Hey everyone! I couldn't help myself, I got way ahead and I wanted to post this chapter really badly… 'cause I kind of like this chapter. Not as much as the chapter or two to come but I like how this one ends. xD

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I really love you guys for it. – hugs you all – You guys are awesome. :3

Please enjoy!

Chapter 14

Din stirred that night, rolling onto his side with a worried expression on his face. The Cheagle was asleep behind him, completely dead to the world around it. He didn't know why, but he felt an anxious feeling in his chest. What was Scion doing now? His eyes narrowed at the thought. 'What is she doing?'

It was early in the morning; so early that the sun hadn't started to stir the darkened night sky. The blonde's brows knitted together with confusion. Something was going to happen… but he didn't know what.

There was a light knock on his room door… a cautious knock. Propping himself up in confusion, Din cast his blue orbs toward the door. Someone knocked at night… and then now, early in the morning? What was happening around here?

The straw-blond crawled out of bed quietly in his bare feet. The air was slightly chilly compared to the warm compared to the warm covers of the bed. It made his skin shiver as he grabbed the sheath of his new sword. 'One can't be too careful.' He thought before going to the door.

The person hadn't knocked again… did they know that he was awake? Or did they leave and go back to their own room? He was curious as his hand reached for the doorknob. He wanted to know who it was.

As his hand pulled the door open a little, surprised lime green eyes greeted him in the dark.

"Scion?" he questioned with confusion, "Is something wrong?"

"No… not really," she murmured, looking to the side.

Din saw that the girl was dressed in her regular clothes; midriff showing, belt holding her pants up, black boots tied tightly…

"I just wanted… to say goodbye," Scion said quietly, her eyes glancing at his face.

His face scrunched slightly at her words. Was she leaving without him?

"Why would you need to say goodbye?" the blond asked with a slightly cocked brow.

In the darkened light, Din saw the girl wince at his words.

"I'm not leaving forever," Scion murmured, "I just… need to get more stone to fix my sword."

"Then I'll get dressed and go with you," he suggested with a small smile.

"No," she protested with a worried expression, "I need to do this alone. It's easier to get to the mountain by myself…"

His hand lifted her chin upward to look at him. He smiled gently and she looked confused.

"You don't have to worry Scion," he promised, "I don't be going anywhere. I'll be here when you get back."

His hand dropped and Scion nodded slightly.

"I'll see you when I get back then?" she asked with a raised brow.

He nodded this time and grinned.

"…Promise."

Scion paused for a moment, almost confused at what she wanted to do. Cautiously, she opened her arms and he laughed lightly at her attempt to be subtle at asking for a hug. 'She's really just a kid under that cold exterior.' Din thought with a small smile.

He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He felt her cold hands touch his bare back and it caused him to shiver slightly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized; letting go immediately.

Resting his head against hers, he smiled against her silver hair.

"It's okay," he laughed slightly, "I don't mind."

Din felt her cold fingers touch his back lightly to see if it really was okay. He couldn't help but laugh at her actions. He let her go though, so she didn't have to force herself to hug him.

"Be careful out there," he murmured, "Don't get killed."

He heard her scoff slightly.

"Like I'm going to die after everything," she muttered.

"Be careful anyway," he said with a smile.

With a nod, Scion left him standing in the doorway. He watched her disappear in the dark hallway before turning to his clean clothes.

"I guess we better follow her anyway," he mused, grabbing his shirt and putting it on.

The Cheagle stretched and chimed a mew with agreement.

Sliding his sheathed sword into place, he tied his boots tightly. The Cheagle jumped onto his shoulder, ready to go with him.

Scion left Blue Abarath and the guard cracked a joke about her never standing still. She had glared at him before walking past him. '…Like they know anything.' She thought, shaking her head slightly. The sun started to break through the dark sky and light the horizon.

She didn't know how long it would take to get to where the stone was. All she knew was the direction of it.

"This is going to take a while," the girl sighed as she walked, "I should have taken a horse."

