A thick stretch of clouds drifted over the city that night. With the clouds came a thick downpour of icy rain, and in the next several days people would wake to a grey sky. The streets became grounds of sleet, and the canals of Palas rose to dangerous heights. No one dared to venture outdoors in these perilous conditions. It was exactly as Van had hoped.

It was close to midnight when he set off in the dismal weather. A thick fog was already settling in the streets, further discouraging people from leaving their homes. Van took the mist as a blessing; there would be no imprudent passersby to get in his way. He continued to his destination almost cheerful.

Once at the Meifia Bridge, Van paused thoughtfully. He glanced in the direction to his right, down the street that would take him to the Rialto Inn. The inn must be full of travellers right now, or others caught unawares by the unpleasant outdoors. He allowed himself a small smile. Lingering only a moment longer, Van took off along the streets in a different direction. He drove all thoughts of the inn and its occupants from his mind; there would be no heckling the naive little innkeeper today.

He wandered through a maze of houses. The farther he went, the wealthier the properties became. This was an area of living reserved for the nobility and their most fortunate acquaintances. It had been some time since Van was forced to visit this section of the city. He found coming here irksome. Nobles, it seemed, had an annoying tendency to repeat their mistakes.

When Van reached his destination, he stopped in his tracks to assess the territory before him. It was one of the smaller mansions, belonging to some successful merchant. It was a large beige building, domed at the top, and with a short row of arches along the entrance. The architecture, of course, was ultimately of little interest to him. The only thing that Van noticed was the presence of a nearby spirit.

To enter the building, Van took a sideways route around the house to the rear entrance – he'd been pointedly instructed not to use the front door. There, a manservant was waiting for him. The manservant bowed curtly to Van and stepped aside to let him in.

"Will Lord Faunus be joining us this evening?" he asked nervously.

"No," Van replied. "This is a preliminary examination. If the case is not serious, Lord Faunus need not come at all."

"And what exactly is your fee?"

"That remains to be seen," said Van, curtly.

The manservant nodded in comprehension. He led Van through a plain-looking foyer, past the open doorways of the kitchen and various storerooms. Van quietly noted to himself that he had been admitted at the entrance used by servants. It was a typical sign of disrespect, one frequently used by the upper class in their dealings with Van. Unbeknownst to them, this gesture was taken into consideration in the calculation of their debt.

"This is the room," announced the manservant.

Van moved past him and pushed the bedroom door open. The other stayed where he was; he would not follow Van inside, as was expected. When Van entered the room, the door was immediately shut and locked behind him. Van lost interest in the manservant the moment he'd entered the room, however. Instead, he surveyed the scene before him with calculating eyes.

The room had been adequately prepared for Van's arrival. All the drapes were shut (not that there was any light outside to be shielded from), and the only light in the room came from a single candle on the bedside table. Next to it laid a comatose woman, peacefully tucked in bed. As Van approached her, he felt a spasm of recognition. Her flawless skin, perfect golden curls, and artfully painted lashes were all too familiar. Three and a half years passed since they last met, and yet seeing her still brought on a fresh wave of painful memories.

All of a sudden, as if sensible of his presence, the beautiful woman stirred. She opened her ocean blue eyes halfway to look at Van. Her expression was blank. Van frowned slightly, knowing that it was not Millerna Sara Aston Varene who looked at him, but rather a young and mischievous spirit that had taken possession of a few of her bodily functions. Spiritual possessions all started out that way. The problem was determining how far the spirit had gone in taking her over.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

With a gloved hand, Van reached out and grasped her by the hand. Her fingers responded to his at once, curling around his fist. Then, without warning, Millerna's left hand contorted grotesquely as it tried to crush Van's fingers into dust. Van fought the impulse to resist with his own, much more powerful grip; the damage to her body must be as little as possible. Instead, Van seized the candle and extinguished it against her exposed forearm.

