"Lady Catherina," Zelda entered the temporary office.

Looking up from her paper work, the woman beckoned, "Come in. Have you brought the folder I asked for?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry for taking so long. I had some trouble locating it; it is a difficult one to get one's hands on. I was hoping not to run so late as six o'clock," she held out the item.

"Is it six o'clock already? Excuse me but I told my brother I would check in at this time. Please stay for a few minutes, I will need to verify that file." The Duchess stood, her golden ringlets shifting against her ruby outfit. Zelda retreated to the farthest corner of the room, hoping to keep out of the way.

For the past month now, Lady Catherina had been visiting the nobles, requiring the AX to go with her unless on her orders to stay behind. The dark haired nun usually ran errands for her superior during this time. It was almost if the great woman did not want to send her on a mission and preferred to keep her close. Ever since the Amsterdam Incident, unspoken, she had been taken off of active duty. Which was no surprise considering it had cost them eleven prisoners, who knew how much valuable information and two of her operatives for five days.

While the lady Cardinal spoke with her brother via hologram, the onyx-eyed girl pursed her lips. She hadn't had much time with her partner and a strange loneliness started to sweep over her whenever she had too much time to think. Sure, Tres was around, but he wasn't with her. She caught brief glimpses of him in hallways or when Lady Catherina traveled. Yet, she never had a chance to speak a word.

As she continued to think, the power went out, leaving them in darkness. The Cardinal whipped around, "What happened?"

Over their earphones came Sister Kate's reply. "My lady, it seems that there was a fire in the northwest wing. You have Sister Zelda and Sister Ester is on her way."

"Alright," she glanced at Zelda. All was still for a few moments, although the sound of fire crackling and footsteps running below their floor, reached their ears.

"Don't move," someone whispered harshly from the balcony. The young boy, blonde, sporting clothes of the Empire nobles and is as silent as the wind, had twin pearly fangs protruding over his bottom lip.

"A vampire!" Cardinal Sforza disobeyed his command.

In anger the young man sped across the room and behind her, trapping her arms. "Didn't I say not to move? A vampire?! You would dare call me that you lowly Terran?! You would call the one who has brought an Imperial Message?" he hissed.

Zelda, who had been struggling to get her gun out of the holster, let go. "Imperial Message?" It was then that Gunslinger came in, firing off rounds. The Methuselah who was obviously in path of fire, grabbed his newly injured arm, spewing what sounded like curses.

"W-wait! Tres-san!" The young nun, without thinking or hesitating, jumped in front of the noble from the Empire. A single bullet lodged in her right shoulder, pushing her back with such an unimaginable force. At that moment, time slowed down, which she would later realize was the adrenaline rushing through her veins at the speed of light.

It seemed she would fall forever, blood streaming from her wound and a look of permanent surprise etched into her face. When a strange beating filled the room; she discovered it was her heart beating. By the time she hit the ground, everything had gone back to normal.

The vampire was gone, Sister Ester turned the corner with her gun drawn and the Duchess of Milan commanded someone for a doctor. Dazed, she reached out for her tovares, whispering his name, "Tres-san… don't leave me… please…" But the robot turned on his heel and disappeared through the doorway. Tears stopped in her wide eyes. She suddenly felt numb; the burning pain in her shoulder became nothing.

Sister Ester, red hair swinging, knelt at her side, "She's going into shock." She placed a warm hand against her fallen Sister's forehead. "It's alright, everything is going to be okay," Ester said in a low, kind tone.

It wasn't all right. Tres had deserted her, probably hating her. If he hated her, what was it worth living? The Cardinal could always find another errand girl, Leon, Abel and the Professor were most likely hiding veiled dislike, and she had no other place to go. No one else was closer to her then the AX.

"Sister Zelda, don't fall asleep. You must stay awake," blue eyes stated a little bit more urgently. She wasn't listening though; her eyelids were closing rapidly on this painful world. Then, there was nothingness, and she left herself float away into another world she had visited before. A world where only death awaited.