"I never though I'D need tutoring."

"You realize you've said that three times this HOUR?"

Kimon huffed. "I know...but don't you see the cosmic IRONY in this?? Fate is probably laughing its head off right now." She grumbled, tapping a pencil on the tabletop in near annoyance.

Cye resisted the urge to snicker and shook his head. "You're so hopeless. It's not that big a deal. I know this. You were an excellent teacher and I only hope I'm doing as good a job as YOU did."

She gave a shy smile and tapped her pencil even faster. "You're doing FINE so far." A scowl appeared. "Who ever though I'D need to be tutored?"

He gave in to the urge and laughed at her. She was just so adorable the way she kept phrasing that...as if it were a rhetorical question. Ending with a small cough, seeing he was embarrassing her, Cye tried to rope in his humor. "It's only math. It's understandable that you're having trouble. I'm no whiz like Rowen, but I can assure you I've probably got more patience." He kidded, reaching across the table and taking away the pencil that was taping at an incredible speed. "Relax." He chided, giving a gentle smile.

She heaved a sigh, but sent a lopsided smile over and tried to get rid of the feeling that came from not being able to do something. She was starting to despise being blind anymore...

It wasn't that she HATED being blind, she was pretty used to it now. But it was getting frustrating as she slowly came back to the real world, with Cye's help of course, and saw all the things she COULDN'T do. To not be able to keep up with Cye who, bless his heart, always understood. She was beginning to wonder WHY he kept with her so faithfully and what she did to deserve someone like him. Not to mention how he made her so happy. Happier than she'd ever been in her lifetime.

"You're so quiet all of a sudden, for someone who was cursing having to be tutored."

Her head jerked up, giving a meek smile at being caught up in her thoughts. "Gomen...I'm not a very good pupil am I?" She went to tap her pencil again and clenched an empty fist. Blinking in wonder, her gaze went across the table. "Do you have my-"

A light tap on her hand startled her. "You were going to put a dent in the table...SOMEONE had to stop you." He quietly joked, grinning at her.

She quietly giggled and pressed a hand against her mouth. "Suppose we should get back to work..."

He gave a small sigh at her lack of conviction, leaving his open text and worksheet. He hopped off the high stool and dragged it over. Before she could say a word, he easily picked her tiny frame and deposited her on his lap.

"CYE-CHAN!?" She breathed, too stunned to find her voice. She was immensely shocked at his behavior, but couldn't help that fluttering in her stomach that never ceased to make an appearance whenever he touched her. Her face flamed.

Cye smiled and loosely kept his arms around her frame. "Daijoubu...no one's in here. You should know that. And no one will care..."

She blinked wide eyes at his brashness...but leaned against his chest anyway. "So I take it schoolwork is done for now..."

"Yea..." He murmured, breathing in her shampoo.

Her brow furrowed as she pulled away enough to look to him. "Cye-chan? What is it? Something wrong?" She whispered, hearing something off in his voice.

A small smile tipped his lips. "I was just wondering...well...how long have we been going out Kimon-chan?"

"Six and a half months." She immediately answered, keeping immaculate track of their life together.

Another smile appeared. "In that time, I think we've come to know each other pretty well, don't you think?"

A brow twitched as quiet warning bells buzzed. "Hai... What brought up that thought?" She wondered, almost cautiously looking to his voice.

"No real reason. I was just wondering something for a while now, but didn't know how to bring it up." A finger rose and briefly traced her jaw line. "You had that look on your face that said you were thinking of something. It kinda started me wondering again..."

Her heart started beating faster, almost in worry. What was he getting at?? She tried not to outwardly show anything except confusion and curiosity to his mysterious train of thought. She was trying to guess what it was he was asking for, so she could be one step ahead of him.

"You trust me right?"

Her head jerked back at the abrupt question. Wide eyes looked to his voice...DEFINITELY not liking this odd conversation. It took a minute for her brain to catch up and when it did, she knew he was waiting for an answer. How much DID she trust him?? She DID trust him to a degree...to know he wouldn't hurt her and treat her right. But if it was the DEPTH of which he was asking, she still had reservations about some things. "I..."

He felt a little down. "You don't trust me?" His eyes lowered to the table, as if not wanting to look at her. Why did that hurt so much?

"I didn't SAY that!" She hastily amended. "You...you didn't let me FINISH." A hand gripped his shirt, almost to reassure him. "I DO trust you Cye-chan... Being with you for so long; I know that you won't hurt me in any way. I trust myself to let go a little and be myself with you more than I ever had in the past. I trust you when you guide me whenever we walk. So you see, I DO trust you."

