"You're so bad at playing."

"Well, at least I'm not the one who almost let us to out deaths."

"Will you shut up about that? Nobody asked you to come, anyway."

"I don't care! You could've died if it weren't for me!"

"Well, remember, I was the one who saved us."

It had been a few days since the incident. And Nyau wouldn't shut up about it, much to Near's annoyance.

When Near and Daidara first visited Nyau, he had the usual reaction. He was angry, but nothing went too far. He would never admit it, but he was actually glad that they both made it out alive.

But currently, they were playing a game of chess in the dining room. And Nyau was losing, horribly.

"Gahhh, this is absolute bull!" Nyau yelled as he threw the chessboard away. All the pieces scattered about.

"That wasn't necessary," Near replied as he still held a chess piece in between his fingers. He was about to make the final move with it. But Nyau had to lose it, of course.

"Whatever," the blonde grumbled as Near was picking up all of the pieces.

"Hey, Near?" Nyau asked.

"What is it?"

"I heard it from Liver, but you really did use my Teigu, didn't you?"

The white-haired boy stopped in his tracks for a moment. "I apparently really did."

"Wow," Nyau breathed out. "You're something else, you know that?"

"I hear that almost every day. So yes, I know that."

"Hey! I just complimented you! Be a bit more grateful!"

"I guess you two can't be together without Nyau yelling every two seconds."

The duo looked over to see Esdeath entering the room. She, in turn, raised her eyebrow at seeing the mess.

"What happened here?"

"It was him," they said in unison while simultaneously pointing at each other.

She sighed, "it doesn't really matter. I came to tell you that tomorrow we'll be leaving for the North. The prince of the North has taken land belonging to the Empire. Me and my army have been tasked to take it back."

Near blinked, "what about me?"

"You're staying here. I'll leave you under the care of Great General Budo. He'll be giving you your tasks. Make sure to follow his orders."

"Whaaaaaat? Why does Near have to stay with that old geezer? I though you didn't like him!" Nyau added.

"While I'm not really fond of him, I still respect him. And I trust him enough to know that no harm will come to Near when he's with him. The Minister's little son has been wandering around here lately, too. And he has been having much fun. But that boy knows he can't cross the Grand General. So it will be for the best if Near stays with him."

"Wait! Why not take Near with us?!"

"You're really sounding like a child who's not getting what he wanted." Near added.

"You, shut up!"

"It would really be a waste of time. What could Near do in a warzone?"

"Uhhhh, murder people? I don't know..." Nyau added, scrathing his head.

"Exactly my point, Nyau," Esdeath then turned around. "And next time, keep you voice down. Or I'll throw you out the window."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Whining little child."

With that, Esdeath closed the door. But to be honest, she wasn't the biggest fan of leaving Near to Budo. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Near's morals are still unclear to her. She didn't know if he would be going against this Empire behind the scenes and there could be a possibility the white-haired boy and the Grand General could become allies.

That idea may be a bit far-fetched, but she couldn't help to think about it. Then again, she was confident she could handle them both. And this was an opporunity to see where his allegience laid. Taking out the Northern Prince may not take that long, anyway.

She'll see how things will turn out to be.

The sun had set and it was currently 10 o' clock. Near was on the hunt for a very specific book. One that was about the known Teigus.

"No, this isn't the one, either." Near sighed as he was searching for the book in the enormous library.

Of course, with such a book containing such information, this library wasn't accessable for everybody. But, because of Esdeath, he could read to his heart's content.

He often had nothing better to do, so he just read.

Once again he sighed in slight annoyance. Maybe someone had taken it with them? Or maybe this book was just too important for this library?

Just as he was finishing that though, Esdeath herself entered, with the book in her hands.

"Looking for this, Near?"

The white-haired boy looked over to see Esdeath herself standing a few meters away from him.

"Hello, General. And yes, I actually was."

She walked over to him and handed him te book.

"Make sure to memorize everything thorougly. You're going to be investigating Night Raid soon."

"Who are they?"

"A rising group of assassins terrorizing the Empire. They have killed numerous people and continue to do so. All of them also have Teigus. I will probably be tasked to go after them when I'm back. However, you're competent enough to find some clues about them. So I wanted you to get started, even if I'm not here."

"I see," he scanned the book in his hands. "Memorizing won't be that hard."

She smiled, "that's good to hear."

She walked closer to him. She couldn't help but note how he barely reached her shoulders. It almost made her laugh. Since Near was slightly taller than Nyau, she just realized how short Nyau is.

It was really strange that no matter where the conversation took place, there was always some shade thrown at the blonde. But that was a thought for another time. Now was the time to get some answers.

"Can you show me your collarbone?" Esdeath asked out of the blue.

Near visibly flinched at her request.

'Where did this come from?!' Was the white-haired boy's first thought.

He had become afraid, but her voice, it was so soft and comforting. Not demanding, at all. It actually put some peace in his mind.

"Why do you want to see it?" Was his hasty reply. He acted way out of character, and there was no doubt she noticed that.

She slightly bend her knees so that she was at eye level with him. Her hand found its way onto his cheek and gently caressed it.

"Please."

She looked back at him with beautiful, caring eyes. A small smile was on her lips. It was almost like a mother trying to comfort her child.

Near looked back at her with wide eyes, surprised to see this outcome.

However, he just couldn't bring himself to make her wish come true.

So, he took a step back.

"I, um, I'm sorry, General. I cannot fulfill your command. I, uh...there is nothing to worry about. I-I'm sorry."

With that, he hesitantly walked out of the library. Esdeath's expression showed no emotion as he walked past her.

She thought it was best to give it some time. She would have to return to this topic tomorrow. But they wouldn't be seeing each other since her and her army would be leaving early. And Near had already said goodbye to the Three Beasts and her earlier today.

Her curiosity was peaked, but unfortunately she had to wait until she was back. It would've been the perfect opportunity to gain his trust and loyalty, though...

Near had mixed emotions. He was afraid and...angry. Angry at himself for turning down a person who wanted to help him. Who maybe even cared.

He was so confused. There have been a few times in his life where he absolutely didn't know what to do, and his current predicament was no exception.

He almost wanted to turn back and show Esdeath. However, he quickly decided against it.

His hand clutched the book closer to his chest.

'Was this really the right choice?'

Near retired back to his room, wanting nothing more than to just sleep.

A/N: Hello everybody, I am finally back! I hope all of you are safe and well out there. Hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I can't promise frequent updates, but I'll do my best!