

Ace nodded to himself. That, he actually agreed with.

But it was strange. She never spoke this many words at a given time. In the short span of time she had been in his class, she rarely spoke. The air around her seemed different; it wasn't regal like Queen's or King's, but it wasn't dull like Nine's or Sice's. There was a sense of power. She was a Red Agito for a different reason; he felt that was the case.

"And when someone calls for you, always be there for them."

Her voice again cut him from his thoughts. Once more, Ace was speechless. Who was this girl who made him doubt himself when others didn't? When he had came to, she was staring at him with a serene look. She said nothing more before walking off.

Confusing girl, Ace made a note. He assumed she was going to bed and thought that he should do the same. As he returned to the dormitory, he realized one thing: there was definitely more to her than meets the eye, and the eye does not go wanting.

When the war hit home, Izana had called him as he was dying.

At that moment, Ace had boldly proclaimed, "I'm here. I'm here!"

Queen and Nine had tailed him when he found Izana on his final breath.

And in the corner, hiding in the shadows was Luna, her eyes dull as if she was in a trance, but still she was watching. Everything was set into motion. And she would have a good seat, backseat driving if she had to, but she had faith. Luna trusted that he would be able to stay true to himself.

Just then, her heart began to beat against her chest.

W-what? What was that feeling she was experiencing? Her eyes followed the card mage until he disappeared from her line of vision. Blinking, her eyes regained their focused gaze. In truth, she was afraid of this feeling. It was foreign. It frightened her. Her heart skipped a beat. "Ace."

Disclaimer: I don't own Type-0. If I did, the game would be out by now. So would the manga, which would be very amusing to read.

Yuki, I am terribly, terribly sorry if the fic is not to your liking. I'm scared that I didn't do Luna justice, but I wanted to accurately set up a beginning of her relationship with Ace. This is a one shot with Ace/Luna, but most likely I'll be writing a companion piece. AND I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS IS VERY VERY LATE. T.T Forgive me?