"Do you trust me to keep secrets?"

Her eyes momentarily narrowed. Her hackles were rising and she tried to remain loose in his arms. "What...what do you mean by THAT?"

"Well...we've been going out half a year already...that MEANS something to me. I know it means something to you too. With all the time we spend together, I still wonder about you. I don't know as much about you as I'd like to. If you trust me like THAT, do you trust me enough to tell me more about yourself and know I'll keep it a secret?" Silence. "Will you tell me what happened that made you blind?"

Her attention jerked to him with wide eyes. "What...how do you know...that I-"

"A few months back you made a mention of not having seen a sunset for seventeen years. You're twenty-two." A hand gently brushed against her cheek. "What happened?"

Her whole body was tense and froze in fear. It went from purposely staying loose to losing that fight and freezing up in agitation. WHY did he have to bring up her past?? She KNEW that's what he was talking about. But she was just too scared to say what happened. She couldn't reveal what happened now eighteen years ago...and have him leave her. If he knew what she did as a young brat, he might scorn her and leave her. She would NEVER recover from the feelings she gained while being around him. Her life would be over. She WOULDN'T take that chance...even if it meant keeping him in the dark and not telling him.

Teeth harshly bit her lip as hands fidgeted. Gray turned away as she refused to look at him. What if he could see her decision in her eyes? If he could read her as easily as she read him, then he might already know she was totally reluctant by her body language.

Cye was thoroughly shocked and highly dismayed when Kimon slowly slid off his lap and started shutting down her laptop. He dumbly blinked, watching her as he tried to make sense of the situation and how to handle it. It took him quite a while to find the right question without offending her or making his voice sound dejected. But he still couldn't hide his emotions as well as she was doing right now. "What...what're you doing?" He breathed.

With a harsh swallow, steeling herself, she faced him with a tiny, fake smile. "Just getting things put away. I mean, if we're not going to study anymore, then it's rather pointless to leave everything out isn't it? Don't want to waste the battery."

His heart clenched. She was purposely avoiding the topic. Teeth bit his lip as he silently watched her. WHY?? She just said she trusted him, why didn't she trust him enough to confide in him what happened when she was a child?? Did she think he was just asking as a distraction from studies? Did she think he didn't CARE?? He DID though...he cared a GREAT deal! He wanted to know what took her sight...he wanted to know rather badly actually. Something told him that if she told him that, then the rest of the pieces regarding her life would fall into place. That one big mystery was the only thing keeping him from figuring her out.

He jerked to attention as she shouldered her laptop bag and grabbed her notebook. "Where are you going??" He insisted, hurt in his eyes.

She harshly swallowed and looked to the ground, fighting to keep that fake smile on her face. "It's...it's just too nice outside to stay in here. Fall's almost over and we should ENJOY it, ne?"

Just as she started taking a few experimental steps away to find her bearings, his hand whipped out and grasped her wrist. He felt like she was twisting his heart at a painful grip and couldn't understand the reason for this sudden avoidance. What did he DO?? "Why can't you TELL me??" He whispered, pain in his voice.

She quietly sighed and looked away. Even if she explained her reasons, he would try to talk her out of it and she couldn't allow that. She wouldn't screw up everything they had. Maybe in a day or two apart, when things calmed down a bit, he would forget the whole topic and everything would go back the way it was...

Her silence wasn't good. She was pushing him away; he could tell as if she were outright telling him. "Why?..." He breathed, feeling his eyes mist. Why did it have to hurt this much? His kanji was a point, as it was basically breaking what he WAS in connection with his armor...but that wasn't fully it. It was the strength of emotion he felt that was hurting as well. He never thought she'd push him away like this...and that hurt the most of all. Just when he thought they'd never separate...she was creating the distance. Why was asking about her past THAT hard for her?? Could it be that painful to tell HIM? Did she not trust him to keep it a secret? What more did she WANT to know how sincere he was?!

She rapidly blinked, trying to keep calm. Getting emotional over this wasn't the way to go. She wouldn't, COULDN'T, lose her head over this! If she cried, as she was tempted to do, then Cye would try to comfort her and she would cave and tell him everything. She knew them well enough to know that WOULD happen...and she couldn't let THAT pass either. No...she had to be strong about this...even if she heard the pain in his voice. She squelched the urge to hug him and deeply apologize for what she was doing. This was the best way in the long run. She would avoid the topic and things would be better soon. She knew they'd be.