For a while she followed along the ocean; having come across it after coming out the other side of the forest. She had never actually seen the ocean up close before. It had always been from a distance or in a picture. She had never smelt it before or felt the wash of the waves as they hit the beach. It seemed… easier to breathe outside the city walls.

Scion made a face when she stumbled upon a dead fish on the shoreline. It stank more than the fish in the market. 'Must have been dead for a while…' She thought with a dull expression. Grabbing it by the tail, Scion threw the dead fish back into the ocean waves.

"…Nasty," she murmured before continuing down the beach.

Her feet would slip on the sand; her boots not meant to walk on a beach. When she found flat rocks, Scion picked them up and looked at them with wonder. Her brothers had always told her about skipping rocks and because she had never left Blue Abarath until after the war, she didn't know how. She had never wanted to try either. No teacher… no one to do it with… so why bother? Scion just liked how soft the rocks were.

The girl found herself wondering about everything… about the past and the present. 'I don't feel as lonely anymore… I would probably be fine if that woman hadn't shown up like that… Maybe I could smile more…' Her brows knitted together as she put another flat rock into her pocket. She had been healing slowly and now it was just at a slower pace.

"Is it because of Din?" she asked herself with confusion.

'He's a lot like Tepid in a way… but he's more polite and gentle…' Scion blushed lightly at the thought of Din.

"What happened? Why didn't you get it… healed?"

"I was more worried about you than that silly thing. She shot me when I was protecting you."

"Why would you do that?"

"Scion…"

Her hands immediately covered her ears as the blush deepened on her face. Shaking her head, she tried to push it from her mind.

"Gah!" she cried as she tried to get the image out of her head.

The heat of the moment… the warm breath against her skin… the warmth of his bare chest…

"Come on, leave me alone!" she begged, falling to her knees.

Scion tried to scowl under her embarrassment; eyes staring at the ground.

She wasn't sure which she enjoyed more… Din… or Tepid… Din was kind and gentle and caring. He was selfless in rescuing her without a thought… handsome… Tepid was funny, happy, and fun to argue with. They always wrestled and beat each other up. Din was a gentleman. Tepid was too…

"Yeah, a gentleman that I gave myself to," Scion muttered to herself with narrowed eyes.

She had given herself to Tepid in both body and mind. In doing that, when he died it had ruined her… Tore her apart on the inside…

With a sigh, Scion got back to her feet and started walking again. It wasn't something that she needed to figure out right away. If to Din she really was worth it… then maybe he could wait for her to decide.

The blond nearly ran to her side when he saw her cover her ears and shake her head. It reminded him f the other day in the hallway, when she fell to her knees from the pain…

When she got to her feet again, Din smiled slightly. He had been following her from a distance in the trees. When she came to an opening to the side by the ocean, he stayed in the trees of the forest to keep watch. He laughed as he watched her pick up rocks and things on the shoreline. 'Why is she doing that?' He wondered with a small smile.

"Mieu! Mieu mieu!" the Cheagle suddenly cried.

Din jumped with shock at the Cheagle's outburst. Its arms were moving up and down, absolutely delighted at seeing Scion.

His gloved hand immediately covered the small creature's mouth to silence its chiming. His blue eyes were worried when Scion turned around. Her expression was suspicious at hearing the sound.

"You're going to get us caught," the blond almost hissed at the light green Cheagle.

Its ears dropped slightly, as if ashamed of itself.

He released the creature and grabbing its paw, he moved ahead so Scion wouldn't catch them.

Scion turned with furrowed brows. She knew that sound… She knew that exact Cheagle cry.

"Where are you?" she murmured, looking through the trees to find the little light green Cheagle.

There was a small flash of yellow and immediately the girl shook her head. No one else had straw-blond hair like that. 'What the hell is he doing?' Scion furrowed her brows at the question.

"Worry wart," she muttered before continuing.

