The sun shone through the morning mist of the Turkish skies and upon the numerous crowds going about their business. From above, a pair of reddish-bronze eyes watched each and every person going their way, imagining what each person was doing as they passed in and out of her sight.

In spite of her first experiences on the receiving end of people's ire, Dizzy still liked people. Had she not been on the run with her guardian, Ky Kiske, she would have liked to go out and speak with some of the people there. Her time with the Jellyfish Pirates had given her some much-needed people-skills in speaking with others.

She looked from the window to the floor upon hearing the rumble of the magic generators in the kitchen, meant for cooking the food for Miss Jam's -- or Marie's -- many customers. The chef, who had taken she and Ky in for the night, was still quite busy. Her enthusiasm for her job was only compared to her affection for Ky.

For the day, all Dizzy and Ky could do was simply lay low and catch up on sleep, because they were going to need it. The airstrip they were to take was on the other side of the city, and with public transportation shut down during the hours they needed to travel, the lighter they tread, the better.

Growing weary of the bare bedroom she had used, she hopped onto the floor, stepped into the hallway and into the main room, where she found Ky. He was sitting at the window, staring at the passing crowds with a look of complete disinterest on his face. Upon closer inspection, he wasn't even looking at the crowds.

He still wore the clothes he had on the day before. Though it was a small thing, Dizzy had picked up the habit of always washing her clothes after wearing them once. Now, perhaps, would not be the best of time for her to mention such a thing. Though things had been mended between them, the scar from yesterday still needed a bit of time to heal. Dizzy had read in one of the many books about human interaction that trust had to be earned in small steps.

She kept her distance and took a seat by another desk Jam had, which was completely covered in books in complete and utter disarray. It was the wide variety of books that Jam had which caught her attention, and she hoped the chef wouldn't mind if she took a quick read of a few of them. Pulling the chair away from the desk, she slowly lowered herself onto the cushion tied to the back. The sound of the old wooden chair, creaking slightly under her light weight, brought Ky out of his thoughts.

Though slightly surprised, he said, cordially, "Good morning."

She nodded back and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

He turned from the window, clasped his hands together, and nodded. As he replied, a rare and slightly wry smile accompanied his answer, "Yes. And there was no nightmare this time."

Dizzy felt the atmosphere grow slightly heavier as she asked, "If you don't mind telling me, what happened yesterday?"

He looked from the floor to her. Though he was starting to see the differences between his protectorate and the Gears he had fought against in theCrusades, he was slightly uneasy about telling her what he saw. Still, she had a right to know.

"First off, you know who Justice was, right?"

His charge nodded, saying, "Only from rumors, but I heard it was because of him that the war continued as long as it did."

"Did you ever hear of a description of what he looked like?"

The half-Gear shook her head and answered, "No. Not many people knew what he looked like... and, even if I was nearby, I wasn't born by the time the war ended."

He nodded, recalling the almost unbelievable fact that she was only four years old. In an odd juxtaposition, it made him remember the tournament where he not only encountered Sol and Testament, but, briefly, met the nightmare that was Justice.

He suddenly stopped at what could have been a very frightening idea. Both Justice and Dizzy had the power to control Gears. That idea alone gave Ky an uneasy feeling as to Dizzy's true parentage. However, when he realized that two years prior to her birth, Justice died at Sol's hands. He looked back to her questioning face, still expecting an answer to her question. He was about to answer her question when she interrupted him.

"I was in that dream, wasn't I?" Her tone was quiet and morose. The noise below and outside seemed trivial to the sadness her question carried.

Just as quietly, he replied, "Yes."

Almost expecting the answer, Dizzy looked to the floor and away from him. Again, the specter's words were hitting a wound she had hoped would have started to heal.

Knowing things would only go badly had he done nothing, he continued, "You were in it, yes, but it was just a dream. Like you told me yesterday, you're not

Justice. I still need to get over the fact that the Crusades are over."

His words seemed to fulfill their intent, as Dizzy's mood lightened visibly.

Silently, she hoped that he would eventually consider her as a friend. As distant as Ky seemed to always be, their interaction seemed to be breaking down the wall between them.

"I understand. Though my dad didn't tell me much about his role in the war, he told me how tough it was trying to adjust to normal life."

Ky, feeling the air had warmed somewhat, leaned against his chair and nodded.

"It's not easy, considering that humanity was in a war for an entire century, it's a miracle that some were even capable of moving on. A few people I worked with had to deal with trauma for years before they could attempt to live a normal life, and a few of them couldn't."

It somehow didn't surprise Dizzy to hear that. "Can a people ever truly recover from a war?" she asked.

