New week, new chapter! I'm hoping to keep up the weekly uploads until this story is finished (finally).

They made camp outside the mountain and celebrated the entire night. They counted down to the new year and partied into the early morning. Sake was poured and the group was rowdier than ever. They had just completed the hardest raid in Yamato and spirits were high. It was a proud moment, many carousing speeches were made and some tears were even shed, mostly by Richard. A commendation was made to Isuzu, who not only supported the group in every battle, but bravely finished off Kroni to clench their final victory.

Thoroughly embarrassed, she was made to stand by the fire pit while everyone gave her a round of applause. It was worse than standing in front of a crowd of hundreds to sing. It was all she could do to not hide her face away. It was as red as a tomato. When she finally got to sit down, she shifted the applause back to Ken for being their "strong and fearless leader". Her description got a laugh out of everyone, and the festivities continued.

It wasn't until after midnight that it began to snow. It had been a cold night, but between the fire pit, the alcohol and the adrenaline it had gone mostly unnoticed. Finally, it was late and cold and everyone's weariness got the better of them. The celebration finally cooled down.

Treading from the nearby trees after a quick quest for firewood, Isuzu smiled to herself. While her body was tired, her mind was buzzing. Not due to drinking, but due to everything on her mind, between the raid finishing and the excitement. A small swell of pride rose in her chest. They had accomplished something truly great and she was happy to be a part of it. Emerging from the forest, she shuffled toward the fire with some dry wood, untouched by the snow. Camp was finally quiet.

When she approached, a silhouetted figure stood and moved forward to help. She knew it was Rudy. There was no mistaking the curly hair and the high collar. Or his walk.

"If I had known you were doing this Miss Isuzu, I would have aided you sooner."

"I know. I just needed to get away for a bit."

Rudy set the wood in the pit and got the fire going once more before turning to her. He seemed to hesitate, before giving her a soft smile.

"Would you like to sit with me for a while?"

Isuzu smiled back and sat at the bench closest to the fire, letting that be her answer. Satisfied, he joined her at the seat. Unconsciously the duo huddled closer together, spurred by the soft glow of the fire and their shivers as snow flurries melted on the tip of their noses.

"The fire feels perfect." She commented, rubbing her hands together, then holding her palms toward the flames.

He reached over and cupped her hands lightly, pulling them up toward his face. Then he puffed hotly into his hands, which where much larger and completely enclosed Isuzu's.

"It is too cold tonight. It is okay if you are ready for bed." He said softly, peering at her expression.

Her cheeks were incredibly red, which he wrote off to the cold weather.

"I'm not tired." She answered, staring at his hands, still working to warm hers.

"Today was a hard day. You should be."

"I know. What about you?"

"Hmmm...it may be unbelievable, but even a man such as myself has restless nights."

"Haha whatever, Rudy." She nudged him with a giggle.

He chuckled, pausing to puff into their hands again.

"We did good." She said softly, staring at the red hot flames before them. He gently released her hands.

"Indeed. Although, I was hoping to spend Snowfell at the guild house."

"I guarantee I would have had to work, so this was nice."

"Was it?"

They both paused, feeling tense. Isuzu did not know how to put into words how wonderful being here was to her.

"It was. But it's almost over." She said finally, breaking the silence.

"Almost?"

"Yes." She nodded. "My time with you."

Rudy's eyes went wide at her admission, laden with a heavy sadness.

"Miss Isuzu, it is okay. Anyways we are in the same guild. So no matter what, I will always be around."

"Just because we're in the same guild…" She trailed off.

She was almost not sure what to say, while Rudy wondered if he wasn't simply imagining the uncertainty in her voice.

"What?" He asked, feeling some confusion.

"Not because you're my friend."

Feeling him squeeze her hands again, and she looked up.

"Of course, Miss Isuzu. I am always going to come back, because my favorite person is in Akiba." He answered lightly, showing her a soft smile.

"Touya. Got it." She remarked back, giggling at her own joke.

She felt a tap on her nose and shot him a reproachful glance, which faded away when she saw Rudy's gentle expression.

"Here, Miss Isuzu" He whispered, releasing her hands and shedding his thick coat.

He draped it around her and she shuddered at the change, the fabric warm from his body heat. Her chill disappeared and Isuzu was enveloped in his scent. The soft fabric rubbed her skin and made it feel as if she was wrapped up in him. Before she could process what was happening, tears sprung to her eyes and rolled hotly down her face.

"Touya is a very dear friend, but you know that is not the person I was...M-Miss Isuzu?!" He cut off upon seeing her face.

"Why are you crying? What is wrong?"

"I...I've just..."

