A/N: I've been told as far as content goes I could probably change the rating to T, so I did. I'm not changing anything in regards to content in past or future chapters. If anyone objects (now or further down the line), let me know. I won't change content, but rating only takes a button. 780 will stay M.

Beta'd by Huhn.

The Seeker

Juno was in seventh grade when she learned she was average. Her teacher, a plump, middle-aged woman named Mrs. Miller, had posted a public class ranking on the wall outside of her homeroom. Juno found herself at the very top of the bottom third. It was the first time she had ever sworn in public.

Seven years later, she still struggled. Juno began her second semester at Randgriz's Guilford College with a C- average. Her mother had been mortified, and her father threatened to pull her out of school if she didn't improve. Humiliated, she walked into her first class and took a seat in the middle of the third row of the lecture hall. The class was Introduction to Biology, and she was determined to write down everything the professor said. Opening her notebook, she pulled out a pen and prepared for the lesson.

She hadn't heard a word of the lecture. She spent the whole time focusing on the man who sat scribbling notes six seats to her left in the first row. He leaned forward against his desk as if his life depended on the next word that came out of the professor's mouth. She had never seen anyone so absorbed in a lesson. Juno walked out of the class having learned one thing: she didn't know who the man was, but she wanted to love learning as much as he did.

Three more years, and Juno was a Platoon Sergeant in that man's Squad. When Welkin had told her he was holding off on finishing their final semester in order to join the Militia, she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she went with him to the recruitment office and they swore their oath together. She had even declined a starting position as a Lieutenant leading her own Squad in order to stick with him. When they offered to make her a First Sergeant in another unit instead, she declined that too. They dropped her into Squad 7 as a Buck Sergeant, and she couldn't have been happier—or more frustrated.

Juno's mood flipped between the two by the day. Today, it was frustrated. With Aisha in tow, she stormed down the main walkway of Randgriz Park. The path was lined on one side with a small stone wall and hand railing, and on the other side of that wall sat Randgriz Park's Lake Endlam. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Juno didn't notice. She was too focused on looking for Welkin.

She'd expected him to be in the park. It wasn't like the forests and fields outside of Bruhl, but the park had enough wildlife to keep him busy. He'd spent most of his breaks there the last few times Squad 7 stopped off in Randgriz. Usually he would root for bugs in the gardens, or sit just off a nature trail to watch birds.

With the assault on Rodez immediately having followed the landings on Marberry Shore, Juno hadn't had much time to talk to him. At least, not about his sister. It seemed like every time they had met since her death, their discussion stayed focused on orders. Now that the post battle debriefings were finally winding down, she felt she should be there for him.

He needed time away from his responsibilities as a Lieutenant, and Juno had the perfect idea. Welkin had always wanted to be a teacher—giving Aisha a nature lesson would make for the perfect distraction. It'd be great for Welkin, and Aisha would love it too. After the lesson, she figured they could drop Aisha back off at the base and talk like they used to.

They didn't find him. Juno had a nagging suspicion who he was with. Coming into the Squad, Juno figured everything was going to continue as it had in college. They'd go on nature walks together, and meet up to relax in their free time. She hadn't counted on Alicia.

Anyone in the Squad could see that Welkin and Alicia had grown close. By the time the Squad had hit Barious, it was clear their relationship wasn't strictly professional. It frustrated Juno to no end, because even though she saw that Welkin and Alicia were more than just friends, she found she couldn't hate her.

Not that she hadn't tried. In the heat of the Barious Desert, Juno had committed to making a list of everything about the woman she hated. She'd given up writing within ten minutes—not because she hadn't found anything she didn't like about her, but because for every trait she wrote, she had come up with two qualities in Alicia that she admired. Once she realized how much respect she had for her, they became best friends.

In fact, she became one of the best friends Juno had ever had. In her dreams, Alicia had played the maid of honor when she married Welkin. Now that it was clear she was only a friend, she had nightmares of becoming Alicia's maid of honor, and it was becoming clear that the nightmare was closer to reality than the dream. There was no way she could compete with Alicia. She was only average, after all. She couldn't even bring herself to hate the woman who stole her dream. Pathetic.

Juno was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to see Aisha staring up at her, one hand clinging to the fabric of her uniform. "Can we slow down?" she asked.

Aisha may have been a trooper, but she was only twelve, and a foot and a half shorter. "Sorry," Juno replied. In her rush to find Welkin, she hadn't noticed how fast she was walking. For each step she took, Aisha needed to take a step and a half.

"It's okay. I just don't want to get left behind."

When she was the girl's age, Juno had spent her days in the meadow behind her house, not the gloom of the Militia barracks. Aisha would never have admitted to needing a break, but Juno could tell she was winded. She pretended she was tired herself. "How about we take a bit of a rest then? I could use a break."

Aisha answered with a smile that seeped a childish innocence Juno hadn't been able to produce since she was fourteen. It wasn't too hot, so stepping off the path to hunker under the trees lining the walkway wasn't necessary. Juno wanted to get a view of the lake anyway. A bevy of swans had made it their home. Whether they found Welkin or not, Aisha would get her lesson.