Not knowing peace for the first part of his life, he shrugged, saying, "I'm not sure. Common sense says that time heals wounds, but I don't know. Maybe so. Perhaps we've gotten so sick of fighting, perhaps, a few generations from now, we'll have finally moved on from the things we feared during the Crusades."

"Like magic?" she asked again.

He nodded and answered, "The Holy Order, with a few exceptions, completely avoided the use of magic as a weapon. It made sense when I was part of it. The Order was founded on some subsets of Christianity, and the faith forbid the use of magic, due to its ancient relation to witchcraft. However, now that I know more of what composes magic, it almost seemed silly to act the way we did."

With an inherent knowledge of what magic was, Dizzy spoke up. "Maybe it was fear that made people think that way. Magic is a part of life... like it's a part of me."

Looking to her, he asked, "Speaking of which, does your blood carry the magic, or is it a separate thing?"

Holding her hand to her chin, Dizzy thought of his question for a minute before replying, "I think it's in my blood. My mother was a part of the Healer's Caste and I remember her telling me about how she never saw any real magic while she took care of me."

Ky's brow furrowed at the name of the group Dizzy's mother worked in. The Healer's Caste was a group of people that insisted that magic could be used to heal wounds. However, much of their efforts to assist in the war were discouraged heavily by both the Order and the U.N. Security Council. In spite of the intense pressure to desist the use of magic, they continued and as a result, many people survived the war.

Like many wartime groups, they disbanded and its members were eventually never heard of again, having ultimately fulfilling their purpose. The techniques they also developed were also abandoned, for no UN-sanctioned clinic or hospital were permitted to use them.

"Is there a problem?" Dizzy asked, noticing his moment of reflection.

Broken out of his train of thought, Ky looked up and shook his head, saying, "No. It's just been a while since I've heard anything about the Healer's Caste. The higher-ups and the heads of the UN made sure they didn't get close to many of the troops."

Dizzy nodded, understanding the situation he must have faced during the war. So much, in fact, she realized just how heavy the air in the room was becoming. She felt that a change of subject would be for the best.

Dizzy said, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you and Miss Jam know each other so well?"

Not expecting that question to come out, he blinked and held a look of momentary surprise as he formulated an answer.

Leaning back, he answered, "Well, I believe that I met her around the same time you did, during that whole fiasco with the bounty. In fact, I was the one that authorized her claim to the bounty. She had informed me that you had left with

Johnny. I had met him in past and despite our... opposing points of view, I knew you'd be safe with him."

Though her question was answered, Dizzy felt there was still something missing.

"Yes... that would make sense. But it seems she knows you more than if you two had simply met over my bounty."

When Ky stared at her for a very visible moment, she realized that perhaps she had gone too far. There was a sense of discomfort on his face. He then broke eye contact with her turned back to the window and said calmly, "It's nothing you have to worry about."

Her mood became downtrodden when she felt what little trust she had gained was immediately shut out. All she had asked was a single question and already, she felt like a stranger to him once more.

The rest of the day came and went as Jam's restaurant soon closed along with the rest of the businesses on their street. Dizzy had watched all the other lights start to dim and turn off as the lamps' light broke through the darkness of the late night.

Dizzy replaced the book she had taken from Jam's desk earlier that day and walked back to where it was and walked back to the room she had stayed in the previous night. She was surprised at how comfortable it was, despite being put together so immediately. She pulled the sheets up to the pillow and smoothed the lower portions when she began to hear some talking through the wooden floor.

Curious, she walked down the hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs. Below, she overheard both Ky and Jam talk in whispers.

"In a way... I'm not surprised to find you taking care of her," Jam said.

"I don't understand."

"Ky, you're the hero, remember? People trust you because of that."

"Perhaps, but I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that she's a Gear. I didn't have a lot of chances to think otherwise during the Crusades."

There was a small pause before Jam continued. "So... she must be pretty dependant on you for things, right?"

"Some. She's lived with the Pirates long enough to learn how to take care of herself for some things. But all she knows is how to live outside the law, that's what kind of people the Pirates were."

"So, does that make her a bad person because she lived with them?"

"No, but I feared the worst if the Pirates were ever caught and her existence was made known to the rest of the world."

"We all have our nasty little secrets, don't we?" There was a tinge of bitterness in Jam's question as she heard Ky's footsteps, probably turning towards her.

"I know what you're thinking, Jam, and you're overreacting."

"Can you blame me? I fought her, I've seen how she looks and it wouldn't surprise me if she stayed that way while the rest of us age. How can I not get a bit jealous when you're with someone like that?"

"Again, you're overreacting. She's my protectorate. I was trusted to take care of her, not take advantage. Do you really think I would have done something like that? I mean, even when we... you know that I couldn't go that far."

