A/N: I'd like to take the time to once again thank my viewers for making this fanfiction a success. Your reviews make me remember why motivation is so important in writing! Without you people, I don't know if this fanfiction would be around anymore. Okay, enough with the cheesy happiness and thanks. I am thankful to all of you for taking the time to read my writing and comment on it!

The surprise and utter bluntness of Rose's words paralyzed Kiryl with far more severity than any monster's Burning Breath could possibly achieve. Though he had spoken, the words had had yet to sink into his mind and spirit.

"Yes, I do. However, it is up to you to decide what you're really like. I have only seen you through windows of your life when you and Solo and the others visited me. I cannot accurately determine what is in your heart."

The intelligent thing, Kiryl knew, would be to leave the situation as it were and continue on to Rosetown. However, he could not let the situation rest when someone even had an idea of him being obsessive over the one Tsar Stephan had instructed him to protect.

Who was he supposed to voice his thoughts and fears to? Nobody in the party excepting Meena and perhaps Torneko would offer their support. But what if the people he confided in thought he was going mad and turned on him? He needed someone outside of the team to talk to about his fears and thoughts. Could he perhaps…talk to Rose about those things? Would she think he was going mad?

"It's worth a try, though…"

"Is something the matter, Kiryl? You seem rather distressed." Rose's paled face looked luminous in the sunlight, like she was his only hope left in this danger-ridden world.

"…Yes." It was so painful to express his feelings and emotions to someone he hardly knew, but something about her and her experiences with Psaro, be they true or false, reassured him. "I..I don't know how to go about this, but I need to talk to you about something kind of personal."

For a split second, Rose smiled as though she knew precisely what he was thinking and what he wanted to talk to her about. "Yes? Go on, Kiryl. I promise I'll listen wholeheartedly. It's been so long I've been around humans as kind as you."

At first, it didn't make sense why she had said such a thing, but then it sunk in like everything else she had said and made him nod. "Oh, of course. Where to begin…?" He considered and contemplated whether he should explain the entire story between him and Alena or to just go from where they were now.

"It's about myself and Alena. When we were beginning our adventure, it was all about the two of us and Borya. Everything was so calm and collected. We knew exactly what we were going to do, and then when Tsar Stephan—Alena's father—instructed Borya and myself to watch over her, I was so happy. I didn't understand why he wanted me to watch over his daughter rather than sending out soldiers or even keeping her at home, but then I began to understand.

"He knew and understood that Alena would never be happy surrounded by soldiers and warriors to clean up after her every mistake. And he knew that she could never be willing to take damaging blows and go for help at an inn. He knew that people would try to pretend that they were she. Borya and I were her closest companions. Alena and I grew up together and Borya was a family friend. We were the closest things Alena had to family."

"So then why are you so concerned with the way things worked out between you two? You seem like you know everything about you two."

"It's just about what you said and what everyone knows. What if I really am obsessing over Alena? What if my heart will someday become so full of darkness that I become just like Psaro and the team has to kill me? I could never fight Alena. Never. Just the thought of a quest for power overtaking my life so much that my heart could possibly become so plagued with darkness that I could possibly kill someone makes my stomach churn.

"And then the thought comes that if I can't protect Alena that she won't love me back. I already feel like she's not oblivious to my love but rather that she knows and just doesn't care. What if she knows that I'm becoming obsessed with her and is pushing herself away from me so someday when I become evil she can plunge her claws into my chest and rip out my heart?"

"Kiryl, I don't know what to tell—"

"Another thing is that…I mean…the people. What if the people around me, like my teammates, think I'm becoming crazy and are plotting my death as we speak? Everyone's been acting so cold to me lately that I don't know who to trust. I know I can trust Meena and Torneko because I've talked to them lately, but I don't know about Solo or Alena or Borya or Maya or Ragnar. They're all so strong and have never really trusted me. At least, I don't think so."

"You're overreacting. Don't worry." Rose's voice pervaded Kiryl's thoughts and constant worrying, and smiled at him gently. "Nobody is trying to attack you. You're just paranoid."

"But how can you tell? You're not part of the team or anything!"

"Think of this. You know how your team reacts to someone who is potentially dangerous, correct? Describe that."

"Well, it usually begins with someone mentioning that this person or thing seems dangerous. We don't even have to actually say anything. All we have to do is tense up. Our bodies represent how we feel, and we've been around each other for so long that we can read the movements and emotions of others. Then, when it's established that this intruding factor is indeed dangerous, and then we begin the assault."

"And how long does this process typically take to take place?"

"It's very quick. Our team is always ready to attack someone that threatens the world with their evil intentions. Why?"

Rose grinned such a wide smile that Kiryl was fearful that perhaps her face would split at the lips. "Kiryl, if they haven't attacked you yet and they're so quick to act, then wouldn't that reassure you that they're not going to attack you?"