Chapter 15

"Do you have any questions?" Crow asked, forcing the dark thoughts back as he glanced back down at Melyssa.

"No, but…"

Melyssa made a vow not to keep any more secrets from Rean from now on and she had one more she had to tell him about. Ash already knew this and she could feel Crow following her, not minding if he overheard it. Juna, Kurt, Altina, and Ash had taken off to do club meetings or whatever was on their agenda since school was over for the day.

"Instructor?" She walked up to him, feeling that nervous energy all over again. Why did it only happen with Rean? Melyssa couldn't figure it out and shoved it aside, needing to be brave and have courage. "I need to talk to you about the upcoming trip to Jurai. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." Rean's eyes flashed to Crow.

Nodding, Crow excused himself, taking off with the rest of the group. He was curious of course, but if it was something he NEEDED to know, someone would tell him. He had already exploded once on Melyssa, he was learning how to be patient and these days he found he possessed a LOT of patience. Maybe it was because the 'big' secret had been told.

Rean shook his head at how fast Crow had taken off, not missing the way the other man looked back at Melyssa. Giving her his firm attention, he smiled down at her. "Walk with me?" He extended his arm to her, raising an eyebrow when she hesitated. "You're not still on pins and needles with me, are you?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"No."

Melyssa looped her arm through his, really hoping Rean wasn't angry at her after she told him what was on her mind. "It's only been a couple of days since…everything happened, so it'll take a little longer before I don't feel nervous around you anymore."

"Understood, so what's on your mind?"

While they walked, Melyssa explained to him what happened between her and her parents in Jurai, just like she'd done with Ash. They stopped walking the field and she turned to face Rean, seeing all the questions burning in his fuchsia eyes. "I was sworn to secrecy, so I can't tell you who my outside help is, but…you deserve to know the storm you're about to walk in when we go to Jurai on Friday. I promised I wouldn't keep anything from you anymore and, if you want, I can ask my outside help if it's all right to divulge their name. I want to make it clear that I'm not here illegally though. I just got in…unconventionally."

"Unconventionally is right…"

Rean whistled, wondering just why this girl thought it was all right to bring drama into their lives now that everything was so peaceful. He inwardly smiled, not meaning the thought maliciously, he supposed this was what 'normal' was when not fighting monsters or working to save an empire. Drama and crazy students, gossip, and… a lot of things he had probably been guilty of as a student himself now that he thought about it. She definitely had her share, but he was assuming it was for all the right reasons.

"Jurai isn't exactly a small place." Well, it was… just not THAT small. "Do you really think we'll run into your parents?" He asked quietly, curiosity needling at him about her unknown sponsor. Whoever it was, they had to be someone with some power to get things done, he really hoped it was all above board.

Oh, it was and if Rean knew who helped her get into the academy, he would've probably hit the ground at her feet. "That's why I'm telling you this because…well, Juna told me that you're trying to help Crow with his memories and that place, my parents, have A LOT of memories for him. I just don't want to cause any problems on this field study, so I think it would be best if we steered clear of my parents' house and the fishing company. If not, I'll deal with it, but I already know they're not going to be happy to see me after I ran away to join Thors." Her birthday was Saturday, so they would be in Jurai when she turned 18 and she knew if she saw her parents, it would be brought up. They were there for schooling, not for any other reason and everyone had to stay focused. "I'm sorry…again…"

Her eyes lowered from his, feeling conflicted and the fact they were out here, alone, made her a little on edge too, though she tried to hide it. Rean didn't know what to say to her, pulling back to rake both hands through his hair. He wasn't even bothering trying to be her instructor right now because she needed a friend.

