A/N: I love the Eliwood-Ninian pairing and finally wrote something for it! Sorry if it is a bit OOC; you have my apologies. I have a plausible explination that I would rather not get into at the moment, but this is my first Eli/Nini story, even if it is just a little one-shot. Try to appreciate it because I had a really difficult time writing this. Also, the title is just for show. It has relatively nothing to do with the story itself. Sorry for the disappointment. Reviews are nice.

My Lord, My Love.

Gasping, I wish for death. Why am I not yet dead? Why must I breathe? Why must I live? I do not want this. I do not want the pain. I want it to go away. It feels like I drown, sinking deep into the depths of the ocean. Sadly though, this is not the case. Somewhere in the back of my dream I know that I am simply waiting to wake from a somewhat sleepless night, hardly letting myself relax. As I allow myself to sink, I ask myself two questions:

If I am awake, why am I dreaming?

And if I am asleep, why can I not wake up?

This dream is painfully realistic. I can feel a legitimate cough rumble inside as water pressure forces me lower into the water. My eyes are squinted shut as I force out the fact that my body is aching in ways I never thought imaginable. I know I am dreaming because of this; if I were awake, then the weight of the water- somewhere around a couple hundred feet down –should have killed me by now. I am easily alive. Otherwise I would not be squirming, writhing, and attempting to scream in pain. I try opening my eyes and strangely enough I can. I blink a few times to get a better view of the depths. The only thing I can think of is how beautiful it all is from down here. I am not saying I enjoy the fact that it feels as though I am dying, but some things cannot be avoided, such as this loss. No, I mean not my life. I speak of this world. As I sink into the pits, I know that the world above suffers. I know that they have yet to solve the complex matters that they have brought upon themselves. Then again, we all have our demons to face before our passing hours. I intend on ridding my conscious of mine far ahead of time. Not that I know how possible that is. Considering my current situation, I wonder if my passing is coming sooner than I previously predicted. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow the world will be able to clear its thoughts of my ever existence.

Is that not what they prefer? Is that not what they have always asked of me? It is not my fault that peril fell upon this world, yet as I try to help, I feel more and more like I am failing those around me. Is that all I am? Am I a magnet for destruction? No. I mustn't think such things. I must remember that there are those who care about me. Someone out there loves me. Someone in the waking world, waiting for me to rise to the dawn, loves me. I feel as though this is the affliction of my kind; as much as I pray that this does not have to happen, it does. I am a burden. That is, of course, the only thing I see myself as. I recall travelling with Lady Lyndis and her Legion. The presence of me and Nils only cause a delay in her planned voyages. She was very hospitable, but I could never shake the guilt that came from knowing that I caused more problems than I solved.

The water is starting to sparkle at the surface, I notice as I open my eyes and peer up at the ceiling. The sun above it shines, making everything beneath appear crystal clear. My lips part for a moment. No! I am underwater! I will not be able to breathe if I attempt! But it is too late. My foolish try at breathing is overridden by my common sense.

Then, oddly, I find myself breathing just fine. Now that I can breathe, I can finally see.

Colors, there are many. Coral of various pinks and reds line the reef directly below me. Bright purple anemone waving cheerfully to me move with the hardly-existing current that kicking my feet is creating. Fish of every shade imaginable swarming around me in curiosity, circle me. I have never seen so many bright hues in my life, which has been long-lived. The yellows are more blinding. The oranges are brighter. The blues are more soothing. The greens are more natural. As for the reds, it is as if I have never seen my own eye color before. The reds are like rubies, vibrant and bold. My off-white hair swirls around me gracefully, dancing with the fish that are forming a whirlpool with me in the center of it. Pretending I am above the shore, I raise my arms above my head and open them wide to allow the embrace of this unknown world to warm me in my final moments. My long dress feels lighter and like it is not there anymore. I glance down at myself. My dress is no longer to my feet- it flows down to my knees, then floods outward like a fountain. The color remains the same, but reflections off of various aquatic foliage make all shades from the rainbow and beyond rave on my clothing.

In a lively manner, everything surrounding me plays, synchronizing with everything else. I close my eyes in pleasure, relishing this sweet moment between me and the earth. I doubt I have ever felt this connected to anything human before in my life, aside from the single person that I have allowed into my heart. I clasp my hands over my chest and savor the thoughts of him. His soft yet determined face flashes in my mind, sapphire eyes catching me and flame red hair making me smile. Sometimes I wonder if he should have his best friend Hector's personality and Hector should have the former's. Eliwood is, after all, far more reformed than the brother of Marquess Ostia. Most of the time I question how they became comrades in the first place considering how different they are, but I learn not to wonder about things like that. My flame-capped Lord looks down upon doubts. I find it hard to resist his demands when he peers into my soul with deep blue gems.