The spirit shrieked in pain. It was a hollow, piercing noise. This was good news – the spirit had not yet experienced physical human pain, and was briefly rendered vulnerable from shock. Van seized this opportunity to shove a silver disc in Millerna's mouth. He forced her jaw to close on it, and wound a leather strap around her head to keep it shut. More alien shrieking ensued. The merciless sting of silver, the spirit clearly realized, was still just as potent despite the protective layers of human tissue.

Knowing he had little time left, Van ripped his gloves off and held his bare hands horizontally above Millerna's heart. He ran an incantation through his mind, concentrating hard on her agony-filled face. An instant was all it took – the spirit was released into the air.

That was the easy part.

……………………………………………………………………………………

L'Onzième

……………………………………………………………………………………

The Lure of Treasure

……………………………………………………………………………………

Three sharply dressed men stepped into the Rialto Inn.

"May I help you?" said Hitomi, putting away her bookkeeping log.

She rose from her desk to meet them. One of the men nodded his head to Hitomi. The others acted as though they hadn't heard her speak.

"Please excuse this intrusion," said the first man courteously. "Are you the innkeeper, Ms. Kanzaki Hitomi?"

"I am," replied Hitomi. "How may I help you, sir?"

"We are looking for a woman who was once a guest at your inn," he said. "I hoped to find her here again."

"Who is it you are looking for, sir?"

"Her name is Millerna Aston Varene," he replied. "She is the youngest Princess of Astauria."

"May I ask why you are searching for Mrs. Varene, sir?"

"That information is confidential, Ms. Kanzaki," he said. "Is she here?"

"She is not," said Hitomi. "Who might you be, sir?"

"I am Filippe of Sadar."

"Then you should know, Filippe of Sadar, that if the Princess were here, I would certainly not be disposed to direct you to her room. I make it a point to respect the privacy of my guests."

"Yes, naturally," replied Filippe, bowing. "Thank you for your time. Excuse us."

Filippe of Sadar and his two henchmen left at once. The latter, who remained silent the whole time, cast unpleasant looks in Hitomi's direction. They did not look happy to see Filippe of Sadar addressed so directly. Hitomi, being unaware of his reputation, stared back at them unashamed; she wouldn't be bothered for not knowing more than she did. Later she learned that he was, in fact, Lord Filippe, owner of extensive property and wealth in the Astaurian city of Sadar.

"I wonder why he was looking for Princess Millerna?" speculated Yukari, sometime later.

"Perhaps some people didn't like the idea that she stayed at this inn?" Hitomi suggested.

Yukari only raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Meanwhile, Amano was deep in reflection over what Hitomi had told them.

"Ms. Kanzaki, you said that Lord Filippe called her a Princess of Astauria, correct?" he asked, receiving a nod in reply. "That's very strange..."

"Why is that strange?" asked Hitomi, confused. "She is a Princess, isn't she?"

"Not quite," corrected Amano. "Millerna Aston abdicated her title to the throne three years ago. King Aston has declared it taboo to address her with the title of 'princess'."

"Really?" said Yukari, with interest. "How can someone of high rank make such a grave mistake?"

"Exactly my point."

"Does that mean Astauria is without a Princess?" asked Hitomi incredulously.

"Yes, unfortunately," replied Amano sadly. "King Aston had three daughters in all. His eldest daughter was married off to the Duke of Freid, and his second daughter was lost to a case of consumption. So, now that Millerna Aston...or Millerna Varene, rather, has gone, Aston's only option is to choose someone from the nobility to inherit the throne."

"What did Lady Varene do after she left the Palas?" prompted Yukari.

"I believe she married a scholar in Sadar, but returned to Palas when he died two years ago," said Amano. "Last I heard, she is working in Palas as a physician."

"A doctor?"

"Yes," replied Amano, approvingly. "Millerna Varene is the first female surgeon in Astauria...at least the first to be given proper recognition."

The two girls sighed with both admiration and disbelief.

