Another chapter!

For those of you reading this who are interested in the possibility of romance between two certain characters, well...you will probably like this one for the slight fluff and awkwardness included within.

Also, whether or not your a Kieran fan, you have to feel sorry for him this chapter or you just don't have a heart...


Leo had never been afraid of the dark.

Well, once, a long time ago he had been, but Cuore had told him it was completely illogical to be afraid of the dark, as it, in of itself, couldn't hurt you. It was just things hiding in the dark that were scary. Then she'd told him that if they could learn to hide in the dark, too, then nothing could hurt them in the dark.

It made perfect sense.

But for some reason, being in this little stone room for so long, in the dark, was making Leo uneasy. He missed seeing sunlight, he missed the breeze, he missed his family.

"I want to go home…" he thought miserably. Leo shook his head; he had to be strong. The other kids were just as scared as he was, and they needed to get out of here. He needed to be strong for them.

"Cuore wouldn't be scared," he thought, hugging his knees. "She'd be fine, and she'd get herself out of here and everyone else."

He missed his sister.

Rainbow and Titania were curled up and sleeping to his right, and Felix was leaning against the wall to his left, likewise asleep. Raj was still awake, but Leo didn't really care to talk with the older boy, so he didn't speak out loud.

They had a plan of escape.

"Rule one," he recited, "there's always a loophole."

Once their captors came back, they would rush them, run, and never look back. Felix had promised to use his magic, no matter how unsure of his skill he was. Leo had given each of them rocks he'd found littering the cave.

They needed weapons, after all.

"Rule two; always have a weapon at the ready." he remembered.

So now they just waited, catching bits of rest when they could.

Raj was staring at him and he fidgeted, not liking it.

"What?" he finally asked, glaring at him.

Raj raised his chin, "You scared?"

"…Yeah," Leo admitted, adding quickly, "So what?"

Raj shrugged and looked back to the door, "This isn't going to work, you know."

"You said-" Leo started, confused.

The older boy snorted and cut him off, "I said I was willing to try. There's nothing else to do. But it's not going to work."

Leo frowned at him, annoyed.

"You're scared?"

Leo glanced at Felix, who had just woken up and was blinking at him sleepily.

He nodded, "Yeah, of course I am."

"B-but you never l-look scared," Felix argued, shaking his head. "I'm always scared because I'm not good at anything. But you seem really cool."

Leo grinned, "Thanks, but I still get scared. I miss my home, but that's why we've got to get out here!"

Before they could continue, the door to the cell was unlocked with a loud 'clack' and Leo hopped to his feet, pointing to the girls. Felix nodded and quickly shook them awake while Raj hurried over so they could group together.

This had to work.

The door opened, filling the space with bright light that stung their eyes, only to be blocked off by the two men that always showed up.

The woman, Belladonna, wasn't with them.

They were carrying more food, and Leo was the one that let out as loud of a scream as he could. It was the sound he was always told not to do unless he absolutely was in trouble.

The other kids followed suit, and it was actually Rainbow who lobbed a rock at one of the men, first. It hit him square in the face.

Raj and Leo then threw theirs, and Felix hastily began to chant a spell, his voice uneasy and wavering, thought he never missed a word.

Leo rushed forward and grabbed one of the trays they had dropped. He swung as hard as he could, jamming the corner of it into one of their kidnappers knees.

"Rule three; use your surroundings to your advantage." Leo thought, glad he remembered.

The man yowled in pain, stumbling back, and Leo bent to pick up one of the rocks previously thrown.

"Rainbow!" he called, tossing it back to her.

She caught it and then switched hands, launching it again.

He was impressed she threw so hard and well for someone who had never been in a fight before.

"Magic!" Titania squeaked, warning them.

They all scattered as Felix finished his shaky incantation. Small ice crystals shot out at the men, pelting them until they cried out in surprise and stumbled away from the door.

"Come on!" Leo cried, waving the others out. The kids slipped past their captors, taking advantage of their distraction and their small size.

They dashed into the corridors beyond, though once out it was obvious that they were still far from being free. The area consisted of stone tunnels, as if the whole place was carved right out of a mountain side. There were lanterns hanging at junctions to other tunnels, or openings to rooms, locked or otherwise, and small metal tubes along other walls that gave off unnaturally bright light.

