A/N: Ok, so I probably should have put this at the start of the story, but here's the deal. No more guest reviews. I will delete them, so please, if you are going to review, sign in.

Kain woke up early, as his body was conditioned too. The sun was just beginning to rise, so most of the other Shepherds were probably still asleep. Knowing he had work to do, the Grandmaster climbed out of his bed and headed towards his bath. After freshening up, he smoothed out his hair. It was an odd, dark green colour, but he had long stopped noticing such mundane details.

As Kain settled at his desk, looking over the papers that required his attention, he found very few for the day. The servants were instructed to leave the papers that were delivered on his desk and that he would go over them himself. However, today he found that there were very few papers that required attention. He was done with the work in only a few hours, allowing him the rest of the day to himself. Leaning back in his chair, Kain's mind began to wander, resulting in a memory from about a month earlier.

Kain sat on a stool at the inn. He had finally decided to try to move on with his life after failing to save Emmeryn. He still didn't want to interact with many of his friends, however. They always tried to reassure him that he did everything he could, but he knew they were just trying to make him feel better.

Kain took another gulp of his drink. He had developed a particular fondness for vodka in the time since the Shepherds had come home, and it served its purpose very effectively. He was about to order his third drink when he heard someone approach him. Turning he saw the newest member of the Shepherds standing behind him.

Trying to be polite, he smiled. "Hello, Olivia."

The dancer blushed as she responded. "Hello, Kain."

Olivia joined Kain at the bar. They were silent for a few moments before Kain decided to try and break the ice.

"How are you settling in with the Shepherds?"

Olivia smiled slightly as she responded. "I'm settling pretty well I suppose. Everyone is so accepting."

Kain smiled. "That they are." However, his smile faded quickly as memories came rushing back.

Olivia noticed and her expression changed to concern. "Kain, what's wrong?"

The Grandmaster shook his head slightly. "Nothing. Just thinking about the war again."

Olivia's expression didn't change. "You mean Emmeryn, don't you?"

Kain's gaze turned to the bar. "Yeah."

Olivia was still for a moment before placing a hand on Kain's shoulder. The Grandmaster was surprised, having never seen Olivia do something like this, and looked her in the eye.

The dancer's face was a dark red as she spoke. "You did everything you could, Kain. It was Emmeryn's choice to go off that cliff, to protect her people."

Kain was surprised once again. People had tried to cheer him up before, but they always came off rather hollowly. Olivia's words were different. They felt genuine.

Kain smiled at the feeling. "Thanks Olivia."

They sat in silence before a while before they decided it was time to head back to the castle. The pair left the inn and began the short walk back to the castle. As they were walking, Kain turned to Olivia again.

"Um, Olivia?" he began.

The dancer turned to him questioningly.

Kain's expression betrayed his nervousness as he spoke. "Could we do this again, sometime?"

Olivia's face turned an even darker shade of red as she turned to look Kain in eye. "A-are you asking me on a d-date?"

Kain didn't relax. "Yes, I am."

Olivia didn't move, her face felt so hot she could have used it boil water. However, she found the idea quite appealing. "S-sure, but…um…..could we not tell the others about this, please?"

Kain finally relaxed. "Sure."

Kain smiled at the memory. He was very happy that Olivia had said yes. He didn't mind keeping it a secret if she asked. Kain's smile grew as he got up from his desk, pulled his usual cloak over on over his shirt and left his room/office, heading towards the mess hall.

As he made his way through the halls, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure following behind him, darting behind a pillar every time he looked over his shoulder. He knew it was Tharja, but he also knew nothing would make her leave him be, so he decided to try to ignore her.

In the Mess Hall

Olivia was sitting at the corner of the table, finishing her breakfast as she had some errands to run before she could meet up with Kain again. She smiled as she contemplated their time together. Kain was the one person in the Shepherds she felt closest too. She had found friends in several of them, but those relationships were purely friendly. She never just let her guard down around them. With Kain, she felt like she could just unload. He made her feel special.

Olivia was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the incoming bulk until it plopped down next to her.

"Hello, beautiful!" Said Vaike as he flashed a smile.

Olivia was startled, her face heating up at the complement, but she tried to resist the urge to run for the door. "H-Hello, Vaike." She replied, her voice stuttering.

Vaike smiled widely as he flexed his muscles. "Why are you sitting her, all by yourself?"

Olivia kept her eyes glued to the table. She always had a problem with talking to Vaike. Mostly because he never wore a shirt. "I-I'm just grabbing some food before I go do some errands."

Vaike smiled widely. "All right then. So, tonight, how about you and I go and have some fun in town? Just you and The Vaike?"

Olivia stiffened as she felt Vaike wrap a muscular arm around her to place his hand on her shoulder. She was trembling as she replied. "I-I'm sorry, but I-I already have p-plans."

Vaike's grin faltered slightly. "Ok then, how about another time?"

Olivia was starting to panic. She was trying to come up with an excuse to leave this conversation, but her panicked mind just couldn't come up with anything that Vaike would believe.

She was praying that someone, anyone, would break this up.

Naga must have heard her.

"Oliva! There you are!" Came a very familiar voice.

Kain stepped up to the table. He had noticed Olivia's trembling and come up a solution rather quickly. His as he stepped up to the table calmed Olivia. Her body relaxed slightly as the Grandmaster approached.

Kain looked her in the eye, his expression calm. "Remember, you were going to help me organize my library today."

Olivia was confused for a moment before realization struck. "Oh, right! We should do that now."

Vaike was convinced. He retracted his arm and allowed Olivia to stand. The grandmaster and dancer quickly left the hall.

Olivia let out a sigh of relief once they had made it into the corridor. "Thank you, Kain."

Kain smiled again. "There's nothing to thank me for. Vaikes a good guy, but he can be a bit of a creep with his ego." He was about to speak more before he remembered what he had noticed before. "We need to split up. Now."

Olivia was confused. "Why?"

Kain looked over his shoulder. "Tharja was following me again. If she sees us together….." he didn't need to finish his statement.

Olivia's eyes widened as she nodded. "Right."

Kain turned to her, the look on his face showing that he really didn't want to separate, but knew it was better this way. "Ok then, Olivia. See you tonight."

He was about to leave when Olivia grabbed his arm. "Kain, wait!"

The grandmaster turned to her, a confused look on his face. "Yes?"

The dancer stepped closer to him, her gaze on the floor. Suddenly, she leaned forward and gave Kain a quick kiss on his cheek. When she drew back, her face was very red. "Thanks for your help earlier." With that, she left rather quickly.

Kain stayed in the corridor for a moment, watching her go for a moment before turning and taking the other corridor back to his quarters, a smile growing on his face as he walked.