I own nothing so please don't sue…I'm poor enough as it is!

Another thank you to mastersam for another great review! This chapter is a bit longer so it took me a while to finish. Enjoy!

Day 7

End POV

The next day the travelers wake up with the sound of rain beating down against the roof of the inn. Lilith is the first to rise, having arisen long before the rest of them. She has a tendency to get up before the first rays of morning's light, before the rest of the world. During this time Lilith has freshened up and changed her clothing. By the time she was done the sun was starting to rise.

Lilith walks out of the inn and out into town. Very few people are out right now, mainly because of the rain. She walks fast, not bothering to look in any particular direction, just straight ahead, as if she already had a destination in mind. Lilith reaches the harbor and sits down at the edge of a dock, swinging her legs over the side as the rain lightly falls.

Sometimes Lilith doesn't know why she acts the way she does. All she knows is that it suits her. So when a little voice in the back of her mind tells her to go outside even if it's raining she does. In this way, though, she detaches herself from normal society. At times she will suddenly grow quiet, focusing on random things in nature such as trees and streams, appreciating it more than others. Other times she will just walk away from a conversation to sit down by a pond or peer over the edge of a cliff. Her way of life is a bit different form the typical way of life. No one connects with nature like she does.

Meanwhile, back at the inn, the rest of the group wake up, getting ready to check the harbor for any ships that may have sailed in during the night. Adele is in the lobby, waiting for everyone else, like they agreed to do last night. She sits on one of the chairs, watching the other people hurry in and out of the inn. Suddenly Edmund plops down on a chair next to her, causing Adele to look over at him.

"Hello Adele!" Edmund says cheerfully.

"Good morning, Edmund," she replies.

"So do you think a ship has come over night?"

"We can always hope…"

Taki and Mitsurugi come to the lobby and spot the two talking. They join in on the conversation. Tsubaki soon joins the group and lastly Raphael. After about half an hour of waiting for Lilith they begin to wonder why she isn't coming down. Raphael secretly worries that it may have to do with the nightmares she had last night. He volunteers to check her room.

After searching her room he does not find her and joins the rest of the group to tell them she is gone but her stuff is still there, the rain beginning to pour down harder.

"So she's not in her room?" Kain asks, raising an eyebrow, wondering where the missing woman could be.

Raphael nods his head, a little irritated that he has to make it obvious and reconfirm it.

"Where would she go in this type of weather?" Tsubaki asks as she gestures towards the rain pelting the streets.

"Who knows…the girl seems to be a bit of an oddball…" Mitsurugi mutters to himself only to get a sharp glare from Taki and less noticeable glares from Raphael, Edmund and Adele.

Tsubaki snickers to herself, causing Adele to roll her eyes at her immature reaction. Adele doesn't really care how people live their lives and is not one to be judgmental, feeling that people should do what they want to do as long as it's not harming anyone else. It made upsets her that Mitsurugi and Tsubaki we're making fun of her behind her back, dishonesty a not so honorable trait in her mind.

"Well I suppose we should go down to the dock to check but it's pouring down rain," Adele says finally speaking up.

Tsubaki looks somewhat surprised but everyone seems to agree with Adele. Tsubaki does not want to go outside. She doesn't care for rain and the thought of getting her new kimono soaked does not appeal to her.

In the end, Tsubaki stays behind. Kain stays as well so not to leave her by herself. The rest of the group set out to trek to the harbor in the pouring rain.

By the time they reach the harbor, Lilith is not there and the rain has stopped. There are no ships at the dock, not one in sight. Taki scans the horizon for any sign of an incoming ship but has no luck. Adele and Edmund decide to go ask one of the local townspeople if a ship came during the night and left already. The person they ask tells them that no ship came and that it should be there any day now.

"That means we have to wait another day…" Adele says, disappointment mixed with anxiety in the tone of her voice.

"Well that's not too bad…besides, the town's pretty decent. We can kick back and relax," Edmund says, smiling reassuringly to the fellow brunette.

"How can we relax when that Azure Knight is out there possibly killing even more people?" Adele asks, her voice rising a little bit as her anxieties escalate.

"Adele we can't help it. We can either sit and relax or sit and worry. Either way we're not getting on the ship any faster," he says, trying to comfort her, "C'mon! We have a whole day to explore the town!"

Adele sighs, finally caving into the requests of the ex-thief. The two tell the rest of the group the news and head off to explore the town together. Raphael excuses himself to go to a local café, despite the warnings of the others not to go alone. Raphael merely shrugs at their warnings, thinking he can take care of himself. Taki and Mitsurugi are the last ones to leave the harbor, deciding to get their weapons checked out by a blacksmith.