"Raj, take the lead!" Leo ordered, pointing. He was glad the other boy didn't argue and slipped past him to race up front. Leo took up the last position, urging the others on and helping Titania when she stumbled.

He held her hand, "Come on, we're getting out of here."

She nodded, eyes wide.

"I was going for fire," Felix lamented.

"Hey, it worked!" Rainbow said, smiling brightly as she ran.

They heard their attackers behind them, and Leo was worried they might not stay ahead. The men were taller, and faster, and older.

But that didn't mean they automatically were better.

"Rule four; don't lose your focus," he reminded himself.

Leo pushed Titania ahead of him and turned, glaring at them, "Felix! We need another spell! A big one! I want…"

He paused, he wanted fire, to block the tunnel, but if he always cast the wrong one…

"Ice! Use ice!"

Felix gulped, but nodded and hung back with him, beginning to chant.

Rainbow skidded to a stop, "What are you doing?"

"No, you three keep going!" Leo said, shaking his head. "We'll catch up!"

Raj didn't need to be told twice, and took off. Rainbow hesitated but then prodded Titania into following her. The red head looked dismayed to be leaving.

Leo needed to buy his friend time to complete a spell, and he glanced at the wall. A lantern was hanging right next to him, marking where another metal door was.

"I wonder if…" he thought, running over and climbing up on a nearby crate to reach it. He dragged it down and looked it over, wondering how it was fueled.

Cuore said there were different types of lamps, but Leo didn't really know more than that.

Still, it had to use flame, right? And if there was fire, then it had to be eating something, right?

He shrugged and pulled the 'stunner' device out of his pocket, the same one Belladonna had used on them before.

He had no idea if it would work, but he tossed the device at the feet of the men as they came into view. They both cringed, obviously expecting it to go off. When it didn't, they glanced around and then glared at him.

Leo grinned and threw the lantern next, just as Felix drew to the close on his spell. Breaking apart, the lamp splashed the area it had fallen with oil, exactly what Leo had wanted to happen.

Felix threw his hands up with a wince, obviously still expecting his spells to backfire somehow.

But this time, he had cast fire and Leo's grinned widened, even as he turned and pulled his friend along.

The small burst of flame Felix had made ignited the spilled oil, making the sparks engulf the entire space. The fire then ate through the stunner, and for reasons Leo didn't really understand, it blew up.

He watched and winced as the entire tunnel opening was blocked with a deafening sound of an explosion.

He tugged Felix's hand, "Come on, let's catch up to the others."

His friend stumbled after him, fixing his hat with his free hand. "S-sorry, I know you wanted ice…"

"Nah, I actually wanted fire, but since you always do the opposite, it worked out well." Leo assured him, flashing him a grin.

Felix chuckled nervously, "Oh, okay…"

It took a couple of turns, but they finally caught up to the others, who were standing at a spilt in the paths, and they brightened when they saw the other two.

"What was that sound?!" Rainbow asked, eyes wide.

Leo grinned, "Us being awesome. But hey, why'd you stop?"

Titania spoke up quietly, so he bent to hear her, "We don't know which way to go…"

Raj was pacing, "We take a wrong turn, and we're dead."

"Stop it," Leo muttered, rolling his eyes.

Felix was peering into a room, "Hey, what's that thing? It looks like the Serpent's Road…"

They all clustered around him, curious, and Titania let out a squeak of fear.

Leo glanced at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"That thing," she whispered, pointing at it, "That's what they made me touch. That's the thing I was telling you about."

Leo looked back, agreeing with Felix that it did resemble a Serpent's Road, but what was it doing here?

"I thought the Serpent's Road only went from Baron to Mysidia," Rainbow said, confused.

Felix nodded, "Me too."

Raj shook his head, "Look, who cares? We need to move. They're going to find us."

Leo nodded, "He's right."

"But which way?" Felix asked.

Rainbow skipped over to the two paths, looking at both before bending down to stare at the ground.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked, curious.

She looked up and grinned, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "Well, those people have to get out of here too, right? So they probably walk it lots of times, right?"