"Suddenly your inn doesn't seem so impressive, Hitomi," teased Yukari.

"I agree," Hitomi said gloomily.

"I wouldn't say that, Ms. Kanzaki," said Amano kindly. "Lady Varene must approve of your inn very much if she came in person to stay for a night."

"She did what, Hitomi?!" exclaimed Yukari loudly.

"She came by the inn to stay for one night," she explained. "I didn't know who she was until Dryden later mentioned her in a letter, so perhaps I didn't appreciate her presence as I ought to have..."

"I must say, you have an extremely diverse circle of friends," said Yukari, impressed. "First Dryden Fassa, next a former Princess of Astauria, and then of course that Van Fanel character..."

Amano frowned slightly at the mention of Van, but said nothing. Hitomi felt a distinct uneasiness as well, to her dismay, and she resented herself for being so irrational. Thus, Hitomi tried to continue on as if she hadn't mentioned Van at all.

"Yukari, you exaggerate what are, in fact, three very minor acquaintances," she chided. "Yet, I have two cherished friends right in front of me that receive no such recognition."

"Oh, the recognition need not be spoken," replied Yukari smoothly. "Our superiority is just so painfully obvious that I thought it best to display some modesty."

"Indeed," said Hitomi, raising her brows.

Amano chuckled, and Hitomi's good humour came back. Had she felt nervous and uncomfortable some moments ago? It was strange to fathom, for at this moment she was positively beaming.

……………………………………………………………………………………

The angry storm dragged on for the fourth day, and neither rain nor fog showed any signs of relenting. The fortunate part was the sudden demand for shelter, which brought Hitomi's inn more business than ever. All of her rooms were taken up, which was a first. This work sufficed to distract her from most of her preoccupations. What these preoccupations were, Hitomi would rather die than divulge. Therefore, she was perfectly content with the ongoing deluge from the sky.

Hitomi got up from her desk and stepped into the empty parlour. Amano would be coming in late that day, so Hitomi was free to lounge within it undisturbed. She approached the large window the end of the room and gazed listlessly outside. At first, she thought nothing of what she saw. After a few moments, however, her gaze focused on something quite peculiar.

A lone figure was trudging his way through the shower of rain. He stood out because of the snail-like pace at which he walked. Unlike everyone else, who scurried to their indoor destinations in frenzy, this person was dragging his feet along the ground. Then, just as he was level with the Rialto Inn, he collapsed limply onto the soaking ground.

That she did not expect to see.

Hitomi jumped from where she stood. Without thinking, she bolted out of the parlour and was pushing through the front door. The weather outside was worse than it had looked. Being coatless, Hitomi was soaked to the skin by the time she reached the fallen stranger. He laid face down and motionless in his soggy black cloak. Hitomi knew he would need medical attention soon. First, however, he would have to be brought indoors. But how might she accomplish that?

To Hitomi's dismay, the man looked much heavier than she was. She doubted whether she could lift him on her own. As others splashed by them, Hitomi looked at them imploringly, but nobody would stop to help. No one had even noticed him falling down. They all hurried past without glancing at him, forcing themselves to ignore their surroundings in spite of the weather. Hitomi was ready to yell with frustration, but there was no time for tantrums.

Exhaling determinedly, Hitomi grasped the man's arm tightly and gave a tremendous heave. As she had guessed, he was extremely heavy. To make things worse, his wet clothes made it much harder to get a proper grip on his limbs. Hitomi was perseverant, however, and eventually managed to lift him off the ground. Upon being moved, the man stirred slightly. His face was mostly hidden by his cloak, but his voice sounded somewhat familiar.

"Don't touch me," he mumbled faintly.