What was there exactly to worry about? Getting caught? The enemy couldn't do anything to her that hadn't already been done. With a small sigh, Scion shrugged the thought away. She was sure that she had nothing to worry about.

Her stomach growled and the girl made a face at the feeling. How long had it been since she had actually eaten something? The muscles tensed and cramped with hunger. Apparently it had been a long time.

"Damn," she murmured, lime green eyes glancing around curiously.

'I could eat that dead fish back there… but it would be kind of gross…' She made a face at the thought.

Taking a couple more steps, Scion looked up at a large tree standing in front of her.

"Is that… a pear tree?" she asked with confusion.

'I thought that we only had apple trees… but what do I know? I haven't really been this way before.' The girl smiled at the thought.

In the six or so months that she had traveled before going to Valinsa, she had never gone this way. The girl's feet had wandered around aimlessly in trying to start anew. It was only by chance that she had actually stopped long enough to hold up a conversation with Din.

"Funny," she mused quietly, "Since when have I been lucky?"

'Din's probably the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me. I owe him so much… almost everything.' With a small sigh, Scion shook her head. She needed to think more before she decided anything at all.

Bending her legs, the girl jumped to a wide branch before wrapping themselves around the same branch. Her hands pulled her up high enough to get her right foot to use the trunk as leverage. It only took her a few moments to be sitting on the same branch in the tree. Her eyes glanced around at the surrounding branches to find any good pears.

The fruit was scattered; both good and bad around her. She scowled at the sight. She didn't want to be climbing all through the tree like a monkey. 'Maybe I can't find a few together that are good…' Scion stood on the branch and started to climb higher into the tree.

When she spotted a good pear she reached for it only to find that it was too far away. Making a face, the girl grabbed a pear with two holes mad by birds and insects and threw it at the one she wanted. The two knocked together but the good pear didn't fall off the branch. She tried again, only to have the same thing happen. She scowled then. Why the hell wouldn't it fall off?

'Okay… then I'll get some other ones first and then come back.' Scion thought with some agitation. She climbed higher, finding a few other good pears to eat that weren't bruised or partly eaten. Dropping them to a spot by the tree trunk, she went back to the first pear.

Sitting down on the branch, Scion paused a minute to think. Throwing other pears at it didn't seem to have any real effect on it… She couldn't reach it on her own either… 'Oh I know!' She thought triumphantly, getting to her feet and grabbing onto higher sturdy branches. 'If I shake the branch enough then the force of the motion will knock it free.' Smirking, Scion began to shake the branch below her rather violently.

A lot of pears started to fall from the shaking branch. The shaking stopped though, once the one she wanted fell from the tree. Jumping down, Scion looked through all the fruit lying on the ground; grabbing all the good ones she could find. When she grabbed the first one she had wanted all along, she took a big bite out of it. 'Teach you to not fall off…' Scion thought dully before sitting down against the tree's trunk. She sat with eight pears in her lap, ready to eat them all.

The straw-blond couldn't help but cock a brow at what he saw the girl doing. Why on earth was she climbing a tree? He grew even more confused when fruit was being thrown out of the branches.

"What is she doing?" Din asked with confusion.

'Is she getting something to eat? Or is she practicing throwing things?' He was nervous with that thought. He could just see Scion throwing fruit at him because he had followed her.

The Cheagle had fallen asleep with their waiting; apparently bored with standing still.

"She must be hungry," Din laughed slightly when he saw the fruit falling out of the tree like rain.

He smiled when he saw his friend sit down and start eating. She hadn't been eating hardly anything recently… though he couldn't really blame her. She would always just shake her head when he asked her if she wanted anything from the kitchen.

He would catch the girl wandering to the kitchen every now and then for something to eat, but not very often. 'Maybe she's starting to feel better again… like herself again…' The straw-blond caught him self smiling pleasantly with the thought. He would take regular cold Scion over sad Scion any day. At least when she was cold he knew what she was really thinking… sometimes… occasionally…

The air was thick around her; the scent dry with death and rotting corpses. This wasn't the city… this was a battlefield. Around her were three dead bodies… all her brothers. Her brows knitted together with confusion as she held tightly to the hilt of her sword.