The other children nodded, Leo included, and Rainbow finished. "So, there must be some signs of which way they take, right?"

He brightened and ran over, "Good idea Rainbow!"

The girl beamed at the praise, and they all crowded around her, looking at the ground.

Raj pointed down the right tunnel, "That way. The stone is more worn then the other."

They all nodded and took off, but Leo glanced back to see Titania still staring, petrified, at the room that contained the not-Serpent's Road.

He hurried back around and gave her a half-hug, "Come on, Titania, we have to get out of here."

She stared at him with fearful eyes, "L-Leo, you don't know…I mean, I-I'm not…"

He smiled at her, "Hey, its okay. We're going to get out of here, so you don't have to worry about it anymore. I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay?"

Titania hesitated, and whispered, "Y-you don't even know me,"

"Sure I do!" he said, shrugging. "I know you well enough. We're all friends and we will get out of here. You'll see."

She took one more moment to glance back at the room and then nodded, racing off down the tunnel after the others, leaving Leo to catch up. "Hey, wait for me you guys!"

"Rule five; always have a reason to fight. It makes it impossible to lose."

His sister had told him those five basic rules on their trip to Baron to pass the time. He'd ask her where she'd come up with them, and she'd smiled and ruffled his hair, saying; "I came up with nothing, little brother. Someone told me those rules and now I'm sharing them with you."

Leo had of course asked who had told her, and she'd said that their father had, and that their mother agreed.

If both his parents agreed on something, it had to be true.

And that meant they would get out of here. He just had to remember it and make the others remember it, too.


Kieran had never been so glad to leave a place and step out into cold morning air.

Augus's operation was a horrid testament to just how demented this planet could be, and he felt that no matter how many times he washed clothing and skin, he'd never be rid of the slimy feeling currently prickling his skin.

Cuore had been remarkable quiet since recalling Barbariccia, and he glanced at her occasionally to check on her. Not that he could tell what she was thinking or feeling, or even if she was injured.

Kieran was slightly jealous at her ability to ignore pain, apparently, especially as he gingerly walked on his left ankle. It wasn't broken, but it had been twisted slightly and he should probably give it a rest instead of walking on it.

But first they had to find someplace to rest. For the second time since they arrived they were wandering through Mysidia in the early dawn hours, and most inns wouldn't be open, he suspected.

Still, if what that last woman had said, and there was some sort of festival happening soon, then maybe businesses would have extended hours. Especially if that business was designed to help guests.

Cuore finally returned to reality long enough to look up and take in their surroundings, realizing that they had wanderer quite far. She glanced at him curiously, "Where are we going?"

He didn't even turn around and continued to walk, commenting over his shoulder, "We need to find somewhere to rest."

He hadn't expected her to argue with him since surely she was just as tired as he was. But she stopped dead in her tracks and glared at her, hands on her hips. "We don't have time. We should investigate the divine delta for clues."

Kieran sighed and turned around to face her, leaving a few feet of open space between them. "We just fought some sort of mutated malboro, Cuore. We're injured and tired. We need to rest."

He was not in the mood to argue with her.

She pursed her lips, "I'm fine,"

"I don't believe you." he countered.

Cuore narrowed her eyes at him, "We cannot afford to waste time! Leo's life is in danger, and the only lead we have is to visit this location!"

"Explaining the situation to me isn't going to change the fact we need to rest," Kieran complained, annoyed.

"I don't need too!" she retorted.

He didn't believe her for a second, but she was stubborn, and would never admit he was right so he turned his back to her, "Fine, whatever. I'm going to find an inn. You can go on alone if you want too."

Cuore hesitated; even without looking he knew because if she'd had a suitable come-back, she would have said something. She seemed to get the last word quite often.

He walked away from her and was mildly surprised when she caught up a few paces later, looking put out and sullen.

Kieran glanced at her; she scowled back.

"I'm not tired. My physiology is more adaptive then yours." she commented haughtily.

Kieran shot her a falsified smile, "Well, not all of us can be Maenads."

She glared at him and said nothing.

Annoyed, Kieran resolutely decided he wouldn't show he was injured and thus walked a little faster than he had previously, hoping to prove to her he wasn't weak. She seemed to think she was better than the rest of the populace, and, sadly, she probably was, but she didn't have to be so elitist about it.