"...you're right, but whether or not we're together, I still worry about you. I can tell that you still aren't eating enough."

"It's not something you should worry about. I have a job to do. That includes trying to overcome my own faults while respecting the privacy of others that want to deal with them on their own."

"Ky, it's one thing to respect another's problems, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try and help at least."

"Jam, I told you that you were going to get everything when I asked you if you were serious about us. That included my faults."

"I know, but the feeling hasn't changed. Even with your faults, you're still the knight I admired when I heard that you beat Justice."

The weight in Ky's voice became more apparent. "It wasn't me that killed Justice. It was Sol. All I did was seal him. Every time I hear someone tell me that I hate it more and more."

"So, that's why you keep obsessing over Sol Badguy? Because 'HE' killed Justice? Ky, it doesn't matter."

"No, it's not just Justice. Every time I see him, he talks down to me like I'm not worth his time."

"And that's why you want to beat him, why you want him to take you seriously?"

"I don't expect you to understand, Jam."

"It doesn't matter if I do or not, but killing yourself over the esteem of a two-bit bounty hunter is just... I don't know, trivial. It's like the ram that keeps hitting the boulder, thinking he'll move it out of his way."

"That's an odd way of putting it."

"My teacher had a nasty habit of it while I was under her care," Jam replied rather flatly.

"We're getting off-track, Jam. The fact is, I know that it doesn't mean much to anyone, but it means practically everything to me. Just once, if Sol were to take me seriously and acknowledge me, I could let this go."

"What if that never happens and you end up spending your whole life failing at trying to beat him?" Jam countered, slightly heated.

"That won't happen."

"Oh, will it? I've seen him fight and I don't see him slowing down any time soon. I may not know everything about him, but what I can tell is that he lives in a completely different world than you or I do."

"Jam."

"Please, Ky, just let it go."

"...Jam, did I ever ask you to stop what you're doing for my sake?"

"No."

"Then why are you doing that to me?"

There was no answer to be heard.

"Jam... you and I are just too different. You have your restaruant. You've moved on. I can't. I have a job to do. Right now, there are forces moving beyond my control and, if I don't do something, people will suffer. That's along the path I have to follow that leads to Sol and the truth."

Dizzy could feel the heaviness in the air from above as the tension receded. She had heard that Ky and Jam had been an item while she worked at the police station in France, but she had no idea it went like this. It seemed so... regretful.

She had asked Johnny a few times in the past why some people, despite being so happy with someone, could also be so sad. All the pirate told her was that it was easy to fall in love, but the real challenge was staying in love. Sadly, many times, it failed, and people ended up unhappy because of one circumstance or another. Sometimes the reasons were small that stretched out for too long without being fixed, others were quite significant and avoidable, but the end result was always the same. Dizzy couldn't put a finger on it, but it almost sounded like Johnny was speaking from experience.

She heard Jam sniff once and conclude, "All right, Ky. You follow your path and I'll go mine, but that still won't change how I feel."

"I know... and I'm sorry."

Dizzy turned around and slowly padded back to her room. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of what she had just overheard. Granted, she shouldn't have, because it was a private matter between those two, but her inquisitive nature wouldn't let the opportunity to learn more about her guardian go.

Slowly moving onto her bed, she moved her tail into her hands, playing idly with the bow on the tip. She just couldn't forget what she had just heard. Her guardian had his own demons to contend with and there were places she just couldn't cross over into just yet. It appeared to her that they wanted to make it work, but it just couldn't.

She looked up, slightly startled upon seeing Jam walk into the room. The chef looked tired, not just from the day's work, but from also the exhausting conversation she and Ky had engaged in a short while ago.

Without turning to Dizzy, Jam said calmly, "You're not very good at eavesdropping, you know."

Dizzy's shoulders slumped ashamedly. "How did you know I was there?"

Jam smiled sadly to her, saying, "Remember how I found you and Ky yesterday? You're practically a geyser of magic. It's hard not to miss you."

Curling the sheet around her shoulders, Dizzy asked, "If I practiced, could I hide myself... in a way that I couldn't be found?"

Jam leaned against the wall and shrugged. "Sure. Just need practice and keep at it." Dizzy felt more uncomfortable with ever passing second as she felt there was something else nagging at them both.

"Jam, I'm really sorry. I didn't want to --" Dizzy started before Jam interrupted.

"No. You're under his protection and you have a right to know something at least. From what I've figured out from my time with him he's probably told you little, if anything, about himself, right?"

Meekly, she nodded, feeling slightly guilty for having it brought up in the first place.

