AN: I own nothing.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rose was saying. Dezel stared at her with unseeing eyes, feeling the shifts in the wind. The night outside Pendrago was pleasant; the wind brushing gently against his face. He could almost see the stars gleaming in the black sky, and the full moon, casting light to the land below.
Rose elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey!" he complained. "Aw c'mon, lighten up a little!" she put her arms behind her head, walking a little ways away from him. "You've been tense all day!"
So she noticed, Dezel thought, tugging at the edge of the brim of his hat. He hadn't intended to tell her. He'd underestimated her ability. She always knew when something was wrong, it just one the mannerisms she'd learned to pick up on. Suppressing a sigh, seeing as there was no point to delay the agony of not knowing further, he lowered his hat, and turned away from her. He couldn't meet her gaze.
"There's something I've wanted to say," he mumbled.
"Hmm?" Rose inquired, silently forcing him to press on.
"I've thought about it and made up my mind. Rose, I want a dog." He confessed. It wasn't a complete white lie. He loved animals very much. They deserved to be protected and loved, but most of time they were eaten or abused. The thought made his stomach churn, and he bit his lip to hold himself back. It was something humans were simply used to doing, but he was unwilling to accept that. Someday, he hoped that all animals could live without fear of being eaten by humans. After all, they deserved the same amount of life as anything.
But what he'd really wanted to say was something he'd never dare to admit to. Rose, she was his savior, his salvation. She'd craved a path of light for him to follow. He lowered his hat even more. What was this sensation of longing, the need to protect? He knew what it was. But he kept trying to turn away from it. He was just using her, that was it. He was just using the Shepherd, all of them, for revenge for the Windriders. And yet, he couldn't ignore the facts. This journey so far had taught him so much, but why should he care? What were they to him? But he knew who they were to him. They were the new Windriders, and Rose…she was…she was…
"If you don't wanna tell me, I don't mind!" Rose reassured. He heard the sound of her footsteps behind her, the shifts in the wind as she came to stand in front of him. She pushed his hat back up his face, and gave him a large grin. "That's better," she said. She brushed his hair aside, revealing his sightless eyes beneath. "You should show your face more, Dezel. I mean, after all, even if you are blind, you still are Lukeim Yurlin. Now c'mon, Sorey and others probably ate all the food already." She took off towards the inn, running in like she did when she was on an assassination mission. Dezel smiled, revealing his white, gleaming, sharp pointed teeth. That was he loved best about her. That was why he loved her. Rose could lighten up situations, and knew when things were getting into touchy subjects. She ran like the wind.
"Wilkis Wilk." He said, staring up at the sky. That was just how she was, and Dezel could ask for nothing better.
AN: Thank you for reading! I plan on uploading more of my Tales of Zestiria fanfictions and plan on writing more after those!