CHAPTER II

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Whew! This chapter ended up being a lot longer than anticipated. As a heads up, because I intend to have both Laphicets in this fic, I'm going to refer to little Phi as "Mao." (Y'know… for MAOtelus.) There's also a going to be a dash (or maybe more like a heaping spoonful) of Sorey and Alisha fluff because I can't resist their innocent romance. I hope you enjoy and I apologize beforehand if there are any typos. I reread and edit as much as I can, but one can only read their writing so many times…

He missed his bus by just a few minutes due to his little mishap with Lailah that left the both of them flustered. Although they must have been in the position for only a few seconds, for him, it felt as if time froze and he was staring into her eyes for an eternity. He couldn't say how long he was pressed up against her in that position before Velvet Crowe's cold voice could be heard.

"Get a room," she had said when she caught sight of the two. She didn't care for how the two ended in such close quarters as she assumed it was out of pure incident considering the personalities of the brooding Eizen and innocent Lailah. But she didn't mind poking fun of them in her own, cynical, Crowe-like way. Besides, she was dropping off her nephew Mao and would rather avoid having the boy ask his father what he caught his teacher doing.

Eizen woke from his trance after he had heard her voice and slowly pushed away. He had muttered a pathetic sorry to the blushing teacher before fully stepping away and allowing her space. Her hands were clasped before her and she suddenly took an interest in the floor beneath her feet. It was an awkward moment to say the least as Eizen didn't know what were the appropriate words to say nor which actions to take. Ironically, it was Kamoana who had eased the tension as she pushed past Eizen to show off her newfound flowers to Lailah which momentarily distracted the teacher long enough to allow Eizen to sneak off.

Now as he awaited the next bus to arrive, he pondered back on his actions and wished that he had composed himself better. It wasn't often that Eizen found himself losing his cool demeanor that garnered the admiration of his students and friends. He wasn't unfamiliar with being with a woman so being in close quarters with one shouldn't have put him on edge as much as it had, but Lailah seemed to had cast some sort of spell on him. Those shimmering pink lips when she pouted, her sea green eyes that gazed into his pools of blue…

The second bus pulled up and he shook his head of the image that had manifested in his mind. He didn't know when he had started thinking of her in such a way. But there were times when he would be in the middle of a lecture, halfway through a workout session, or even waiting for the bus and thoughts of her would suddenly flood his mind. From what she was wearing and doing on days he didn't see her, to even pondering what her feelings were towards him, these kinds of thoughts swarmed his mind and left him in a state of daydream.

When the bus's doors opened up, he stepped in and looked around for a seat to take. Unfortunately, with it being rush hour, he found that an empty seat was rare save for a single one beside a woman who possessed an icy cold glare. The woman happened to be Teresa Linares and as he was glancing to and fro wondering where to settle, their eyes met for a brief second and Eizen swiftly turned away; worried that he be accused of staring. He only had a few run-ins with the "Queen of the Courtroom" but those few moments had reminded him why he was content with a "single" status.

Just as he had made the decision to make his way towards the back, he was just about to bypass the blonde woman until he heard her say in her usual harsh tone, "I don't bite." Medissa, Velvet, and now Teresa… Eizen was just fortunate enough to have all the run-ins with the coldest women in Loegres this morning, didn't he?

Proceeding with his original plan now was void as doing so would make the situation even more awkward than it already was. So, after passing her a nod, he reluctantly settled down in the seat beside her. Granted, half of him was hovering off the edge.

They rode for a few minutes in an awkward silence before Teresa finally spoke up. With her eyes glued to the passing scenery, she said in an almost uninterested tone, "I don't normally see you on this bus, Professor."

Was this her attempt at starting a conversation? Her voice had slightly startled him as he had expected that this half hour drive would be nothing but silence as he would prefer. But if she was going to speak, Eizen would be uncouth if he were to not respond. "That's noticeable of you, Teresa," he stated with as much interest in the topic as she had.

"I take this bus every day. A detail such as a new face wouldn't elude me."

