The next day was actually more comfortable in the group of travelers. Cliff wasn't trying to provoke Albel and vice versa. The girls' noticed this and were currently huddled in a complete 360 degree circle.

"What happened to put him in such a good mood, hmmm?" Mirage asked with a smirk.

"Not what you're thinking." Fayt replied.

"Obviously." She said. "If that did happen you wouldn't be walking, now would you?"

Fayt didn't answer because his face was beet red and his attention was transfixed on the beautiful browns, blacks and grays of the pebbles at his feet.

"Stop teasing him. At least they aren't fighting." Nel said.

"Yet." Peppita countered. "Cliff was sayin' that it's about time he started to loosen up and Albel told him to go jump off a bridge."

Mirage looked at the thirteen year old. "I heard that too, but it still isn't as bad as what they normally throw at each other."

The group nodded in agreement, and then was quiet as the older women watched Peppita run off to play with Rodger.

Maria turned a sly smile on to Fayt.

"I saw that you had a little banter with Albel yesterday." She said.

"Oh, really!?" Mirage and Sophia exclaimed.

"What happened?" Nel asked.

Fayt hung his head and his blue hair covered his eyes and hid his smile. He had totally forgotten about the cameras in every room. Maria said that it was for surveillance purposes but Fayt thought that she was abusing the power Cliff had given her.

"Nothing really. Just…the day before yesterday, when we all went into town to shop, he came back to the room and got into the shower while I was asleep. I went to the bathroom to check that it was really him and caught a glimpse of his…backside."

"And what did you say, huh?" Maria asked.

"I said that he had a cute butt."

Nel smiled and readjusted Emma on her hip. "Well done. It's about time you made a move on him."

"Yeah! That's great Fayt." Sophia agreed.

"What else happened?" Maria asked.

Line……….. Line……….. Line……….. Line………..

"You should practice your lying before you do this to me again, little boy." Albel said with a devilish smirk.

"I'll keep that in mind, 'Bel."

Line……….. Line……….. Line……….. Line………..

Fayt smiled and looked up at the female occupants of the ship. "Nothing. That was it." Then he walked off after taking Emma from Nel.

"That was weird." Mirage said.

"Yeah, it was." Nel agreed.

Emma then began to cry and stretch her pudgy, baby arms out toward Fayt.

"I think she's hungry. You should feed her." Nel said while handing the little girl over to him.

"We were thinking about going window-shopping later tonight when they light all of the lamps. Would you like for us to wait for you?" Mirage asked.

"No, I'd like to stay in tonight. I miss playing with her." Fayt answered.

"Ok. Have fun 'mom'." Maria said with a laugh. And the three left to get ready for the excursion.

Fayt smiled at them and headed inside with the cranky Emma. He cooed lovingly at her to calm her as he warmed the bottle of milk in an old cast iron pot.

" 'omma hungy!" Emma whined.

"I know Emmy, but you have to let the bottle warm up first." He said.

Emma seemed to understand what he said by starting to cry again. Fayt tried bouncing her up and down on his hip while singing funny lullabies, but it didn't seem to work.

"When will you learn to keep that brat quiet?" Albel voiced from the left of Fayt.

"She can't help it 'Bel. She's just a child." He said, hoping Albel wouldn't notice the name change.

"Well she- What did you call me?" He said. Fayt guessed that he would notice.

"I called you 'Bel. I'm sorry, but if you don't like it, tough. I'm not going to call you by your name until you start helping me with Emma."

Oh my GOD!! When did I grow a back bone? And why does it have an attitude? Fayt thought as he looked at his roommate.

Albel was also in a similar state of shock. But also in a sort of admiration. No one had ever dared to speak to him like that.

"I never said I would help."

"I don't care! Someone needs to help me, and you're the only one here right now, so can you PLEASE just hold her for a while?" Fayt exclaimed, while trying to hold onto a squirming Emma.

Albel's eyes narrowed significantly as he stalked towards Fayt. The bluenette turned slightly to shield Emma from any sort of anger Albel might unleash on him due to his earlier outburst.

The older swordsman, when he got close enough, stretched out his good arm and wrapped his partially gloved fingers around Fayt's throat.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that again, you worthless excuse for a human." He sneered, and Fayt could almost feel the venom dripping from those words. "I give more lenience to you and your inane group of imbeciles than you, or they deserve. Don't. Test. Me." Albel finished, and with each new, threatening word tightened his grip around the boy's neck.

Fayt's green eyes were wide with apprehension and fear. His hold on Emma had tensed as well. But, Fayt thought, at least she wasn't crying anymore.

Instead, the girl had wrapped both of her small hands around Albel's wrist and was looking at him with an angry and slightly worried look.

"Be nice to 'omma, daddy." She said.

Albel inhaled and was about to say something unfit for the child's ears, but Fayt beat him to it.

"It's alright Emma; we were just…play-fighting."

"Daddy was mean; he should kiss and make up."

Albel looked ready to kill and Fayt was shocked speechless. He managed to get his question out even with Albel's hand round his throat.

"Who told you that?"

"Sophie said that mean people should kiss and make up."

"Well-"

"If I kiss him will you shut up?" Albel asked in annoyance. Fayt looked paler than a ghost and Emma just nodded happily.

The younger man wanted to protest, really he did. But he found that near impossible thanks to Albel.

He had pulled Fayt's head closer to his with the hand around his neck and forcefully pushed his lips against the others'. Albel kept his eyes open and was aptly watching Fayt's expressions. He saw panic, then a slight hint of enjoyment, then a sliver of what he thought was disappoint men or guilt as his green eyes slipped closed. The first he expected but the other two were surprising to him.

He pulled away when Emma's claps and giggles were heard. And he saw the severe blush staining the boys' cheeks.

"O-ok Emma, we made u-up. Let-ts go get your b-bottle." Fayt said. But as he walked away, Albel stopped him.

"You wanted that, didn't you."

"Can we please talk about this later?" Fayt begged, while cradling Emma as best as his panicked emotions would allow. He then ran up the stairs and slammed the door. Fayt tucked Emma in and turned on her fish mobile. She was asleep in moments.

Fayt on the other hand was crouched in the corner, with his now clammy, sweaty hands in his hair. He was almost to the point of crying but stopped for his prides' sake. Instead, he got up and locked the door. He knew Albel wouldn't let this topic go, but he would be damned if he was talking about the kiss now.