They arrived at a row of inns and the first door they tried was locked, so Kieran moved onto the next one; a three story building made of white stone and decorated almost garishly with magical runes of some sort. He was too tired to roll his eyes.

They entered, bell chiming overhead, and he took a moment to look around, noticing that there was no one around and the main area was devoid of anything but a dying plant in one corner and a desk where he assumed people would check in.

It did not inspire confidence.

Cuore was still giving him the silent treatment, and she went over to look at the plant while he impatiently tapped his fingers against the desk, looking into the back rooms in hopes of spotting someone he could flag down to help them.

It was a few minutes later when a woman in purple robes descended the staircase and spotted him.

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised she had a customer. He noticed that she gave him a once over, curious and suspicious of his disheveled appearance, no doubt.

Kieran wasted no time with pretenses, "We need rooms."

She seemed taken aback but quickly smiled softly, "I'm very sorry, but with the celebration starting tomorrow, we have none to spare. Everything is filled up."

He frowned, annoyed about the silly festival.

The innkeeper flipped through her guest book as she continued, "I believe that the other hotels are likewise full,"

Her gaze shifted upward and she gave him another once over, with prompted Kieran to sigh.

"Yes, I clearly need somewhere to rest," he remarked flatly, making her flinch in embarrassment. "But if there's nothing available, I'll go bleed on someone else's floor."

Coughing nervously, the innkeeper held up her hands defensively, "Wait a moment, please." She sighed and glanced behind her and then back again, offering another weak smile.

"You do look like you've been through a nasty fight with some sort of fiendish wildlife," she admitted.

"You don't know the half of it, lady…" he thought, annoyed.

She continued sympathetically, "I know my neighbors have nothing open as well, and I'm filled up, but…there is an attic room in the steeple of the building. It's not much, and the fireplace doesn't really work, nor does the water piping, and-"

He cut her off, "Does it have beds?"

"It has a bed," she replied.

Kieran glanced sideways at Cuore, who was acting like a child having a tantrum and standing in the corner with her arms crossed. It took her a moment to register that he was silently asking her what she thought.

"You're the one that's tired," she commented tartly.

Kieran glared at her before turning back to the innkeeper, "Whatever. I'll take it."

The woman gave Cuore a once over and then blinked, returning her attention to him and a forcing another smile, "Alright. I'll get you the key and some extra blankets…"

She moved to leave but then looked back, "Do you need me to fetch a white mage?"

"No."

She frowned, but didn't argue and left, only to return a few minutes later with the items she promised and instructions to not try and use the fireplace unless they wanted to burn down the entire building, and also to warn that the window in the room wasn't exactly secure.

Kieran never wanted to come back to Mysidia. Ever.

They practically stomped up the staircase; Kieran because his leg still hurt and Cuore because she was still being moody.

The stairs thinned and twisted the higher they climbed, and finally they reached the end of the line. There was a flat board to provide a landing, and then a door that looked half eaten by termites.

He made a face and let Cuore push the apparently unlocked door open. The door predictably creaked was it swung open, and she entered, appearing cautious of what was on the other side.

Considering how things had been going so far, Kieran had to admit the room itself wasn't that bad. Slanted ceiling, barely enough space for the two of them to walk more than three steps in any direction, but at least there weren't any holes in the walls.

It was chilly in the room, since the walls weren't likely insulated, and without use of the fireplace, the only heat coming into the room would be from all the others below it.

Despite what the innkeeper had said about no running water coming up to this room yet, there was a four panel screen in the corner with some sort of sad looking tub sitting behind it.

He wondered if they had hopes to get this room up and running in the future. If they did, it had a long ways to go.

Kieran unceremoniously dumped the extra blankets and his traveling pack and weapon on the only bed in the room, completely done with the day.

"I hate Mysidia," he said out loud, frustrated.

Cuore didn't reply and he rolled his eyes, fed up with her rather immature attitude. He turned, commenting, "Are you seriously not going to-"

He trailed off as Cuore flicked the straps of her body suit off her shoulder and pulled her shirt off with no warning.