She gave a quiet sigh. Her shoulders slumped a little, even though she still didn't fully look to his voice. Teeth harshly gnashed her lip as she fought for the right words to say. The silence seemed to stretch out as she thought, but just couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound suspicious or would have him keep answering questions. While she couldn't deny Cye anything he asked...she HAD to deny him this! Even if it was mildly killing her to hear him so pained and anguished.

"Hanaso...Cye-chan..." She slowly whispered, mildly stiffening. Let go... "It's...it's getting late. My otou-san will be here soon..." When he didn't seem to do as asked, she slowly tugged against his grip experimentally. It was strong; he wasn't going to let her go. Her jaw clenched and she rapidly blinked, finally looking to him. Expanding her senses to see what was going on with him, as he was unusually quiet, she took a slow step forward...hand reaching for his face. It was angled down and away from her...and his jaw was clenched impossibly tight. Teeth went back to her lip as she tried to keep an even face...especially after she felt wetness on his cheek. She harshly swallowed. "Cye......-chan..."

The grip on her wrist released and her arm suddenly dropped. She startled and took a small, reflexive step back, feeling anger in the action. She rapidly blinked again, eyes wide as she stared in his general direction. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. "Cye-chan?..."

Hurt, angry blue pierced worried, unseeing gray. His eyes narrowed as they swam with many unshed tears. He couldn't explain the irritation, frustration, and hurt that hit him when she tried to walk away. There were no words to describe how he felt, but if she could see, she'd know the look on his face would've spoken for itself. His jaw clenched and unclenched for what seemed forever as he unknowingly held her gaze. With a harsh swallow, he looked away and slid from his chair.

As if ignoring her, he went for his things as well, stiffly packing them away. Finally shouldering his bag, he faced her again. "If you want to leave, you can. I have nothing to say to keep you here. I just..." His shoulders drooped as the anger fizzled a little. "I just don't know why you can't trust me enough to confide your past with me. Do you think I DON'T want to know?? I very MUCH want to know! I haven't pressed you until now, even though I've been wondering it for MONTHS. Why can't you give me that?? If you say you trust me, why can't you trust me a little more and TELL me??"

The weight of water edged a little heavier at the bottom of her lids. If she didn't get out of here, she WAS going to break down in front of him and bawl like a little child. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions that raged in her blood. "It's...it's not that...simple..." She whispered, taking a step backwards. Her hand shot out to feel for where she was, as her thought process started shutting down.

His jaw clenched as Kimon took a few more steps back, edging around the long planter next to the table. She was trying to leave again! "You're going to regret this..." He whispered, a fist tightly clenching. The pain from nails digging against his skin was a welcome change from the pain in his heart. It pressed even harder with the mild want to dissuade emotional for physical. Why was this HAPPENING?! "If not today...then you'll regret being so foolish down the road." His eyes speared hers again. "What is holding you BACK? What is so horrible that you keep quiet?!"

A small shiver raced up her spine at his voice. He'd NEVER been this outright angry with her, EVER, and it was scary. The hand searching for things around her found nothing but air and she mentally placed herself in the open cafeteria, knowing she was now in the hallway. Still facing him, she edged a little farther away, feeling his gaze on her. "You...you'd never...understand..." She breathed, spinning on her heel and heading for her normal exit. Her mind told her to run, as Cye could easily catch up with her and demand an explanation for THAT. But her heart was flooded with guilt and sadness for purposely distancing them and hurting him. She never MEANT to...but it was BETTER this way...in the long run. It WAS. She didn't want to change his opinion of her and make him think lowly of her, more than he probably already DID.

Blue watched her until she rounded the corner and was gone from his sight. Hands tightly fisted over the table suddenly slammed down on the surface in frustration, creating a loud THUD in the area. His upper body slouched over the table, feeling a tiny bit better from that outlet. When he blinked, the tears kept at bay finally fell to the table and he harshly wiped them away. What did she MEAN by that last statement?? If it wasn't so quiet, he would've missed it completely.

He quickly straightened and fixed his bag. He had to get out of here. He didn't want to be in such a public place where anyone still here could walk by any second. Tightly gripping the strap with one hand, he stalked to his car, fighting the urge to run full speed...as if from this horrible situation. His heart hurt, but his mind kept buzzing with questions of how and why and what. He didn't understand, and he didn't know WHY.

As soon as the car door was open, his bag was thrown rather harshly against the passenger door, getting another THUD. He slammed the door behind him and all but tore out of the parking lot in his haste to leave. The conflicting emotions within his system propelled him to speed back to Toyama...his grip on the wheel white-knuckled.