She struggled to respond, juggling between everything running through her mind and her racing emotions. Isuzu couldn't pinpoint why she suddenly felt so weak and so vulnerable? She bit her lip, forcing herself to put on a stronger face.

"Miss Isuzu..."

"I'm sorry, I've just been really lonely...I'm going to miss you. " She whispered finally, pulling herself together.

"I am going to miss you too. But we still have time." He responded in a chipper tone, pulling out his handkerchief and handing it to her.

"It will take us about five days to reach town. And then I have at least another five days in Akiba, so please do not be sad..."

He stopped, his expression dropping as she shook her head sadly, still using his cloth to wipe the wetness from her face. She peered up at him with an expression which broke his heart. It broke his heart even more knowing he was the cause of such a face.

"Henrietta set up three concerts in Maihama this month. For the 10, 17, and 26th. I'm going to have to leave as soon as we reach Akiba..."

She watched as this news sunk in, his eyes flickering with emotion.

"So we...we are going our separate ways sooner than I had expected."

Isuzu nodded, clutching his kerchief to her chest.

"I see. I did not realize."

"I just got confirmation yesterday. I have to see the set and rehearse with my band. Lilliana is stressing out that the time off is going to leave everyone rusty so she wants us to be there early."

They both stared ahead at the now dying fire. From the corner of her eye, Isuzu could see Rudy biting his nails, something he only did when he was distressed.

"Rudy..." She began, wanting to say what had been on her mind for weeks now.

But even if I say it…then what? We can't even be together. How is this supposed to work?

Just two weeks ago, she finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him. She had told Minori with such conviction that she would confess to him. But now…reality was knocking. They were affiliated with the same guild, sure. But they saw each other a handful of times a year. Even if he returned her feelings, how was any of it supposed to work?

Was she over thinking it? Should she throw caution to the wind and just say it? Or was she simply losing her nerve and running away? Isuzu didn't know the answer.

"Yes, Miss Isuzu?" He pressed, his voice a barely audible whisper.

"What...what did I tell you about biting your nails?"

He glanced at her and managed to smile lightly.

"It does not hurt anything."

"It does! It's bad for your nails! See look!" She exclaimed, reaching for his hand but realizing she still held his handkerchief.

"Ah, here. I'm sorry, it's all wet now." She said worriedly, pushing it toward him. She suddenly stopped, running her thumb over a damp spot.

"Maybe I should wash it first."

"Take it with you." He said quietly, staring at the white piece of cloth with his initials sewn into the corner.

"What?"

"My handkerchief. Please take it with you to Maihama. That way, when you get lonely again you can remember that I am always thinking of you."

"Take it? But...I couldn't! It's special to you..."

He gazed down at her face, dimly shining from the glow of the embers. A warm smile appeared on his lips, crinkling his handsome blue eyes.

"Just borrow it for a while. It would make me happy to know you have it."

The sorrow in her eyes extinguished; her irises seemed to grow brighter, even in the fading fire light. Her cheeks pinked, and Rudy thought her so radiant in that moment that he couldn't look away.

"Would it really?" Isuzu whispered, entranced by his eyes.

"It would." He reassured her.

Caution to the wind then…here goes nothing.

"Rudy, I…" She started, her mind racing for the perfect way to say it.

"Yes?" He asked curiously.

"I just have to say…have to tell you that I-"

"Hey you two, aren't you tired?" A chipper female voice cut Isuzu off before she could get the words out.

Rudy and Isuzu's heads swiveled around toward Asami walking over to them with a cheerful smile.

"Did I startle you guys? Sorry! Haru asked me to put out the cinders. You know, before we all fall asleep and burn the forest down."

She sidestepped around the duo and grabbed a bucket, dousing the fire pit.

Isuzu felt as if all the MP were suddenly drained from her body. She wanted to fall over and never get back up. She probably looked as mortified as she felt.

"What…what were you trying to tell me Isuzu?" He asked quietly, aware that Asami's sudden appearance had thrown her.

"Uh, oh umm just…" She cleared her throat and pulled herself together enough to give him one of her signature sunny smiles.

"I was just trying to say thank you. I'll take care of it." She asserted with a nod.

"Anyways." She continued quickly, folding the cloth up neatly and stashing it away.

"We should get to bed. We have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow."

Rudy nodded solemnly. Somehow, he got the feeling that was not at all what she was going to say. He hoped if it was important she would eventually come to him with it, but for now he felt no choice but to let it go.

"Goodnight Rudy. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, goodnight." He answered, standing up with her.

"Goodnight you two!" Asami cut in cheerfully, walking back the way she had come.

Isuzu dipped her head in a small bow and then scurried off toward her tent. Rudy stood and watched her go, only retreating to his own tent once she was out of sight.