Jam sighed openly and looked to the ceiling. "We met during the hunt for you. Though I wasn't able to stop him from looking, I was able to keep a few steps behind. It wasn't long until I found you. Then, a while after you left, we met again, the restaurant that I built with the money I won was burnt to the ground and he was searching for someone spreading a phony bounty list."

Dizzy added, "A boy had it. Commonwealth, right?"

Jam nodded with a frown. "Little cross-dressing runt by the name of Bridget. Cute as he was, he thought I was on the list. Anyway, the arsonist that burnt my place looked a lot like Ky and I... uh, accidentally attacked him once or twice, thinking he was one of those metal things that keep going 'bzzt' all the time."

It must have been one of the Robo-Kys, Dizzy thought, still listening to Jam.

"Eventually, they cornered me and I was basically good as trapped. Then, just like in those stupid storybooks, the heroic prince arrives and defeats the evildoers. It took a little bit of convincing on my part, but I was able to get him to at least have a meal with me. That one time... it was the only time I have ever seen him smile like he was really happy."

"You don't think he's happy?" Dizzy asked quietly.

Jam shook her head. "I think... he's spent so much time fighting that he doesn't even know what it's like to be happy. He's stuck in this mind-set that if he doesn't keep moving forward at a breakneck pace, he's going to die of atrophy. Even worse, he thinks that everything that goes wrong in the world is his fault one way or another. I just have this feeling that he had no one to really care for him when he was a kid."

Remembering the picture in Ky's den, Dizzy interjected, "But, he had his mother, didn't he?"

"Maybe, but he still acts as though he never had one. Neither did I, but I still had a teacher that I basically thought of as a parent. Just when I thought I had that idiot understood, she turned around and showed in small ways how much she cared for me. I don't believe Ky had anything like that. He's scared to open up, because he feels that somehow, someway, anyone that he cares for is going to die and it's going to be his fault."

Leaning on her side, Dizzy pulled her sheets up to her neck. As harsh as Jam's words seemed, it struck a chord that made too much sense. Even so, Dizzy didn't like it.

"You think that's the reason why he never opens up?"

Following suit, Jam adjusted her pillow and responded before closing her eyes, "Could be. Whatever the it is, he's got it locked up tight and isn't willing to let anyone see."

Not satisfied with what she had learned, Dizzy asked again, "Jam?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been trying to understand humans more, because part of me is human. But the more I learn, the less I like it. Everywhere I look, there are people that are sad, angry, and hurt. It makes the short time I lived with my parents seem too good to be true. Is this what humanity is?"

There was a long and uncertain pause as she awaited an answer. It seemed that even Jam had a hard time trying to find the answers that she so desperately wanted. The answer did come, but it was slow and staggered slightly as Jam pieced it together as she went along.

"If the fact that you've not killed anyone, despite your power, is any indication as to what kind of parents you've had, you already know the best. Now, you have to see the worst to understand both sides. That's what my teacher told me when I asked her why there was so much wrong in the world."

Even if Dizzy wanted to ask Jam more, the former felt the matter was already closed by the latter as she dozed off.

Was reality always that harsh? Dizzy thought to herself as she looked to the ceiling and tried to properly process all she had learned that day. Being close to people, like she was with the Jellyfish Pirates and her parents, had brought her joy. Seeing Jam and Ky attempt to care for each other, on the other hand, brought them sorrow.

It almost seemed, there was a risk whenever you placed your trust in someone. Very easily, those bonds could be shattered and one could be hurt for a long time. If not, then they could be stronger, like hers were with her parents... and the Pirates, and be a source of strength to endure.

She thought she had finally gotten over the deaths of May, Johnny, the others, but the tears wallowing in her eyes spoke otherwise. She sniffed once, reached into her shirt, and held her Fleur-de-lis with both hands. She wiped her eyes, and silently begged to anyone that could have heard her to give her strength.

She felt so alone.

End of chapter 11

Now that I think about it, this is as far as I've ever gotten on a story for quite a while. Cool, eh?

Now, this was one chapter that I had been thinking about for quite a while and thought of this as a 'sad love scene' chapter. And it all began with Jam's third ending on GGXX. As cute and humorous as it appeared to be, we in the harsh reality business, by that I mean me, saw it as an invitation for unhappiness. Which leads to angst, which also leads to great stories, despite my dislike of angst because it can get carried away so easily.

There's not a lot of new material going on around here since we're just trying to slow down the pace a bit. There'll be some more action in the future, after all, you didn't sign up for this in the first place without reading the perks, right?

Again, major kudos goes out to my buddies that have helped so much thus far. Were it not for them, this story would have been much more mediocre. And we can't have that, can we?

In closing, all things Guilty Gear belongs to Sammy, Arc Systems, and Daisuke

Ishiwatari, that nut.