Something wasn't right about this… something was wrong… Wasn't there usually someone else lying on the ground? Wasn't there usually a cold eyed red haired General standing not too far away?

She looked around with confusion; feet stumbling slightly over the dead bodies around her. Something wasn't right…

Lime green orbs widened when they caught sight of the auburn haired man behind her. What was he doing there? Wasn't he dead? Wasn't his body the one among many in this slaughter?

"I'm come back Scion… back to-"

Her eyes shot open and she jumped to a sitting position. Her breath was uneven and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. 'Tepid… what were you doing there?' Scion asked herself, putting a cold palm to her forehead. It had been her nightmare… the one she usually had about Asch.

Dropping her hand, the girl looked around her cautiously. There was no one in the dimly lit night. Her small fire was burnt to nothing but small embers trying to stay alive.

"Come back to what?" Scion murmured with a confused expression.

He couldn't come back. He was dead. He was nothing but a corpse among the thousands that died in that war. Killed… slaughtered…

"He can't come back," she muttered before throwing a few branches onto her embers.

She wasn't going to fall back to sleep now.

When she had finished five of her pears, Scion had stowed away the last three before moving on. She got past the ocean, losing its salty smell. She crossed a little bit more forest before coming to a vast opening with a few mountains across the large plain. There was a small town by the mountains as well.

She had stopped just outside the forest to make camp for the night.

"So much for sleeping," she muttered, crossing her arms and falling onto her back.

Scion stared up at the stars and sighed slightly. 'What exactly does that mean? Why would Tepid take Asch's place?' Her brows furrowed at the question. How would a dead person take a living person's place?

"Probably doesn't mean anything," Scion whispered.

'Yeah… no matter how badly I would want Tepid to take Asch's place.'

The grass of the plain swayed with a gentle breeze of the night. There was something moving through the grass; scuffing the ground sometimes. Probably some adventurer or something…'

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Blue Abarath?" a man asked as the footsteps came closer.

Her eyes widened with the voice. Scion had to sit up to make sure that it was someone else that she was about to talk to.

The girl scowled immediately at the man she was looking at. He had stopped at her movement and looked rather confused.

"Great," she muttered, "Now I'm hallucinating."

'I must still be half asleep…'

"I beg your pardon miss?" the man asked with a slight laugh.

He took a step closer and Scion glared at him. Who the hell was this man?

"Do I know you at all?" he asked.

"What's your name?" she asked rather fiercely.

"…What?"

"What's your name?" she asked again, more demanding.

"Tepid… but have we met before?"

Scion's teeth gritted together slightly at his name. There was no way that Tepid was still alive… none of them were.

"You tell me," she muttered.

"Well I actually… don't know," the man explained rather sheepishly, "I can't remember anything before the last year or so. All I know is that I fought in a war on Blue Abarath's side."

The girl's eyes narrowed at the explanation. This man looked like him… sounded like him… talked like him… This man didn't remember thought – couldn't remember her at all. She felt her eyes burn with the want to cry. This was Tepid – her one and only Tepid – and he knew nothing about her or their time together.

"So do we know each other?" he questioned again.

"No," she stated, lying back down and rolling onto her side, "Stay the night here and I'll take you back to Blue Abarath later."

"Thank you very much," Tepid said pleasantly before taking a seat.

She gave no reply… just felt the ripping of her heart deepen ever so slightly.

Tepid was supposed to be dead; a piece of the past. The past should never have the chance to become the future. With him being alive and him having forgotten all about her, Scion didn't know what to do. How could she possibly make a decision now?

End of Chapter 14

So… how was that? I bet that was a real shocker. Some people might have something to say about that… o.O – grabs a garbage can lid for cover –

I hope that you all liked it, I know that I did. :D Thank you for reading!

Please R&R and thanks again for reading!

halfdemon-kai