"I still can't believe I'm traveling with you," Mitsurugi says as the blacksmith re-sharpens his katana.

"Well it's better than me having to kill you for seeking out Soul Edge again," Taki says, with a small laugh, handing another blacksmith her kunai.

"Like you could kill me," Mitsurugi snorts, cracking his neck.

"Wanna bet?"

"Women…" Mitsurugi snickers to one of the blacksmiths.

Removing their safety mask, the blacksmith reveals to Mitsurugi that she is a female, a rather indignant look on her delicate face as she raises an eyebrow, as if to threaten him. Upon this startling revelation, Mitsurugi cringes, mumbling an apology to both women as Taki smirks.

As soon as he enters the café, Raphael immediately finds a seat towards the back, away from the rest of the customers. He waits for one of the waitresses to take his order.

Unbeknownst to Raphael, Lilith too is in the café, finishing up her tea. The young nymph looks up to see Raphael sitting a few tables away from her. She does nothing to acknowledge his presence, continuing to sip her tea while reading a book that she had stuffed in her pocket before leaving the inn this morning. It was a small miracle that the book did not get wet. She sits there, reading, as Raphael makes an order.

Another waitress comes over to Lilith, a soft smile on her face upon seeing the young woman.

"Find everything to your liking, miss?" She asks, warmly.

"Oh…yes everything is wonderful, thank you. I'll take another cup of tea please," she requests, eloquence in her speaking, always using proper etiquette while dining.

The young waitress nods, going back to the kitchen to fetch the golden haired nymph some tea. While she is back there she remarks to the other girls how polite and well-spoken Lilith is. The owner of the café notices her poise and her beautifully unique look. If only he knew what scars lie underneath her clothing; there is a reason she wears sleeves to her wrists, her pants and skirts to her ankles, and covers herself from the bottom of her neck and down .

"She would make a fine waitress. Don't you think?" He asks the maids.

They all seem to nod in agreement. The owner takes her tea and sets it down in front of her. He then smiles to her.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself here," he says.

"Yes, everything is quite lovely," Lilith replies.

"Are you from around here?"

"No."

"How long will you be here?"

"I quite honestly can't say. Why do you ask?"

"Well I was wondering if you'd be interested in a job here. You seem to be quite well-spoken and you seem to have the personality matching a great waitress."

Lilith blushes softly upon hearing his offer but shakes her head no.

"I'm sorry sir I'm traveling with a group of people. We are waiting here for a ship to come. Perhaps when my journey's over I'll come back and take you up on that offer," she says, smiling softly to him.

"As soon as you're done feel free to come in and I'll hire you right on the spot. I won't forget a face like yours. What's your name miss?"

"It's Lilith."

"Well, Miss Lilith, feel free to come in here every day while you stay in our town," he says bowing politely and walking away.

Lilith is quite perplexed by what just occurred. For once in her life people seem to want her around. It's probably just for business and probably because they know nothing of her background. Lilith did notice that the majority of the waitresses here were quite attractive and Lilith knew that many people found her attractive although she would have to disagree, they never did see the scars.

Raphael is eating his breakfast when he hears her name being called followed by the sound of her voice. Looking over, he sees Lilith sitting at a table by herself, sipping from a cup while talking to a man he can only guess is the café's owner judging by the outfit. As soon as the owner leaves Lilith buries her face in her book once more, hoping Raphael won't notice her. Lilith quickly finishes her tea and pays the waitress, leaving her a generous tip, hurrying out of the café. Raphael finishes his meal quickly, leaving money on the table and follows her out.

As soon as Lilith gets outside she breathes in the fragrant air of the sea, smiling up at the morning sun. She stretches her arms above her head for a moment and starts to head towards the library. Stopping in the middle of the street, Lilith heaves a sigh of annoyance, sensing someone following her.

"Raphael, please stop following me."

"But you didn't show up this morning down at the lobby like we planned. Everyone was waiting for you," he snaps.

"I didn't know we were meeting there."

"Even if you didn't know, the logical thing to do is wait for the others before heading off on your own!"

"Well then I guess I'm not logical," she says turning to face Raphael, a calm expression on her face.

Then for no reason at all, she smiles softly to Raphael before turning around to head to the library. Raphael stands there for a moment, confused by her behavior before catching up to her.

"Can you not hold a normal conversation for more than five minutes?" He asks her as she walks.

"Can you not abide by a lady's request?"

"You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone. Everyone else is sticking together with at least one other person. Think about what happened to Adele when she left her half-brother Kain."