Hitomi ignored him. After a few minutes of hard work, she had him leaning against her, holding one arm in place around her shoulders. She began dragging him towards the inn. As they moved, his head rolled limply on his shoulders and landed against Hitomi's exposed neck. His face was freezing cold and the contact sent a violent shock down her spine. He grumbled something again, but Hitomi was beyond attentive at that point.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the two of them were in the heated confines of the inn. Water and dirt splattered all over the clean wooden floor as they made their way inside. Hitomi tried not to think about the mess she would have to clean as she laid him down on the floor. She pulled off his cloak with difficulty and laid it aside. Only then did she finally see the man's face.

"Hitomi? What happened to him?" asked a small voice from upstairs.

Yukari was coming down the staircase. She had noticed Hitomi's rescue attempts from her bedroom window and came downstairs to help. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she instantly shared Hitomi's bewilderment.

"Hitomi...is that Mr. Fanel?"

Hitomi nodded, eyes wide. It was, indeed, Van who lay unconscious in a puddle of muddy water. Yukari and Hitomi exchanged stupefied glances. Never did Hitomi imagine Van as anything but rude, inconsiderate, and perfectly healthy. And yet there he was on her own floor, half-dead.

"What should we do?" asked Yukari anxiously.

"We...we should bring him upstairs," replied Hitomi, faintly.

Her throat still tingled where Van's face had fallen against it. A strange, numbing sensation was spreading throughout Hitomi's body. This happened very suddenly, and she didn't understand why, but it made her feel light-headed. Something told her she was falling into a state of shock.

"Alright, I'll help you bring him up," said Yukari helpfully. "You lift his arms and I'll lift his...feet."

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the grimy state of his boots, but managed to think better of it.

"Alright, we move on the count of three. One... two... three."

Van swayed between them like a hammock as they lifted him up the stairs. Hitomi's grip on his arms kept slipping because of his wet shirt. She was still grateful that he chose to wear long sleeves that day, for her sake if not his own. Something about his bare skin trigged an eerie reaction in hers. It was like feeling the presence of something alarmingly foreign. Was Hitomi just imagining things?

"Hitomi, all of our rooms are full..." said Yukari uncertainly.

"Put him in yours, then."

"No!" she said squeamishly, and Hitomi rolled her eyes.

"Fine, he can stay in my room!" she said, exasperated.

"Hitomi, you can't!" exclaimed Yukari, looking scandalised.

Hitomi groaned impatiently.

"Obviously, I'll be staying over in your room!"

"Oh...yes, that makes sense," said Yukari, pacified.

"Let's hurry then, Yukari...my arms are hurting."

Without further ado, Van was hoisted onto Hitomi's bed. Yukari considerately removed his footwear before setting his legs down. Then both she and Hitomi collapsed onto the floor. This sheer exhaustion was confirmation that they were both horribly out of shape. It was several minutes before either of them had strength enough to talk again. This was bad news for Hitomi, who, without any further distractions, began to feel sick again.

"What do you think happened to him, Hitomi?" asked Yukari after a while. "He really looks dreadful right now."

"Mmm..." said Hitomi, rubbing her tingling neck uncomfortably.

"Maybe we should call a physician?" she wondered. "Do you think he'll be alright if we leave him like that?"

Hitomi attempted to shrug as the light-headedness grew worse.

"I bet we should call one, just to be safe," Yukari went on, not looking at Hitomi.

Hitomi felt a spasm in her abdomen and leaned back against the bed frame. Yukari casually did the same next to her. Had she turned to looked at her cousin, Yukari would have noticed that Hitomi's face had just turned white.

"I can't believe I had slept in so late this morning," Yukari said, regretfully. "I could have run and gotten one while you were bringing Van in..."

A small whimper escaped Hitomi's lips and Yukari finally took notice of her.

"Hitomi, are you alright? I've never seen you look so pale..." said Yukari.

Hitomi tried to answer. She tried to describe the terrifying affliction she felt, but without success. She got as far as opening her mouth before she blacked out completely and fell over in a dead faint.