"What are you doing?" he asked, startled.

She wasn't completely naked since she thankfully didn't remove her undergarments, but she was uncovered enough where he could make out all the evidence of the cage fight.

Gashes on her side and arms, an acid burn on her shoulder, skinned elbows and bruises every few inches.

Cuore winced and prodded her side where there was a nasty slash along her lower ribcage where the malboro had obviously scored a good hit on her.

"Your fine?" Kieran repeated sharply, glaring at her.

She glanced up innocently, "I haven't had time to access my injuries,"

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, shut up, Cuore."

If her injuries were anything to go by, he didn't want to look at his own. There was some sort of morbid detachment that he was happy with at the moment.

"Come here, let me see," he offered, beckoning her closer and eyeing the bruises on her back. They almost looked worse than the gash on her side.

Cuore hesitated briefly before sighing and walking over, mentioning, "They aren't that serious,"

"I'd hate to see what you would consider serious," Kieran retorted, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed.

"Nothing is life threatening," she remarked defensively.

Kieran ignored her and leaned forward to look over the acid burn on her shoulder, then moving to the slices on her side. It was clear the malboro's whip-like arms had hit her and then pulled away, the thorns embedded on it taking a good portion of her flesh with it.

He carefully pressed his fingertips to the surrounding skin, glad when he determined none of her ribs were broken. He had medical supplies for cuts and bruises and poisons, but broken bones were another matter entirely.

Cuore sounded put out, "Do you know what you're doing?"

He sighed and glared up at her, not bothering to reply and figuring if she wanted him to stop, she would be more forceful about it. Besides, she needed to be treated, because he wasn't going to be responsible for her death.

The wound wasn't very deep, which was good, but it was discolored, as if it was already infected. It would need to be cleaned, and then treated. Hopefully he had enough supplies for the both of them.

Taking a moment to sit back and consider how best to go about this, he glanced at her other injuries.

There was a wide band of darkening skin around her forearm from where one of the tentacles had attached.

Cuore noticed where his gaze had gone and she shrugged, "It doesn't really hurt,"

"Right, because that flesh is necrotizing," he snapped, fixing her with a sharp look.

She frowned and examined it closer as he explained, "You can tell because of the lack of pain and the discoloration. It's gray and black, not black and blue like a bruise. And it's going to spread unless you take an antidote,"

Cuore stared at him. He sighed, "Look, they do teach us stuff for field training."

"Including necrosis,"

He frowned, "Yes."

"A trait malboros do not usually process," she added, sounding puzzled and running her fingers along her arm.

Kieran gave her a look, "Irrelevant. It was a mutated super monster!"

"I find it fascinating," she countered, not sounding the least bit concerned that her arm may have to be cut off. "How did they induce such dramatic changes to the creature's innate abilities? Did they influence it from birth? Capture it and inject-"

Kieran shoved a vial into her hand and interrupted her forcefully. "Drink that."

Cuore frowned and stared at the flask, unimpressed. Kieran sighed loudly, "It's an antidote."

"For the necrotizing agent or the bio-infectious spores we've likely been infected with? Most malboros reproduce that way, you know. By infecting hosts with seed-parasites that-"

"Cuore," he snapped, interrupting her again. "Just drink the phial."

It anything, she looked offended, but did as he asked and downed the entire small bottle in one sip.

Kieran spared a moment to shake his head at her before he started to look over her side once more. Cuore studied him in a way that was making it hard to concentrate, almost as much as her bare skin.

"Why did you have that with you?"

He made a face and look at her again, "The antidote?"

She nodded.

"It's good to be prepared." he replied.

Cuore seemed to think about his comment before she spoke again, "Did you know we would face a creature capable of such attacks?"

"No,"

"Then why-"

Kieran sighed again, cutting her off before this conversation took longer than necessary, "Cuore, I would have thought you of all people would have appreciated me being prepared."

She hesitated and then nodded, "I am appreciative, and impressed."

He paused, caught off guard. Cuore never complimented people, or at least, she never complimented him.

She continued, "I am…also appreciative of your assistance." Her voice was sincere, but also halted, as if saying anything was painful for her.