Ah, of course, Eizen thought. Although she was technically just Artorius Collbrande's assistant, she was just as sharp as the chief prosecutor himself. With the combination of his level-headedness, wit, and unwavering resolve mixed with her ruthlessness, cold, and commanding presence, they were truly an indomitable pair in the courtroom. Rumor had it that out of the many cases they have been involved in, the ones in which they were unable to declare a guilty verdict could be counted on one hand.

"It's not often I see you running late for work." Teresa continued.

"I had something to discuss with Edna's teacher." He didn't think it was wise to lie as part of her job was detecting bullshit, so he opted for a vague response.

Teresa's ears seemed to perk at Lailah's name and she finally peeled her eyes of the window to look at him. Eizen couldn't help but gulp then as her emerald green eyes bore into him and he feared that she could sense he was hiding more in his answer than he was letting on. "Ah yes, Lailah…"

She seemed thoughtful as she repeated the name and it made Eizen curious. "You know something about her?"

"She's been here for a few months now, yet no one seems to know a thing about her. I recall Magillanica at the library had questioned her on her past yet she had avoided the question and gone on a random tangent about swirls and Arma Dylan… Curious, wouldn't you agree?"

Eizen shrugged. Whenever that Mayvin girl was involved, conversations normally took on an odd turn. Besides, it's not like Lailah would be the first to dodge a question asked by that nosy witch. Giving her any personal information was practically loading her gun aimed at you. "So she wants to keep some things secret. What's wrong with that?" Eizen said in Lailah's defense.

At this, Teresa raised a curious eyebrow towards him while her sharp eyes bore holes into him. Eizen found her gaze unnerving and he turned away. "I guess if anyone knows her best, it would be you." He heard her say calmly. "You wouldn't let her become so close to Edna otherwise."

"That's a bit of an overstatement, wouldn't you say?" It was now Eizen's turn to quirk an eyebrow. Sure he spoke to her on a daily basis but, truth be told, he knew about her personal life just as well as she knew his. Which was to say, very little. But he did trust her just as Teresa said. Without even knowing her past, he let her into their lives and allowed her access to his most precious treasure. Not that he was ever concerned considering that she was qualified to be a teacher, but even with his closest of friends he kept a close eye on them whenever they were around Edna.

"You speak to her often though, don't you?" the blonde woman inquired.

"Only when it concerns Edna."

As if she didn't hear him, she muttered thoughtfully, "It makes me wonder if she's single…"

Eizen began to ponder the same thing as well even after Teresa had exited at the capital and he was left alone to his thoughts. It was hard to imagine that a beautiful woman like herself could be without a boyfriend or husband. Images of her in the arms of a faceless man formed in his mind and it elicited in him an unpleasant feeling. Was this a twinge of jealousy? Over a man who may not even exist? He tried to conjure up the image of her in his mind. Did she have a ring on her finger? Or ever mention a man in her life?

As these questions popped up one after another, Eizen eventually found himself entering his classroom. He was over a quarter of an hour late but aside from one rambunctious student, he could trust that his office wouldn't be in shambles. Not only did he have particularly well-behaved pupils, but with the semester coming to an end, they were also hard at work studying for finals. Eizen came to this conclusion when he took note of his two star pupils, with their desks pressed together, looking through their textbooks and discussing the topics within.

It seemed that they were currently in the middle of a heated discussion concerning the content in their book while two fellow classmates looked on from their seats behind the duo.

"Geez, look at them go," a red-headed girl spoke to her friend as she rested her chin upon her fist, "All this over a stupid statue."

"Excuse me, Rose?" The shorter of the two boys caught wind of her comment and turned in his seat to face her. "Stupid statue? Clearly you don't know the significance of this statue and the role it plays. If it was made by those of the Meliodas Era instead of the Claudin era as stated, that would mean that those of the Meliodas Era were more advanced than we had given them credit for."

With his chin settled in between his fingers and a thoughtful look settled on his features, the brunette nodded. "From their technology, language, and even their clothing… It would flip current history books on their heads."

"Precisely Rose," Eizen interjected as he made his appearance at the head of the classroom. All side conversations came to an abrupt stop as all eyes immediately fell on him; his heavy presence dominating the room the moment he revealed himself. He was just as intimidating in the classroom as he was out but nonetheless, many flocked from around the continent just to attend his lectures. He had built a name for himself out in the archaeological world with his finds and discoveries which led many enthusiasts to seek him out and learn from the very best. Suffice to say, they were not disappointed.