……………………………………………………………………………………

A young boy stood alone in a rich green forest. A gentle sunlight fell upon him through the trees, casting spotted patterns on his face. A short distance away, a butterfly was resting against a tree trunk. Its wings were golden brown and they shone most beautifully, even in the shade.

Seized by an impulse, the boy reached out and seized the butterfly with his hand. When he brought his fist close to his face and opened it full of anticipation, all he saw was a trickle of sand in his palm. The boy was so eager to touch the butterfly that he had crushed it in his grasp. The boy was utterly heartbroken. There was not even a body left for him to mourn; a cruel wind came and swept its remains away.

Too stricken to even move, he stayed there frozen in place, hardly noticing the time that passed. Several seasons went by, and the young boy had grown into an adult. His entire body was covered in snow and ice – it was winter time – and still he had not moved from his spot of mourning. His lean figure remained hunched his outstretched palm, and his bereaved expression was unchanged.

Then, something miraculous happened. Another butterfly, infinitely more beautiful than the first, fluttered close to the now fully grown man. First, it landed in his raven black hair. Then, it flew down and landed on the tip of his nose. All his former sorrow was forgotten in an instant. With a cry of joy, the man eagerly snatched at the butterfly.

He was yet again too eager. The man's eyes brimmed with tears as he opened his murderously strong fist. He expected to see the crushed remains of the second butterfly. To his surprise, however, the butterfly had gone altogether. Instead, he held in his hand something heavy and wet – a bleeding human heart.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Hitomi awoke to a soothing murmur of voices.

"How long has she been unconscious?"

This was spoken by a deep male voice from somewhere nearby.

"Almost three hours, I think."

Another voice replied, also very close. It was softer than the first, melodic even.

"And you have no idea what brought this on?"

"None. We had just brought Van Fanel to this room when she suddenly fainted."

Hitomi stirred slightly. Van Fanel...she knew that name.

"I chose an inconvenient time to leave, it seems."

The voices stopped. Hitomi wondered if something happened. She tried to lift her eyelids, but they were too heavy.

"I think Hitomi is starting to come around."

"Yes."

Hitomi tried to open her eyes again. It was like shifting stone tablets. All she could manage was to move them a crack.

"Hitomi? Are you alright?"

Yukari knelt down by Hitomi's side. She was holding Hitomi's hand in both of her own. Her eyes were very red.

"Yukari? Why are you so pale?" muttered Hitomi.

"You look worse than I do, stupid," Yukari chided gently.

Amano stood behind Yukari and approached the bed cautiously. Both he and Yukari watched Hitomi with worried expressions. Hitomi wondered if there would ever be a time when she didn't worry them. She was anxious to get out of bed, but the rest of her body weighed her down like an anchor. In her impatience, Hitomi adjusted her head on the pillow, noticing as she did so that it was very damp. So was her hair.

"Yukari, why is my pillow wet?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Yukari, flushing with embarrassment. "I forgot to change the pillow after Mr. Fanel left!"

"What do you mean...?" asked Hitomi as she looked around, bewildered. "Why was Van using my pillow?"

Yukari gave her a strange look.

"He fainted outside the inn, remember?" she said.

"No, I don't."

"You were the one who brought him in, Hitomi!" said Yukari incredulously. "But when we finally laid him here, you fell to the ground and wouldn't wake up."

Amano cleared his throat here. He sensed that Hitomi was disoriented, and couldn't handle conversation just yet. Yukari didn't take the hint, however, and kept talking.

"I couldn't lift you by myself, so I decided to set up a bed for you on the floor. You looked so uncomfortable! I left in a hurry to get some spare blankets. Of course, I had no idea where you kept them so I just grabbed the ones from my own room. Then the strangest thing happened, Hitomi! When I came back, the window was wide open and Van Fanel was gone!"

This was too much information for Hitomi. She sighed wearily and closed her eyes.

"What's wrong Hitomi?" cried Yukari. "You're not going to faint, are you?"

"I think Ms. Kanzaki is just tired," said Amano patiently.