"Do you want to see your parents?" He asked finally, wondering if she was homesick. That would be conflicting, for her, being homesick, but at the same time having to be concerned about how they would react to what was tantamount to her having run away. "Does Crow know about this? I know we all want to help him, but if there's going to be issues, I know even he would want to avoid that." Or at least wait until they had private time or holidays to visit on. "Hey," She looked ready to cry and Rean reached out, gently cupping her chin in the palm of his hand. "It's not so bad." He smiled down at her, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I-I don't know if I want to or not. Half of me does and the other half is terrified because they were against me coming here. I haven't seen them in over a year…" Pull yourself together, this is your damn Instructor, Melyssa mentally chastised herself, taking a deep breath and managed to keep the tears at bay. "No, Crow doesn't know about it, but…Ash does. I told him the day all hell broke loose while we were getting something to eat. He's…not easy to dissuade, I'm finding out…" The weird part was he was incredibly easy to converse with, even with his lewd behavior. "I'm going to tell Crow about it tonight. I was hoping he'd stick around to hear this with you, but he took off rather quickly…"

"Crow is still figuring out things with you," Rean said with a reassuring smile, wishing there was something he could do to set her at ease. She had always been a little odd in his presence but it had increased since her blow-up and subsequent apology. It was water under the bridge as far as he was concerned, he just wished she'd believe that. "It's a little… odd that you told Ash all of this." It was beyond odd, actually. "I know it's not any of my business," His cheeks were slowly tinting pink, but he forged on. "But are you and… Carbide a, um, thing?" Because that would just be the weirdest and most unlikely thing ever. Ash flirted with every woman under 60 and over 18 and his brand of flirting was borderline indecent as a general rule, so seeing Ash with anyone for longer than a few days would have been a miracle.

Did Rean Schwarzer just ask her, his student, about her LOVE life?! "WHAT?!" Melyssa did NOT mean to shout that, but the question came out of left field and legitimately shocked her. She slowly backed up from him as his hand left her face, teal eyes wide as saucers. "Goddess, no!" Her cheeks had gone from slightly flushed to crimson red in a matter of seconds as she shook her head almost violently. "No, no, no…we're just friends!" What was wrong with two classmates having a bite to eat and one confiding in the other? Granted, they were the opposite sex, but she felt NOTHING towards Ash besides friendship. "I know it may seem like it at times, but I promise you, there's NOTHING there and Ash will tell you the same thing. He doesn't feel anything for me. I just…confided in him because I was upset after I yelled at you outside of my dance club." Goddess, she hoped she wasn't lying because Ash was incredibly hard to read. "Let me put your mind at ease, Rean. The only love I have in my life is my sword."

Oh Aidios, her cheeks were on FIRE right now. She had already broken her vow not to lie to Rean again, but there was NO WAY Melyssa could tell him her heart belonged to another. It had been claimed by the very man who couldn't remember who she was and she didn't see him relinquishing her heart anytime soon.

She was cute when she was flustered and Rean could tell he had flustered Melyssa quite a bit. She was shouting at him again. He wasn't taking any offense to it because he knew she was flustered and he wondered if he was crossing a line by asking. It wasn't his fault he wasn't much older than his students, was it? Complicated, this teaching thing. "I was only asking, Melyssa, you don't have to deny it so hard." He teased gently, though he wouldn't deny it was a relief, knowing she wasn't dating the vulgar Ash. Rean doubted any woman would be able to date the philanderer for very long.

Her eyes narrowed at him slightly as Melyssa folded her arms in front of her chest. "You're amused with this, aren't you?"

He was only a few years older than her; the age gap really wasn't that big between her and Rean. Two years for them and three years with Crow. One year between her, Ash, and Kurt, and she had no idea how old Altina actually was. That was a grey area.

"So, what about you then? Do YOU have a special lady in your life, Rean?"

The tables had turned and now HE was the one who looked flustered, his face tinged pink. If he could ask her personal questions, why couldn't she reciprocate? He really didn't act like an Instructor at all.

"No, I don't." Rean had plenty of opportunities, there was no shortage of adoring fans out there who would love to be his 'special lady'. Monique immediately came to mind and he shoved that right back out, no way was that ever happening. "Too many women want the Ashen Chevalier, so for now, I'm content to live vicariously through my friends until the right girl comes along." He didn't act like an Instructor when not instructing because of the age, it was hard, after classes were over, being the 'teacher' when all he wanted was to be the 'friend'.