"I can handle myself. I'm not a little girl you know," she says as they reach the library, "Besides why are you alone?"

"I'm…not too fond of company."

"Then why are you still following me?"

"Because you shouldn't be alone."

"Well you're alone, aren't you?"

"That's different, Lilith!"

" It's not different but the fact that you won't let me win this argument is quite blatant," Lilith says as they walk through the front door of the library, muttering something along the lines of, "arrogant obnoxious hypocrite."

Lilith hands one of the librarians a book and then walks up the stairs to another part of the library. Raphael follows her up the stairs. Lilith turns down a few corners rather sharply. Raphael decides to let her search for books on her own and goes to look at other books.

Sitting down at a table, Raphael begins to read a book. While he is reading a loud crash and the sound of window breaking are heard throughout the library. Raphael immediately gets up, running towards the direction of the sound. A masked man is standing in front of a broken window, looking around the room wildly. People, who were in the room, are running out in panic. Raphael stands in the doorway as soon as the people are out, blocking the man's path.

"Out of my way, dog!" The man shouts as he goes to run past Raphael.

Raphael steps to the side and trips the man. The man quickly stands up and Raphael grabs him by the back of the shirt, yanking him back into the room. This man could hurt other people in the library and Raphael will not let him have the chance.

"I'll give you five seconds to leave the way you came," he says, keeping his voice low.

The man does not hesitate, pretending to do as he says, walking over towards the window and in a flash he quickly pulls out some throwing knives and begins to chuck them at Raphael at an unavoidable speed. Raphael steps back, caught off guard just as the man expected. Right when the knives are about to make contact with Raphael, someone jumps in front of him, deflecting every one of the knives. Raphael breathes a sigh of relief as Lilith continues deflecting the knives. After the knives are deflected, she charges straight ahead pushing her katana through the man's lower abdomen, lifting him in the air, blood trickling down on the white carpet.

"You're going to regret this…" The man says coughing up blood. "I am one of the deadliest thieves in this country…you are going to regret crossing paths with me!"

Lilith rolls her eyes, flinging him off her blade so that he falls out the window. Smiling to herself, Lilith leans out the window to assess the damage done to the man. Then she giggles to herself, something uncharacteristic of her quiet nature, "I think I heard something crack!"

Raphael starts to walk towards her but slips over some spilt blood on the floor. Lilith hears a crash from behind her. Turning around, she sees Raphael lying on the ground. The young woman sighs, slapping her hand on her forehead as Raphael slowly stands up.

"You know you could have spilled less blood," he mumbles to himself.

"Yeah yeah…that's the way to talk to the person who just saved you're sorry," but Lilith never got to finish that phrase as she notices something warm red and trickling out of Raphael's upper arm, "You're bleeding!" Lilith gasps.

During the time Raphael tripped he accidentally got stuck in the upper arm with a dagger. Lilith immediately rushes over to him and starts yanking off his coat. Raphael pushes her away from him, protesting like a child.

"Hey let me look at it!" Lilith protests smacking his hands away as she yanks his coat off and yanks his shirt off as well.

"I really don't see the need for this…" He whines.

"Would you rather bleed even more over your clothes?" Lilith asks as she checks out his wound muttering, "I saved you from the knives yet you trip and still manage to get hurt!"

The knife is in pretty deep. Quickly and carefully, Lilith yanks the knife out of his skin, resulting in a loud cry of pain from Raphael. Lilith ignores him and immediately starts to wrap cloth around the wound, applying pressure where she can.

"C'mon let's get back to the hotel and clean out that wound of yours," she says.

"I am not going through town topless!" The Frenchman protests.

Placing her hands on her hips, Lilith sighs in annoyance.

"It could get infected then you would have to lose that arm or even worse! Besides you look fine without a shirt…now c'mon!" Lilith says, practically dragging him out of the library.

With much protesting from Raphael and much pulling from Lilith, the two eventually make it back to the hotel, Lilith shooting death glares at the gaping girls. Lilith rushes Raphael up to his hotel room and shuts the door, gaining many concerned looks from Tsubaki and Kain who saw them pass.

"I can treat it myself!" Raphael says arrogantly.

"Not if you want it treated well. It's at a difficult angle for you to reach!" Lilith says as she reaches into her sack and pulls out some disinfectant. She then proceeds to yank off Raphael's bandage.

Lilith hurries to disinfect his wound, Raphael jerking his arm back.

"What was that for?!"

"It hurts!"

"Quit being a pansy and hold still!" She growls in frustration.