Kieran shrugged, trying to remain focused on her injuries and not on how nice it was to hear praise from someone.

His fingertips skimmed a little too close to the ripped flesh and Cuore hissed, catching his hand between hers to stop him from continuing.

"Sorry," he commented, fully intent on having another debate with her on why she needed to be treated.

Cuore looked mildly annoyed, "Would you listen to me for a moment? I'm trying to pay you a compliment."

He blinked at her and she quickly elaborated, averting her gaze off to the side. "I know you didn't want to come with me, however, I'm glad that you did. I do not enjoy the sensation of knowing I require help, but you have been invaluable thus far and I…"

Cuore shrugged one shoulder, "Thank you, is what I mean to say."

Of all the things she could have said, he wouldn't have guessed that would be it.

Confused, he tipped his head to one side, "If I didn't want to come, I wouldn't have, Cuore."

She stared at him, "I assumed your orders forced you to accompany me."

Kieran's brow furrowed, "What orders? I'm suspended. No one's ordering me to do much of anything as of late…"

Cuore blinked, and he winced, realizing what he'd just told her. Now, as curious a creature as she was, she'd require an explanation.

"You're…suspended? For what?" she asked, tipping her head to one side to regard him in an inquisitive fashion.

He frowned, "It doesn't matter. The point is, no one told me to come with you."

"Then why did you?" she asked softly, still studying him.

Kieran found her intensely blue eyes horribly distracting, as demanding as they were, and so he followed her early movements and shifted his gaze to the side, feigning indifference. "I always thought we needed to be paying more attention to the missing children anyway. I wanted to help you find your brother."

Cuore's lips pulled slowly to a smile, "Thank you."

Awkward with how nice she was being, he shrugged again, wishing they could go back to bickering rather than her acting so uncharacteristic helpless. "I'm surprised you let me come, considering…"

"You made valid points I couldn't argue with." she replied, nodding, "Besides, I trust your judgment and assessment of the situation."

"Another compliment?" he thought, slightly concerned. Was she poisoned with something that antidote didn't cure? And since when did she trust him?

"You trust me?" he questioned, needing clarity.

Cuore looked puzzled by the question, "Of course. Should I not?"

"No, no, I just…you and I…we're…" he attempted to explain. But what was he trying to convey? That she shouldn't trust him?

She suddenly looked amused, "You seem surprised." She glanced down and finally released his hand, still pressed near her wounded side. "I wouldn't let you get this close to me if I didn't trust you, Kieran."

And they were close. Too close for his tastes, actually.

Was she as uncomfortable with the situation as he was? She didn't appear to be, but then again, this was Cuore. Knowing her, she wasn't even capable of feeling flustered.

"Lucky her," he thought absently, distracted.

He had dismissed Viola's comments on the subject, naturally, but he was still human, and Cuore was still highly attractive.

Even with the knowledge they both needed medical attention, there was something horribly wonderful at the fact that she was letting him tend her wounds.

Besides, it gave him an excuse to touch her.

Kieran gave himself a mental smack. "This is Cuore," he reminded himself sharply. There were so many reasons this was wrong and he wasn't even going to go down that road for even a second.

"I should finish treating you," he said. He'd meant to say it louder, but being so out of sorts made the comment sound far softer than his usual tone.

Cuore didn't seem to notice that or his uncomfortably with their predicament, and she spoke up, logical as always. "It may be prudent for me to wash, first. I'm not certain what other foul additions that malboro may have had. I would like to be rid of any and all contaminates."

Her normalcy and practical outlook brought him back to reality and he nodded, "A good idea, but the innkeeper said there was no running water up here."

Cuore grinned and slid from his grasp, "We mages aren't completely useless, you know. I'll just make my own."

He had to admit she made a point, and he glanced away as she grabbed her discarded shirt and walked away.

She made one last comment before she was gone from view, and he frowned. "Once my wounds are taken care of, we should handle yours."

There was no way in hell he was letting this awkwardness continue, and certainly not with a role reversal. He was used to self-treating anyway.


Cuore was glad for her magic in this instance. Not only could she make water, but she could heat it as well. And cleaning off the day's unpleasant activities felt better then she could have imagined.