Unperturbed by the sudden silence in the room and the many pairs of eyes that had found him, Eizen proceeded with his brief lecture to his uninterested student. "Simple things such as the cravat, which we had assumed to be fashioned in the Claudin area, may have been invented long before and possibly didn't gain popularity until later on. It then poses the question as to why it suddenly became a fashion statement a decade after."

Leaning back in her seat, Rose passed Eizen her casual goofy grin and spoke as if she hadn't caught a word of what he said. "Oh, hey Teach'. Nice to see that you made it."

"I had some business to take care of before getting here," Eizen responded as he began unloading his materials from his suitcase and displaying them on his desk. "I would hope that all of you used your extra minutes without me wisely…" The light caught his reading glasses just as he passed his pupils a menacing glare.

"Sure, sure," Rose said nonchalantly, "Now… what was that about a croissant again?"

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lunchtime had come to pass with little casualties and now after having exerted all their morning energy and filling their bellies, exhaustion took over and the children began drifting to sleep. Scattered all throughout the daycare, sleeping toddlers could be found and Lailah busied herself with laying the little ones down properly for their nap. Fortunately, aside from walking to and fro, the kiddos were easy to handle and put up no resistance when being tucked in.

After putting Mao down for his nap, Lailah glanced around the room and noticed that the last child she had to grab was little Edna. Settled in the corner library with a fairytale book opened up before her and a bag of baby carrots that her brother had packed for her at her side, the young girl fought to keep her eyes open. Seeing her in such a state warmed Lailah's heart and she wasted no time in rushing to the girl to envelop her in her arms. Lailah cared for all of the tots equally, but with all the individual time she spent with Edna, she couldn't deny that she felt closer to her than the others.

The second she was in the warmth of Lailah's embrace, Edna gave up her resistance and snuggled into her bosom before comfortably letting her exhaustion take over. Lailah ran her hand down the little girl's hair as she instinctively began to hum. She didn't know much about the siblings' past; all Eizen had told her was that it had always just been the two of them, hence the reason why she often found herself acting as babysitter while they awaited Eizen to come pick her up. But the words she had told him this morning – she meant all of it. She didn't mind caring for Edna in the least while he was running a few hours late. It was far more desirable than going home to an empty apartment.

As she was carrying Edna over to the mattress she had laid out, her phone had begun to vibrate in her back pocket. Realizing the time, she wasn't shocked in the slightest to find Eizen's name flashing on her screen. It had become routine of him to call her after he had lunch. At first it had only been to inform her if he was going to be running late, but gradually it became a daily phone call as she often found him calling to check up on Edna which would then lead to him inquiring about her day.

She picked up his call as she began laying Edna's sleeping body down. "Hello?"

Eizen, who on the other end was settled at his desk in a currently empty classroom, hadn't prepared himself for Lailah to answer so quickly and was momentarily caught off guard. "Uh, Lailah," he began, "It's me."

Lailah let out a little giggle. "Good afternoon Eizen. I apologize for being unable to give you a proper goodbye today. Kamoana had given me some flowers and when I looked up you had already run off."

Eizen blushed as he recalled that morning's events. Lailah didn't seem fazed at all recalling it which made him feel a twang of disappointment. But he didn't let it bother him for long as he mumbled back, "About that… Sorry, I lost track of time and had to catch the bus…" Which, he didn't admit, he would eventually miss anyways. He heard her hum on the other end as she acknowledged his latest statement and he digressed. "How's Edna?"

"She just started her nap," the daycare teacher responded gently as she brushed her face with light fingertips. "She offered me a piece of her lunch today. I didn't take you as a cook, Eizen."

His face began to heat up at her comment. Had anyone else told him the same compliment, he wouldn't have shied away from boasting. But with Lailah, her thoughts about him, actually mattered to him. So, he gave her a humble response. "I… try my best…" Again he heard her gentle laughter on the other end and he smiled upon hearing it. "I'm going to be lecturing a cram class tonight. I probably won't get home until after six."