Meanwhile Tsubaki and Kain are outside of the hotel room, listening in on the conversation. Lilith's hurry to get Raphael in his room and Raphael not wearing a shirt provokes some questions in their young and immature minds. The fact that they heard shouts wasn't helping either.

Lilith swings the door open knocking the two back while talking to Raphael.

"See? It wasn't that bad! At least your arm won't get infected now," Lilith says carelessly tossing a blood-stained bandage to the side, landing on Kain's head.

Kain whimpers and throws it off his head, scrambling backwards, causing Tsubaki to snicker and mutter, "Baby…"

Lilith and Raphael turn to look at the two.

"And just what are you doing right outside of my room?" Raphael asks, eyebrows furrowing.

Tsubaki tries to hide her embarrassment, "We saw Lilith pushing you into your room and you weren't wearing a shirt…and then we heard shouting…"

Lilith's face turns bright red as she realizes what they were getting at, hurrying off to her room. Raphael watches her go, slightly confused but then realizes what they meant.

"That's absurd! She was just patching me up…I was attacked by a thief earlier today…"

"Yeah she's a bit young for you anyways," Kain says with a shrug, walking off towards the lobby.

"Are you calling me old?!" Raphael shouts after him.

"I was only joking!" Kain quickly replies as Tsubaki follows him to the lobby.

Raphael then looks towards Lilith's room.

"I didn't even thank her…" He mutters to himself.

With much deliberation and hesitation, Raphael finally makes up his mind to go and thank the young woman. He slowly makes his way to her room, noticing that the door's open. Raphael knocks on the door but she does not come, not even saying anything to acknowledge that she heard him. Fearing that thieves got into her room, Raphael walks in and looks around, finding nothing. He notices that the door to her balcony is open., the sky-blue drapes blowing in the breeze. Slowly, Raphael walks to the balcony and sees Lilith standing there, her skirt and golden hair blowing in the breeze, making her look somewhat like a fairytale princess or…in her case…nymph. Distracted for a few moments he notices that she is whispering something almost inaudible. It sounds like poetry. Raphael slowly walks up behind her.

"Lilith?"

Lilith startles and turns around, placing her hands on her hips and narrows her eyebrows.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" She says angrily.

"I did. Haven't you heard of answering?" He snaps back.

"Well maybe that means to stay out of my room and that I wish for privacy."

"Or maybe that means that you could be in trouble because your door is open."

"I can handle any trouble that comes my way," Lilith says turning her back to him.

Suddenly, she feels the cold steel of his rapier against her bare shoulder. Lilith immediately turns to face him, a confused expression drawn out across her face.

"Then prove it to me," Raphael tells her.

"I don't have to prove anything to you…but in your case I'll make an exception," Lilith says unsheathing her Katana, "Just not in my room I don't want to make a mess."

"Alright we'll go to a deserted place in town," Raphael says as the two walk out of her room and into town.

"Just don't…mess up your arm…" Lilith says softly as they leave the hotel.

"That's why I came to your room. I wanted to thank you for blocking those attacks and for patching up my arm…" He mutters.

"Oh…don't mention it. You did save me after all." Lilith quietly replies as they reach an abandoned alleyway.

"Ladies first," Raphael says bowing.

"You will regret calling me a lady," Lilith says as she swiftly moves to aim a horizontal slash across his upper abdomen, her speed remarkably fast.

Raphael gracefully sidesteps, bringing his rapier down on her back but not enough to rip her clothing or cause her harm. Lilith turns away from his rapier, landing a slash across his left thigh and then swings her leg out to trip him but Raphael jumps over it and lands another slash this time accidentally grazing her cheek. He immediately stops upon catching his mistake and seeing the blood.

"You're face…I'm sorry Lilith…" Raphael says pulling out a cloth from his pocket and reaching towards her cheek to wipe it off.

"It's fine…it's just a scratch," She says as Raphael carefully blots her cheek.

"Lilith…don't you see now that you can't handle everything yourself? I struck you more than you did me. You can't handle things yourself," He says, removing the last bit of blood from her face and puts some disinfectant on it.

Lilith jerks away from him and puts her hand over her cheek upon feeling the cool sting of the disinfectant.

"And you called me a baby…" He mutters.

"Well it was you who put the cut there in the first place…"

"I said I was sorry…besides this proves that you aren't as strong as you think you are…"

"I was simply taken off guard…"

Clouds roll over the grey skies, blotting out the sun. Raphael looks up to see this and begins to walk back towards the inn, motioning for Lilith to come with him.

"Let's get back to the hotel before it rains."

"What's wrong with the rain?"

"Nothing. I just don't want to be out here when it starts."