The park was crowded, and finding a secluded spot on the wall would be tough. People lined the barrier almost as far as Juno could see. Most of them were wearing uniforms. She had almost given up on finding a spot when she noticed a pair of Militiamen ahead. One of them was a large, muscular man, and the other was a comparatively tiny girl with crutches – Jann and Dallas. "Alright," she said, grabbing Aisha's hand, "looks like we've got friends. What do you say we stop by and say hello?"

Aisha nodded. "Sure!"

As they walked towards them, Juno found their positions reversed. Aisha was in the lead, and she was all but dragging her along. Before Juno could match pace, she saw Jann glance up. Somehow he whipped up a smile that matched Aisha's. "Hey there," he said. He tapped Dallas on the shoulder and pointed them out. "How are you ladies today?"

"Super," Aisha said.

Jann laughed and patted her on the head. "That's great." He turned to Juno. "And you, June?"

"Just fine." As she spoke to Jann, she looked into Dallas's eyes. Dallas was smiling, but her eyes were red. It looked like she'd been crying. "Yourself?"

"Just fabulous."

Jann sounded genuine, but it seemed Aisha noticed Dallas's tears as well. "Then what's the matter?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Dallas replied, wiping her arm across her face. "I'm fine."

Jann put his hand on Dallas's shoulder. "We were just talking about some adult things, sweetie. Nothing you have to worry about for a few more years."

Aisha didn't look happy with that answer, but Juno stepped forward before she could pout. That particular nature lesson could wait for another day. "I hate to jump onto other things, but have either of you seen Welkin around?"

"Yeah," Jann said. "He passed through here earlier. Said he wanted to check out those swans."

Of course he had. In any case, Juno had stopped by the park too late. "Did he say where he was headed?"

"Can't remember. You remember, Dallas honey?"

"The hospital."

Jann snapped his fingers. "That's right. He went to the Hospital with Alicia. Said they were going to visit some of our wounded warriors."

Nodding, Juno rested her forearms on the wall. She couldn't give him the distraction she wanted to at the hospital. "I guess somebody has to keep those nurses from jumping on Salinas," she said, hoping a touch of humor would mask her disappointment. "He's a charmer."

"He's a pig," Dallas said.

"He's not that bad." He was a bit of a flirt, but he was reliable. If she hadn't been in love with Welkin, she might have had a crush on him. "I'll bet he's having the time of his life right now with all those nurses waiting on him."

Jann stepped next to her on the wall. He had a grimace on his face that said, I hate to be a downer, but…. "Actually, he's not doing so hot."

"Huh?"

"I stopped by to visit him earlier. His heart's pretty torn up."

Aisha cocked her head. "I thought he was hit in the shoulder."

Jann brought his hand to his chest and tapped. "Wasn't the bullet that did the damage."

Juno should have seen that coming. Freesia. She'd been the one woman in the world who could have tamed Salinas. Now she was missing. "That's rough."

Jann moved the hand pressed against his chest to his shoulder. "His shoulder will be healed by the time we ship out again. The rest of him…."

"I'll keep an eye on him." She'd have to visit soon. Not just Salinas, but the rest of her squad mates, too. She'd been so busy preparing for Catherine's funeral that she hadn't gotten the chance to stop by the hospital. It was difficult to believe the funeral was already coming up the next day, and even harder to think about. If Alicia had become her best friend, Catherine had been her role model. She didn't believe she could think about it without bursting into tears, so she pushed the thought aside. Welkin wasn't the only person who needed a distraction—she needed one herself. Maybe that was part of the reason she proposed Welkin's lesson in the first place. "How about it, Aisha?" She nodded further down the path. "You ready to get back on the road?"

Aisha's signature smile shone through Juno's slump. As disturbing as it was, it was nice having a little girl around. "Are Jann and Dallas coming?"

"They're more than welcome, but if they've still got things to talk about then—"

"Not at all," Jann said. "I think everything that needed saying was said. Right, Dallas?"

Dallas nodded. Her eyes were starting to dry. "I'd love a walk." She paused. "Or a hobble," she said, hoisting her crutches.

"Then let's get hobbling." Jann did an impression of a man walking with crutches that made Aisha giggle. Even Dallas laughed. Juno didn't. She didn't think it wasn't funny—a distant voice in her mind told her she should be howling—it just didn't bring any feeling. Her mind was preoccupied. A funeral, a hospital visit, and Welkin. Always Welkin.

As much as she loved Aisha, Jann, and Dallas, she didn't love them the way she loved Welkin, and they weren't the company she'd been looking for. If all she was ever going to be to him was a friend, she at least wanted to be there for him—even if only in that role. It didn't seem she could do even that. After letting the others take a few seconds' head start, she stepped away from the wall with a heavy sigh and walked down the path behind them.

Next: Man of the Hour