"You know we'll be here waiting for you." Lailah responded with a smile on her lips.

Eizen honestly wondered if she knew what kind of reaction she caused when she said words like that. He gulped and rubbed the back of his head to calm down his nerves and hopefully lose some of the red in his face. "There's supposed to be a storm tonight. Make sure to lock up tight."

"Of course, Eizen. Be careful on your way back."

A few students began to saunter in from lunch and he quickly bade her goodbye and hung up before they could catch onto more of their conversation.

"Are you alright Professor," one of his students asked when she caught sight of his reddened cheeks.

Rose trailed behind and passed him a dirty smirk. "I wouldn't worry about him, Alisha. Someone probably just got off the phone with their wife…"

Before Eizen could retort, one of his top students, Sorey asked innocently, "You have a wife Professor?"

"Heh. What a surprise," Mikleo said.

"What did she tell you Teach'?" Rose prodded, elbowing him in the shoulder as she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Rising to his full height, he glared at his students behind clear lenses. "Sit. All of you." There were no if's, and's, or but's when Eizen's patience was tested. Suffice to say, their seats were taken though not without some gentle chuckling from his redheaded student.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Cram school ended at 5 as was originally planned, but as expected, Eizen didn't get to begin packing his things away until half an hour later as he was busy answering last minute questions. By then, the predicted rainstorm had already begun and although it wasn't even six, the light outside had completely diminished.

"It's looking pretty dreary out there," Mikleo noted as he zipped up his backpack, careful to make sure that any study materials wouldn't be sullied by the rain.

"You have to get to the bus stop, don't you Alisha," Sorey asked his female colleague as she eyed the weather outside.

"Oh, yes," she responded, mildly startled out of her thoughts. Fortunately, the rainfall wasn't a surprise and she had packed a parasol, but she hadn't imagined that it would be pelting as hard as it was. As per school regulations, she was donned in her school uniform consisting of a dark green pleated skirt, blouse, and a matching light jacket – hardly sufficient to stand up to the storm outside. Not to mention, she had failed to bring a pair of rainboots as Rose had done. Her loafers were doomed for when she imagined the puddles that awaited her.

Sorey passed her his genuine, warm smile. "I'll give you a ride over," he offered.

Alisha blushed at his offer. "Oh no I couldn't." While she lived in uptown Loegres, he resided in the small homes just nearing the edge of the town and entering the hiking and camping areas. The bus stop she frequented was out of the way of his usual path home. "I wouldn't want to be a hindrance to you."

Rose placed her hands upon the blonde's shoulders and began pushing her towards the brunette. "Geez, will you stop being so modest," she grinned, "He's being nice and offering you a ride. Just say thanks, won't ya'?"

"Yes, please do otherwise we'll be here all night." Mikleo deadpanned from the classroom doorway.

Chuckling, Sorey met up with his childhood friend and he landed a light blow to his shoulder which Mikleo wasn't slow to return.

"Hey, wait up guys," Rose called as she ran off after them, her colorful rainboots squeaking against the floor with each step.

Eizen and Alisha trailed after the trio as they began heading towards the building's exit, and the whole while Eizen wondered how Alisha got mixed in with them. Similar to himself, she was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, although in her case, she happened to know her father. She was something that Eizen would describe as a bird locked behind a golden gilded cage. Sometimes her lack of common knowledge astounded him and the way she spoke was far too proper for an 18-year-old girl. She was bred and groomed to be the future successor of her father's company and although her father was heavily against it, attending the university was her first significant experience outside of her mansion walls.

A childhood like Sorey's, where one was free to frolic outdoors, gather bugs, and get lost in adventure books was unfamiliar to her. Perhaps it was that curiosity of the other person's lifestyle is what drew her to them and vice versa. While on the topic, Eizen wondered what kind of childhood Lailah had and what she was like as a child altogether. Whenever the children – the boys especially – presented her with bugs they found in their yard, she never seemed startled by the creatures which impressed him. Did she collect bugs when she was little as he had?