"Well I do."

"Last time you were out in the rain it stormed and you almost got struck by lightning."

"I did not!" Lilith protests as Raphael grabs her roughly by the wrist, causing her to walk with him back to the inn.

Lilith and Raphael are now at the entrance to the hotel. He holds the door open for her and waits patiently for her to walk in. Lilith says nothing, briskly walking past him.

"Lilith stay inside today it looks like it could do more than rain," Raphael says as he follows her up to their rooms.

"I like thunderstorms. Good day to you, Raphael," Lilith says as she enters her room, shutting the door.

He looks to her closed door for a moment, silently worrying that she may go out in the rain and catch a cold but he stops himself from checking up on her. Why was he worrying so much about her?

Raphael's POV

That girl…really scares me sometimes. I don't know what I should do. Lilith is just so reckless. I've already saved her life once, twice if the thunderstorm incident counts. If she dies now I will feel like that day I saved her from bleeding out was all for nothing. Although I hate to admit it, I've also grown a bit attached to her.

Looking towards her shut door, I wonder if I should invite her over. The others in our group are never alone. It's always Lilith and me that end up spending most of our time in solitude. I don't mind it that much but I often think of how Lilith feels. I don't know much about her but I'm sure she must feel alone, especially since she lost Naomi. Coping with the loss of a loved one is hard. I can't help but feel sorry for her.

The others I could care less about. The ninja and the ronin seem to be about my age but I have nothing in common with them. The other Japanese woman's voice is very grating, Kain is a bit immature, Edmund's maturity is lower than Kain's and the other woman just isn't someone I've talked with much but I'd rather have it that way. All I want is to be worthy of being Amy's father again. I don't care about these other people. I just want Amy. It's time for me to make myself something worthy enough to be a parent, meaning I need to let go of some of my old beliefs and ways.

No POV

Lilith sits on her bed, brushing out her golden blond hair which hung in loose curls. She can hear talking outside her door. It is a few of her traveling companions, by the sounds of it, Adele and Edmund. They are talking about their homes and what a relief it will be to go back to them once the Azure Knight is slain.

"Home…" Lilith murmurs as her brush gently untangles a knot in her golden locks.

Lilith's POV

To go home would be such a privilege for me. I haven't seen my home in years. I can feel tears not yet falling from my eyes, causing a stinging sensation just thinking about home. Mother and father are there. They think I'm dead. I can imagine my mother sitting at the dining room table writing poetry and my father strumming a melody on his lyre by the fireplace. Grandmother is there too. I can picture her reading through one of her many novels or staring out the window, reflecting on her younger years. I can smell the aroma of my mother's cooking which stays in the air even after dinner is served. I can feel the warm atmosphere of my home on my skin. But I know it is all just an illusion.

"I can never go home…" I whisper quietly to myself.

I wonder if they had a funeral for me. They must assume I am dead by now. Or maybe there was just a mass funeral for all of the soldiers who died that day. I will never know. If I have a grave I hope they put peonies on it. They've always been my favorite flower, especially the pale pink ones.

I think about the home I can't go back to far too much as well as the family I'll never see again, wondering what they did after that fateful day. I just want closure but it's impossible.

This is too much for me to think about right now as I feel a single tear slide down my cheek. It doesn't help matters that I am still mourning the death of Naomi. Although I have coped with the loss of a loved one before, it is still a difficult thing for me to do. I will never see Naomi…Jed…or even my family ever again…

No POV

Lilith walks over to her window, looking out at the setting sun. The rain has stopped for the time being and she watches rain droplets race down the glass window, falling to the floor of the balcony below.

When the sun sets, Lilith ceases her gazing, taking out her journal and a pen. She writes down all of her thoughts as well as a few poems. The young woman works late into the night, skipping supper. Once she is done she rereads her poetry. Like an artist eyes his painting for any dissatisfactory brush stroke, Lilith eyes her poems for any word or phrase that doesn't quite fit. After making a few more corrections to refine her poetry, she marks the spot in her journal and closes it, done for the night.

By this time everyone else in the group has fallen asleep. She always seems to be the last to bed and the first to rise. Some may think the lack of sleep is unhealthy but it gives her comfort to be awake when the rest of the world slumbers and before the rest of the world wakes.

Lilith pulls the sheets back from her bed and climbs in. Pulling the covers over her head, Lilith closes her hazel eyes. It takes her a while to fall asleep, many thoughts plaguing her mind.

That's the end of Chapter seven, hope you liked it! Well Thanksgiving break is over and sadly I have class tomorrow! Oh well, hope you all had a wonderful break if you had one!