Alisa Reinford, Laura Arseid, Emma Millstein, Fie Claussell, Towa Herschel -she was one of the current Instructors of Thors Branch School- were just some of the women Rean had bonded with over the past couple of years. Everyone thought he would choose Alisa, a beautiful blonde with a stacked body and glowing red eyes. Then, there was Laura with her gorgeous, insanely long blue hair -lighter than Melyssa's- and deep burnt amber eyes. She followed the way of the sword and everyone thought she and Rean would make a great couple as well. Emma was a witch with flowing dark pink hair and blue eyes – again, another choice candidate for the Ashen Chevalier. Fie was beautiful in her own way, a former Yaeger, who was now a Bracer and helped citizens all throughout Erebonia, alongside their former Instructor, The Purple Lightning, Sara Valestein. Towa was cute in her own way with brown hair and eyes, very short and Rean had helped her immensely while she was the Student Council President during their tenor at the Thors Main School. Rean had been drowning in a sea of beautiful women and, yet, he was single, which made no sense to a lot of people and their colleagues.

"I'll be honest with you, I thought you and Instructor Herschel were together." Melyssa had caught them together a time or two walking around Leeves. "I guess you can't judge two people of the opposite sex by simply looking at them." Just like her and Ash had been judged, apparently, just for simply being spotted together in town.

Rean's problem was that he 'bonded' with a lot of people due to his nature. He wanted to help everyone, he was concerned for everyone, and he took on other's problems as if they were his own. That tended to lead to a lot of bonding and a lot of lonely nights, even though there were plenty of offers and assumptions.

"No," He shook his head. "I'm not with anyone." Man or woman, there were people he was attracted to, for sure, but so far not enough to warrant pursuing something serious. He was hoping that would change soon, lonely nights were getting old.

"If I were you, I'd keep that fact under wraps, especially from people in the school."

Monique would JUMP at the chance to be with her adorable Ashen Chevalier. Melyssa giggled at the face Rean made and looped her arm through his again as they began walking the grounds. It was weird, Rean was very easy to talk to, even more so than Ash. The nervous energy she felt earlier had evaporated and she looked up at the stars peeking out one by one, the moon half shaped in the sky.

"I never realized how beautiful this place is. You graduated from the Thors Main School in Trista, right? What's it like there? Is Leeves similar?"

"Mmm, yes, and no. No two places are exactly alike. The main school was…. a little different, more traditional than this one, but not so bad." Rean said after a long moment, pacing himself slowly because this was nice and relaxing. "Yeah, by the way, I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anyone know about my relationship status, them speculating but unsure keeps me a bit safe…" Monique came to mind, he grimaced. Nice girl, she was sure, but she was so in love with the Ashen Chevalier and his 'deeds' that she tended to overlook the man.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." This reminded her of the morning they sparred together and how Rean helped her decide what club to pursue. There was something about Rean Schwarzer she couldn't quite put her finger on and it had nothing to do with him being the Ashen Chevalier, a hero of Erebonia. "Maybe one day I'll see Trista for myself. I heard it's a beautiful little town." She stopped and turned to face Rean, a soft smile on her face. "You really are completely different than what I made up in my head. If someone else was in your position, they would be flaunting their status all over the place as being the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves or the Ashen Chevalier. And you don't…and that's very admirable. But I also think you should embrace who you are instead of hiding from it. You are who you are and you should be proud of your accomplishments and what you've done. That doesn't mean you have to flaunt the titles or whatever, but instead of looking sheepish and down when someone refers to you as the Ashen Chevalier or Divine Blade, you should keep your head up, Rean. I know it can't be easy and I can only imagine what you've been through to obtain those titles, but you should wear them with pride and honor. I just thought you should hear that, even if it's from your first-year student."

"And I appreciate it, Melyssa, and you are not just my first-year student but my friend as well," Even if they didn't always see eye to eye or had some weird, awkward moments. "Maybe one day I will, but not just yet I don't think, there are still too many people who… see me as larger than life and as someone to be revered." Which made it awkward to even acknowledge the other title. Goddess, even she had been that way at first, in awe of the Ashen Chevalier and he had felt a bit bad because of how overwhelmed she was on those first few days with him, and then Crow -not that he had known it at the time-, and being in Class VII. "If I was out of line for asking about you and Ash, I apologize."