Chisato counted the different sounds she could hear. Crickets, random bird, wind, water from the stream that's close by. It didn't really matter. Chisato focused in on one, the one directly behind her…the near-silent breathing of three mouths, each one distinct. She focused even more on the one which was the most erratic, the most chaotic of the three. Ashton, how badly have I confused you?, she thought to herself. She moved herself back farther, an impossible gesture as her back was already against him.

As if to answer her earlier question, Ashton exhaled slowly. "Chisato…why me? Why did you choose to come to me tonight, and why are you l-…laying down in front of me now?"

Chisato turned her body, which was now facing Ashton. She could see, of course, that Ashton was a man. However, what always caught her eye were the more boyish features, such as the fact that besides his head, he was almost totally hairless. It was an interesting parallel to the brave swordsman who once helped to defeat Indalacio.

"Ashton…why are you still trying to understand? What makes you think I know?"

This caught Ashton off guard. "Y-you don't?"

"Of course not. All I know is…ever since we saw Rena and Claude so in love, something clicked in me. How long have we known each other…six, seven months? And during that time, no romantic bones for quivered, my heart never skipped a beat when you entered the room."

Ashtons gaze lowered.

Chisato started again quickly. "No, no, I'm not finished yet! …At that point I saw how happy the others were: Rena and Claude, Celine and Chris…both of those pairs knew how to make the other happy. It made me understand the utter void in my life that I've been running from ever since I can remember.

"You know I've been working eighty-hour weeks, every week, since I turned 18? I can't help feeling lonely. Don't you understand? And then I caught the big fish, the warriors who would defeat the Wise men, and save the universe! And I watched you fight…I watched you sleep…I watched everything. When I was accepted, though…I couldn't help but leap that someone, SOMEONE, cared.

"But then, Ashton, I got to know you…the quiet expellian with two dragons as friends. I never knew who you liked, but I knew somehow that you were my soulmate. Maybe since we're so different." She smiled.

Ashton blushed. "W-we aren't THAT different."

Chisato giggled. "Try going three sentences without blushing or stuttering."

Ashton blushed even greater. "I can be stronger with my emotions, but I-"

Chisato put her hands to his lips. "No! Don't ever do that! If you want strength, draw it from me…to change yourself is not something I want. Your little quirks are what make you strong."

She removed her hands from his lips and kissed him long. She could feel his hand shivering next to her body, so she held it tight to her own.

"Chisato…"

"Ashton…my mother, she always told me a little story about a child who flew too close to the sun. She then added the little moral at the end…'Before you fly, test your wings…for only then will you know how high you can soar.' Ashton…test your wings. Show me how high we can fly."

Ashton hugged her and moved her gently…then he blew out the candle in the corner.

~