Before he knew it, a temperature change had occurred and the scent of rain reached his nostrils. They had made it outside and were currently standing underneath the roof of the university's entrance. Eizen and Alisha surveyed the weather and wondered how to face the storm while her friends had already carelessly run out into the downpour. She opened up her umbrella and realized that the professor came empty handed aside from his briefcase. He didn't even have a jacket to cover his suit. "Professor, would you – "

"I'm fine," Eizen interrupted, anticipating what his student was going to say next. "You're going to need it more than I will."

Before Alisha could say anymore, Sorey, soaking wet from head to toe, came running back towards them, a bright grin on his face. He didn't seem at all deterred by the rainfall and, as if it was natural for him to do, he took her free hand into his own.

"Let's go Alisha," he told her, guiding her out into the rain and eventually beginning a light jog.

She was adjusting to the feeling of soggy shoes and the feeling of mud splashing onto her calves that she had some difficulty keeping up with him. But his hand never released hers and although she had seen him sprint across fields with little difficulty, he never quickened his pace. He looked back over his shoulder at her and passed her that signature cheery grin. His smile was contagious as Alisha found she couldn't resist returning it with one of her own.

Eizen chuckled lightly as he watched them run off and considered that perhaps it was time he ought to begin heading home as well. He had Edna waiting for him and, when he thought about it, Lailah was too…

XxxxxxxxxxxX

"It's getting pretty dark out…" Lailah whispered with a tinge of concern in her voice as she stared out at the rain that was practically pouring down the windows. She was sitting on the bench right near the doorway of the daycare where the kids could swap out their shoes and hang their jackets and Edna was beside her, resting her head upon her lap. Lailah checked her phone again and saw that she still hadn't received a call from him. She had tried calling him thrice already, but he failed to answer.

She hadn't let Edna see her concern however and she kept the girl busy with coloring books and stories. But now it seemed she just wanted to see her brother and go home. A little growl could be heard emanating from Edna's stomach and it was of no surprise considering that it was well past dinnertime now. "My poor Edna," Lailah cooed, helping her into an upright position. "Let's get something in your tummy."

Edna nodded and followed the daycare teacher into the breakroom where a little refrigerator was kept. In case she was unable to prepare a lunch before arriving to work, Lailah kept a stash of ingredients to make a decent lunchbox.

"Hm… Let's see here…"

Edna watched with big eyes as Lailah put together a nice hearty sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, deli meat, and cheese. Edna assisted in her own way by smearing mayonnaise onto a slice of bread Lailah had handed her. With the sandwich and their choice of boxed juices in hand, the duo returned to the playroom and settled down at the coloring table to begin dinner. Although there were plenty of unoccupied chairs, Edna had taken her seat upon Lailah's lap and handed her the juice bottle for her to puncture.

A drawing left on the table drew Lailah's attention and she picked it up to examine it closer. "What's this Edna," she asked the girl before her. Currently it looked like three stick figures with the foundation of a house beginning behind them.

After swallowing her food and taking a sip from her juice, Edna responded back quietly, "It's not done yet…"

"Will you show me the picture when it's complete?"

Her little blonde head bobbed up and down as she went down for another bite.

Just then, there was a knock on the front door, startling the two. Just as Eizen had asked, Lailah had locked the doors and windows, preventing any intruders from entering, however, through the downpour of rain and glass pane, Lailah could see that it was no stranger. Edna, recognizing as well the tall, imposing figure to be her brother, slid off Lailah's lap and made her way towards the entrance, Lailah following close behind.

"Eizen, you made it." Lailah exclaimed after opening the door to let him in. Unfortunately, the wind and rain took it as an invitation to enter as well and she couldn't control the shiver her body made.

Before he could bring in anymore water and wind into the room, Eizen stepped inside quickly inside remained at the doorway to prevent getting the floor wet. "Yeah, sorry I was a little late." He looked down at Edna and bent down on one knee to match her height. Although he was still dripping wet, Edna didn't resist her brother's embrace. He scooped her up and examined her features. He chuckled when he found a bread crumb resting on her lip. "Did you already have dinner?"

Once he was back to his full height, Lailah laid a hand on his shoulder to test how drenched he was. "You're dripping wet, Eizen. Let me go grab a towel for you." Before he could resist, she had vanished into the backroom to reemerge with a small white towel. She began padding the cloth along his neck and shoulders in the hopes of removing some water from his clothes before moving upwards to his hair.