In the distance, Asami had paused to watch this silent exchange. She hadn't realized it prior to walking over and interrupting them, but something in the air between them had been…intimate. They had been sitting much closer together than usual, talking in hushed tones. Once she made her presence known, Isuzu tensed up and her face went absolutely beet red. Asami had the distinct feeling she had interjected during something important. Exactly what, she couldn't be completely sure.

Isuzu had become a good friend over the course of the raid. And while Nami was always going to be her friend as well, Asami had a gut feeling that Isuzu needed her encouragement. With a small smile, she turned and went to bed, resolving to do just that.

Isuzu felt like a failure. Even with successfully completing a highly difficult, large scale raid she felt completely and utterly foolish.

It was as if the universe was against her. Right as she made up her mind and decided to just…come out with it, clueless Asami waltzed over and killed it. Logically Isuzu knew she couldn't put any of the blame on her, but still.

It was morning, so Isuzu sighed and sat up, forcing herself to get ready for the day. There was a lot to do even before breakfast. She felt grungy and had the urge to at least sponge bathe herself. It was much too cold right now to rinse off in a river. Then she had to help take down the tent. Once that was done, she would have to talk to the other girls about needing to pitch her own tent from now on.

Once she had refreshed herself, packed up her belongings, and took down the tent, she broke the news to them. They were all disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. Isuzu would be staying up much too late to work on song lyrics. It was officially time to transition from "raid mode" to "work mode" and she most certainly did not want to keep anyone else up until the crack of dawn.

They emerged for breakfast. It wasn't anything special, just porridge and sugar. Something Haru could cook easily, but still keep everyone from going hungry. Ken made the announcement soon after for everyone to move out. Everyone gathered their breakfast utensils and got on the road.

Morning passed quickly and the Adventurer group began to travel in a large pack, much too excited to keep in any formation. There was an obvious eagerness in the air. Everyone was ready to be home. Isuzu spent as much time as she could socializing with her new friends. She promised to invite them all to a show and to meet up with the girls whenever they were in town. She exchanged friend requests with anyone she hadn't already added.

The next several days of travel ended up going by in a flurry.

The second to last day, the group made a pit stop for lunch. Usually, they ate travel rations on the go, but there had been enough complaints to encourage Haru to cook a hot meal. Probably something simple, but it would still satisfy everyone.

Isuzu was in the midst of jotting down ideas in her notebook when she felt a small hand on her shoulder. Craning her neck up, she saw Asami standing above her.

"Hey." Asami said with a small smile.

"Whatcha doing?"

Isuzu smiled back and closed her notebook.

"Just working. I have a concert next week. Trying to somewhat get back in my groove."

"I see." She responded with a nod.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me gather up some dry wood for Haru."

Isuzu looked momentarily surprised at Asami's request, but nodded her head anyways.

Isuzu walked with Asami off the beaten trail and into the surrounding wooded area. The ground beneath them was icy and full of snow. It crunched under their feet, filling the silence between the two women. She searched for a spot that looked promising. It wasn't easy finding dry wood in these conditions.

"Did I interrupt something the other night?"

The question was abrupt and made Isuzu stop in her tracks.

"What? No, nothing like that." Isuzu waved the question away and continued walking.

Asami didn't follow at first. She took a moment to analyze her friend's reaction.

"I think I did." Asami responded, finally following after her. Isuzu froze again.

"Honestly, Asami. It was nothing. We just talking about whatever."

She was a terrible liar.

Isuzu felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from walking once again.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't read the mood."

"…"

"You know, if you like him, you should tell him. I'm surprised you haven't already."

"…"

"Come on Isuzu, say something."

"Well I…I don't know. I don't know if that's the best move right now."

"Do you think Nami is going to give up?"

The mention of Nami made Isuzu visibly flinch.

"That's been bothering you too, right? And Kyoko pushed you to basically confess to him for her. That wasn't right. Of either of them. Especially when it's so obvious how you feel about him."

"Is it really that obvious?" Isuzu asked, barely a whisper.

"It is."

"But I…I'm only just figuring this all out myself…"

"Well, that's the funny thing about it. You don't know until your already too deep to turn away. The important part is what you do next. Don't worry about Nami or Kyoko or anyone else. Just worry about him….not that there's anything to worry about." She threw in quickly.

"It's obvious he adores you."

Isuzu was silent for a moment before nodding her head as she came to a decision.

"Asami, thank you. I think I needed to hear that."

"No problem girl. I figured you needed some encouragement." Asami smiled and pat Isuzu on the shoulder. The two girls then busied theirselves with the task at hand, finding just enough wood to satisfy Haru's need for a fire.

What do you think will happen next? Drop me a review! Thanks for reading!