A hand reaches to me. It is rather pale, but extremely familiar. My eyes glaze over the owner of the even limbs. He is nude which startles me briefly, but I decide that I am only dreaming so it matters not. His body appears as smooth as porcelain, shimmering with equal illuminated fluorescence. How I wish to trace the contours of his lean body, feeling his heart beat against me. The open blue eyes of the man smiling before me draw me into him as I take his hand in my own. It is warm. Warmer than the water we lie in for sure. I find myself being pulled toward him as a few large angel fish weave between my legs, tickling my skin. My left foot twitches as a small fish curls into a comfortable position beneath my pads. I smile softly in its direction before gently pulling my foot away and propelling myself to the man in front of me.

Tears well up in my eyes at the sight of his face close up. I know that I have been false to him. I have lied. I have steered him wrong. I have kept my secret from him, he who I wish I could tell. He who I feel would not mind. No matter. Tears drip from my eyes in the form of bubbles then soar to the surface where they pop playfully.

I have been false… I remind him. I have lied to you and the others.

A gentle smile settles on his face. Ninian, I love you. That will not change, no matter what may come.

Bubbles start bursting from my eyes as I cry harder. He pulls me securely into his strong embrace and holds me there tightly. Lord Eliwood…

He kisses the side of my head and strokes my hair carefully. I don't care what your secret is—I will still feel the same. If something troubles you, let me sweep it away. Please, don't cry anymore. I do my best to hold in tears in accordance with his wishes. I would do anything to see you smile again.

My eyes go wide and I gasp subtly.

You are the first woman I have ever felt this way about, Ninian.

Lord Eliwood… I… I don't know what—Lord Eliwood…

He tilts my chin up and stares deep into my ruby eyes, daring me to keep talking. I zip my mouth metaphorically. My Lord closes his eyes and starts to lean into me. Oh dear. I can feel myself sweating. It is very strange because we are still somewhere about a league under the sea and still sinking. Tiredly, I allow my eyes to slip shut. In the brief moment I do a pair of lips attaches themselves to my own. They are soft. They are warm. With one arm wrapped around my waist and the other holding my hand, my Lord continues kissing me, leaving a stunned self of mine not quite sure what to do. After a minute I learn though, and next thing I know I am locked in a heated, passionate kiss with the man I so long to be beside for all of my days, for all of eternity even. If I could have him longer I would steal those eves as well. I would capture every single moment I could and hide it away to never share with any undeserving woman that should try to take the one I love from me in the heart pounding moments of dreams such as this or even in the reality where all I can share with him are meaningful glances. Those few seconds of eye contact mean the world to me in ways I could never explain as they are so deep in my heart that I can barely access it.

Words escape me. Words heartfelt enough to describe escape me eternally and I would not want to share them with anyone else anyway- especially if they are words about my Lord.

Somebody is shaking my shoulder quite roughly. I groan. Uhn… Something tells me I do not want to wake up. After the dream I just had, I never want to wake up to reality again. I could remain lost in the warm grasps of my Lord Eliwood and the depths of the seas.

I shiftily open my right eye slightly to glimpse at the one who dares to wake me from my peaceful slumber. I find deep blue eyes leering back at me and red hair shadowing them. Had it really all been a dream?

"Ninian, are you well?" he asks, ceasing to shake me. He simply keeps his hand on my shoulder. It feels as though it fits there. His hand is meant to be on my shoulder, not that of another woman or another half-dragon. If any half-dragon, it will always be me. In response to his question, I nod. He sighs. "That is good. I thought something might be wrong."

I raise an eyebrow and sleepily ask, "Why might that be?"

Lord Eliwood quirks a perfected eyebrow and tilts his head. "I heard you crying from my quarters. They are right next door, remember?"

I blush. "Yes, Milord."

"Alright, then we do not have an issue." I think he is about to leave, but turn out wrong. I turn out very, very wrong. "If I may be so bold, may I ask why you were crying, Ninian?"

My eyes go wide, not entirely sure how I should respond. It is a mistake to refuse the Lord's request, but at the same time I know not what to say. I stay quiet for a few more moments.

"If something troubles you, let me sweep it away. Please, don't cry anymore. I would do anything to see you smile again."

I start choking on my inhaled breath as he repeats the exact words from my dream. "L-Lord Eliwood!"

"You are the first woman I have ever felt this way about, Ninian," he informs me, eyes twinkling brightly. He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead before turning to walk away. As he walks out, he closes the door very slowly. Right before it shuts, he pokes his head back in. "Feel better, milady," he says, bowing politely. "I am sorry for waking you."

"No, it is-" I am interrupted by the door closing mildly. "Fine…"

I finish a second too late, left with wonders about what could have happened and what did. What did not happen and what will. What will happen next? Well… Only time will tell.