Hitomi nodded to confirm this, and Yukari calmed down.

"What in the world happened, though?" said Yukari incredulously. "It was strange enough to see Mr. Fanel, of all people, faint like that, but to have it pass onto Hitomi right afterwards... Mr. Fanel recovered much more quickly than you did, though. I wonder how he disappeared without my noticing?"

Yukari's voiced train of thought more or less echoed Hitomi's. Of course, Yukari soon moved on to other topics, continually chattering in the way she did best. It was a comforting sound to Hitomi. She soon fell back asleep.

……………………………………………………………………………………

That night, the two girls managed to convince Amano to stay at the inn. The deciding factor seemed to be Yukari pointing out that they couldn't gossip about him if he was there. So it was Amano who volunteered to lock down the front entrance, while Hitomi and Yukari readied themselves for bed. Again, Yukari shared Hitomi's room, noting with approval that Hitomi wasted no time in changing her sheets.

"You're a natural-born innkeeper, Hitomi," she said.

"Thank you kindly," said Hitomi, curtseying dramatically.

Just then, something caught Hitomi's attention.

"Do you hear something downstairs, Yukari?" said Hitomi, motioning Yukari to be quiet.

It was a pair of muffled voices coming from downstairs. Curious, Hitomi left the room to investigate. Yukari, who had already changed into her nightgown, stayed behind. Hitomi soon realized that Amano was arguing with two men at the door. They stopped speaking as soon as they spotted Hitomi.

"Is there something the matter?" asked Hitomi.

She took one look at the men and her breath caught in her chest. The two men wore identical, blue-and-grey uniforms. These were the uniforms of the Astaurian military. Hitomi knew this because she had seen one other wear one before – Colonel Reagan.

"This is the owner of the inn, Ms. Kanzaki Hitomi," said Amano, when the two men didn't answer.

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" said Hitomi.

"We have come for the Uchida girl," said the soldier, shortly.

Hitomi felt her heart race. She nervously clenched a hand behind her back. Amano watched her carefully, hiding his own apprehension as well.

"You mean Yukari?" asked Hitomi, with forced calm. "There must be some mistake. I haven't seen Yukari for several months."

The soldier whom she addressed glared at her.

"We are under orders to search this inn," he continued, ignoring her remark. "Move aside."

"I cannot allow you to disturb my guests," Hitomi said bravely.

The soldier to her left narrowed his eyes. He saw that Hitomi was lying – Colonel Reagan must already know that Yukari was hiding here.

"We are here to investigate," warned the first soldier. "Move now, or we will harm you."

His eyes ran up and down Hitomi's slight figure. He deftly adjusted each his gloves and flexed his fingers menacingly. Hitomi suddenly felt sick. Perhaps she would have cowered in place behind the door, had it not been for Amano.

"You have no warrant for investigation, sir," he interjected. "The army is forbidden from the capital city. At this moment you are private citizens. Leave now, or suffer the consequences."

One of the soldiers brusquely made to move past Amano, but Amano barred the doorway with his arm. For the first time, Hitomi noticed that Amano was quite formidably built. The two men were far from being out of shape, but Amano was taller and seemed rather more threatening. The soldiers seemed to think so, too.

"LEAVE NOW," said Amano forcefully.

With reluctant glares, the men slowly ambled away. Amano immediately shut the door and bolted it. Hitomi's heart was still pounding as Amano turned to her. He had a serious expression on his face.

"Ms. Kanzaki," he said gravely, "I think you owe me an explanation."


Robo's Note:

Thanks to everyone for all the response for chapter 10. I wish I could respond to those anonymous reviews faster, but thanks nonetheless to lyn, Ali, the crushinator (best alias EVER), and Kaurin! :)

Aaah, and of course, thank you for the ever supportive Missing White Wings 15 for beta reading and being so full of awesome. :)

A good song for this chapter might be...Strange and Beautiful by Aqualung. Listen and read!