"You should have let me at Augus," Barbariccia complained.

Cuore frowned as she combed fingers through her wet hair and ignore the sting of water lapping at her injuries. "Barb, that wouldn't have solved anything, you know."

"Sure it would have!" the windy Eidolon said. "He'd be dead."

"I'm with Barb on thisss one," Scarmiglione seconded.

Caganzzo chuckled, "Me too."

Cuore sighed, "You three agreeing is frightening. Please tell me Rubi isn't as vindictive."

"It would not have been very honorable to murder him, but I would have liked too." Rubicante replied.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, splashing water on her face.

"Cuore,"

"Yes, Midgardsormr?"

She expected him to make a joke, or comment on how he, too, would have liked to kill Augus, but instead he just sounded confused.

"Uh, what is going on with you and grumpy?"

Cuore frowned in confusion, "You mean Kieran?" She felt him nod through their mental connection, but she was still confused. "I don't understand what you're asking me."

Before the lighthearted snake could reply, Barbariccia took it upon herself to speak up. "He means what the hell was that a minute ago? I fully expected him to kiss the hell out of you, pin you to the bed-"

"Barb," several of the others reprimanded with varying intensity.

Barbariccia snorted, "She's not that innocent, and if she is, then I-"

"Ignore her." Anima interrupted, sounding scandalized.

Cuore just ducked her head underwater before answering, "I think you all need hobbies if you have so much time to concern yourselves with my personal life."

Midgardsormr chuckled, "You're probably right. I could make myself pretty with some hair coilers."

There were groans.

"There's nothing 'going on' with us." Cuore answered, slightly amused by their overactive imaginations. "We're still barely friends, but I meant what I told him. I am glad he came with me."

She uncorked the tub, letting the now discolored water drain, and stood up.

"Although, I'm dying to know what he got suspended for…"

Her Eidolons all had an idea there.

"Having a bad attitude," Rubicante guessed.

Cagnazzo commented, "Slamming doors,"

"Surly looks," Scarmiglione chuckled, while Barbariccia added, "Back talking."

Anima laughed softly, "Perhaps frowning too much?"

"Having no sense of humor!" Midgardsormr announced.

"Existing." Zodiark and Ultima both intoned.

Carbuncle thrilled, but she had no idea what he was suggesting.

Cuore rolled her eyes and squeezed excess water out of her hair, "I swear, the only one of you being fair is Phoenix." She took a moment to look at her wounds again, now that they were clean. "Besides, he does all of that all the time, so why now did he get suspended? It must have been something really bad…"

She glanced at the pile of clothing and wrinkled her nose. The idea of putting those back on now that she was clean did not appeal to her, but her Eidolons comments made her realize she couldn't very well not get dressed.

Sometimes she hated being human with all the complex rules and social graces.

As Cuore dressed, she continued her train of thought, "And how long has he been suspended for? He wasn't when I first arrived in Baron, since he greeted me with his armor on, so it had to have been after I arrived."

She flipped her wet hair over one shoulder, "But, if it was something major, wouldn't I have heard about it?"

Cuore was about to tie the sash around her waist when she answered her own question.

She dashed from behind the screen without warning, fearing her thoughts had led her to exactly why he'd been suspended, and if that was the case, then she would feel horribly guilty.

"You were suspended because of what happened in my room, weren't you?" she demanded.

Kieran paused mid-action of wrapping a bandage around his arm and looked up at her, startled.

Cuore was easily distracted from her train of thought when she saw what shape he was in. Obviously her injuries were meaningless when she saw his.

"Your arm!" she exclaimed, eyes widening.

In a few steps she was at his side and she reached out to touch his left arm, damaged as it was, but he surprised her and recoiled before she could.

She blinked, puzzled but mostly concerned, and instead studied the damage without reaching for him again. It wasn't as if she didn't see the cuts and bruises from his other injuries, but the red marks demanded all of her attention.

Besides, the other wounds looked as though he had already treated them if the bandages and empty potion bottles were anything to go by.

"What happened?" Cuore whispered.

The discoloration and mixed pattern of grid-like lines and larger, more irregular shaped blotches ran the entire length of his left arm, from his bicep to the back of his hand, fringes of it curling around the tops of his fingers.