"I'll uh… take this…" Eizen mumbled as he balanced Edna in one arm and took to drying his hair with the other.

As he was busy drying himself, a pout was beginning to form upon Lailah's lips. "Why didn't you pick up my calls?" She asked with a very slight tinge of anger in her voice. As slight as it was, Eizen could detect it and he gulped.

"My phone died on me… S-sorry…" His phone was involuntarily unplugged last night and had been living off the little juice it had from the day prior. He had noticed during his phone call with her after his lunch that the batteries were flashing red, but there was little he could do considering that he hadn't a charger on him at the time.

Lailah figured that he couldn't prevent that from occurring and accepted his response. She whispered back, "I was worried about you."

"You were…?"

As the two spoke gently among themselves, altering the conversation between the day's events to what they were planning to do once they reached home, Edna looked on from her angle with curious eyes. They interacted similarly to the way she had seen Kamoana's parents had – the way a married couple acted towards one another. The way the other children spoke about their mothers, it was an experience that Edna was envious of. Eizen could spoil her with all the presents and dolls in the world, but the gift of warmth that Lailah occasionally provided, was something she desired over toys.

"We should probably begin heading home before it gets too late." Lailah advised, albeit with reluctance.

"Aye." Eizen agreed. "It looks like the storm has settled down just a little. Will you be okay walking home by yourself…?"

"I'm only a ten-minute walk from here. I'll be alright."

The face Eizen displayed told her that he wasn't convinced. Although Loegres had a relatively low crime rate within the suburbs, there was no guarantee that there wasn't a lecher, robber, or even murderer lurking about. Especially with the weather being the way it was now, it was the opportune moment to commit crime. Should anyone grab ahold of her in the dark, no one would be around to hear her cries of help.

"Here," Lailah said, handing him a parasol from the umbrella stand. "I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

He frowned as he looked down at her and in an act of accepting the umbrella presented to him, he gently laid a hand over hers. Their eyes met and he sternly stated, "When you make it home, call me."

A devious smile made its way to Lailah's lips. "Will your phone be charged by then?"

"Then you call me until I answer." Eizen smirked in return.

Just as they were preparing to leave the schoolhouse and finally begin their walk home, Edna stopped halfway through the doorway and retreated back into the classroom.

"Did you forget something Edna?" Eizen called after her.

She ran back to the table where her and Lailah had recently shared dinner and retrieved the picture she was working on as she was awaiting Eizen to come pick her up. She slipped it into her backpack and secured it; making sure that the weather wouldn't get to it. Afterwards, she returned to Eizen and Lailah and together they left the building.

Once outside, Lailah wrapped her arms about herself as the chilly air touched her skin. The rain was no longer as relentless as it had been just a few minutes ago, but it still drizzled. She only had a light cardigan to protect her from the temperature as she had decided to disregard the weatherman the night before. Thankfully, as she stated earlier, her apartment was only ten minutes away. One couldn't catch hypothermia in ten minutes could they, she pondered.

Suddenly, a layer of warmth covered her. Peering over her shoulder, she realized that this new warmth was from the black blazer Eizen had just draped over her. "Eizen…"

"You can return it to me the next time we see each other," he told her.

She hummed and pulled the blazer tighter about herself. "Thank you, Eizen…"

Although she had a parasol of her own, Lailah had somehow found her way underneath Eizen's as they ascended the hill. Edna led the way with her matching yellow boots, hat, and raincoat, while the two adults chatted behind her. She was even equipped with her own lacy parasol which Lailah adored. Getting up the hill was usually no difficult feat for her, even in heels, but with the rain loosening up the pebbles underfoot, she didn't trust her balance which Eizen had noticed as he offered her his arm. Their arms were linked the entire walk up and were only separated once they had to go their separate ways.

Lailah opened up her umbrella and stepped out from underneath Eizen's. She gazed at the two siblings and gave a gentle wave goodbye. "Have a goodnight, you two."

Eizen nodded and whispered back in return, "Take care on your way home. I'll be waiting for your phone call…"

CHAPTER II: END

More characters await in future chapters. Stay tuned!