Kieran was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Even Cuore could read his body language.

But at her question, he answered in a halting fashion, "Their just…scars."

Scars.

"That would explain the way the color is faded and irregular, and why the surrounding skin looks healthy." she thought.

Before Curoe even realized it, she had reached out again and this time, she ignored the way he pulled away and let her fingertips graze against the marks. The skin felt slightly dry, but other than that, it felt normal.

"Scars?" she said, catching his gaze and holding it. "From what?"

Kieran stared at her for a moment before answering, "From…the attack."

Cuore swallowed, knowing exactly what he was referring too. The outline, the staining, the location; they were scars from a powerful spell, a spell that combined searing flames with poisonous radiation. A spell the people of this world called forbidden but that the Maenads had cast without reservation or thought, as if it were second nature.

"Flare." she whispered, lost in a memory of destruction and pain.

Viola's comments made more sense to her, now.

"Why did I never notice?" she wondered, before realizing that there was no way she would have. She'd never seen Kieran without long sleeves and gloves, perhaps for this very reason.

Cuore sank to the edge of the bed, brushing the outline of the burns, studying where the flames had melded with radiation to create an entirely different kind of burn in the form of red, intersecting lines. The scars told a morbid story of the entire encounter.

"How did he even survive this?" she wondered, wishing she wasn't as fascinated by it as she was.

But since the scars were only on one arm, she could ascertain that he hadn't been the target of the flare spell at all. It had been backlash, a half dose of deadly magic.

"Even then," she winced.

She knew he hadn't been the target, didn't she?

Her fingers glided across his damaged skin until he abruptly grabbed her wrist, "Stop."

Cuore blinked, startled, and curled her fingers into themselves, feeling guilt wash over her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "Does it hurt?"

Kieran looked annoyed, "No, it isn't that,"

She bit her lip, holding perfectly still and fully expecting their fragile friendship to crack over this.

Finally he just sighed and released her wrist, saying nothing and turning to rummage through his bag. Cuore wasn't sure if she should say something or not. Was there anything she could say?

He turned back and took her hands, passing her a potion while remarking flatly, "Here. This should help you heal faster."

She stared at the bottle in her hand, not really comprehending what he had just told her.

When she had regained enough of her composure, she looked up and realized that Kieran had already dressed once more and piled the extra blankets on the ground.

"Go to sleep." he told her, not even looking in her direction.

Cuore swallowed thickly, not sure she could sleep. Still, it was clear he deemed the conversation over, so she did as he asked and drank the potion before lying down.


Author's Note: Awkward inn scenes are awkward.

I had gotten some feedback that people like the one-word chapter headers so I've been keeping them. Let me know if you have any ideas of what would be good titles!

I originally thought that would be in the last chapter, but that obviously didn't happen. In fact, with how the story is going, it might be 12 chapters rather then the 10 I originally thought.

We had a brief interlude with the kidlings this chapter! And they uncovered some more clues, but they don't know what to do with them...

Also. For all bad guys in the world: Never cross one of the Geraldine kids. They will win. Every. Time.

Now, some notes:

Necrosis. It's a real thing. It's what happens when the cells in the body start to 'die' as it were. It usually happens to corpses, it's how they break down, but it's also similar to like your flesh eating bacteria? Yeah. Not pleasant stuff.

Radiation poisoning/burns. I did a scary amount of research on this simply for Kieran's backstory. It's highly unlikely, that even with only getting hit with the backlash of the spell, that he would be alive, but hey, white magic!

Flare, I assume, must have fire and radiation, since it was mistranslated as 'nuke'. That's what I'm going with. Let's just talk the actual radiation burns for this A/N, and not cover all the other horrible stuff (at the moment, it'll pop up in other stories,)

Yes, radiation does scar. Sunburns are low level radiation burns, so think of any sunburn you've had and magnify it three or four fold. Sometimes the burns look like actual fire burns, but there's also what they call 'flash burns' that look like grid-lines and are caused by the intentionally burst of radiation, and can be caused even if the explosion didn't 'touch' you. That's why Kieran has both types.

I think that's it, for now, but expect more lengthy notes on my future chapters!