~*~*~

"I just don't UNDERSTAND this, damn it!" He shouted, hands fisting in his hair.

"Whoa, whoa, calm DOWN buddy...don't let my PARENTS hear you swearing like that. They don't want Chun Fa hearing that stuff."

Cye rolled his eyes and threw his head back against the bed, absently staring at the ceiling. "Like YOU haven't sworn before."

"Yea, but at least I don't do it within hearing distance of my baby sister."

Blue looked to blue with a dry look before he sighed. "I've thought this over from every different angle I can THINK of. I've tried to understand her side and imagine myself in her shoes... I just can't figure out why she's AVOIDING me."

"Have you tried to TALK to her??"

"I called her house the next day, but her father 'oh-so-nicely' told me she didn't want to speak to me." He sarcastically bit out, narrowing his eyes. "My classes get out an hour earlier than hers and if she doesn't want to talk to me, there's no sense in hanging around waiting." He heaved a sigh. "It doesn't make one damn bit of sense!"

"Well...maybe if you give it some more time...she'll come to her senses?"

"It's been THREE DAYS Kento!" He growled, flipping to his stomach. Hands fisted in helplessness. "WHY is she AVOIDING me?? I just don't UNDERSTAND what could be so horrible that she totally ignore me!"

Kento sighed and moved to the bed and sat next to his best friend. He felt helpless at his friend's pain, but there wasn't anything he could do. He KNEW talking to Kimon and getting answers was the easiest way to go about it, but it wasn't his place to step in. The only person who SHOULD talk to Kimon was Cye. A large hand rested on Cye's back, giving a brief pat. "I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better Cye...but I don't understand it as much as you do." A humorless grin appeared. "Kimon's a woman, and you know women never make sense."

"I KNOW Kimon...it's not as simple as 'gender misunderstanding'." He evenly muttered, his voice muffled by Kento's bedspread.

Kento grinned, but shook his head. "If it makes you feel better...I'm on YOUR side about this whole thing..."

Cye gave a derisive snort. "Probably because your kanji is prompting you..."

Kento gave the back of auburn hair a dry look. "Hey...nothing wrong with wanting a little JUSTICE out of this." He lamely kidded, poking Cye's back.

An almost uncomfortable silence fell until Cye sighed in morose. "Why does she have to keep this from ME?" He nearly whispered in the quiet room. Dull eyes looked up at the opposite wall. "Does she even know how much this HURTS? Just knowing she doesn't trust me as much as we BOTH thought she did hurts with my kanji but...I just..." His face went back to the mattress. "I...love her..."

Kento blinked wide eyes, not knowing if he heard right. He leaned over his knees, dumbly staring at the back of Cye's head. "Di...did you just say...you......LOVE her??" He stuttered, mouth agape.

With a tiny smile, feeling love ping and mix with dull hurt, he looked up and smiled a little more at Kento's look. "Hai... Is that so hard to believe?"

Kento's head quickly shook as he sat back and flopped on his back on the bed. "No, no! It's just...when did you start feeling like THIS?? This is new to ME..."

He snorted and rolled over, gently propping his heels up on the wall, going back to staring at the ceiling. "A few months back. I didn't really know what I was feeling, just that I felt it toward my family. It WAS hard to conceive...since Kimon apparently doesn't seem to feel anything REMOTELY like that...but......I DO love her. Maybe THAT'S why it's so hard..."

Knowing he was the first to know this touched Kento. The honesty in Cye's voice and the hesitation when it came to admit that were prime examples. More comfortable silence filled the room for a while. Finally Kento sat up. "Cye, buddy...I think you should talk to MIA about this. If ANYONE can get that girl of yours to spill her guts, it's Mia." He grinned. "And maybe she'll make Kimon see the error of her ways and then you two can finally talk. Then you can enlighten the rest of OUR wondering minds."

Blue met blue and an auburn brow rose. "What are you talking about?" He slowly retorted.

Kento grinned. "What...don't you think the REST of us wonder about her?? HOW you two have been together for so long and get along so well? We all went from seeing someone who wouldn't talk to us, to someone who is a TAD bit friendlier whenever the four of us get a chance to see her again. 'What made her that way?' That's what Rowen asks sometimes." A snicker sounded. "I bet mister know-it-all is probably going nuts trying to figure this puzzle out."

Cye snorted, but couldn't help to smile. With a deep exhale, he sat up and got off the bed. "Thanks for the advice pal. I think a talk with Mia is EXACTLY what I need. She's the bridge between me and Kimon and I could use a little woman wisdom."

"Maybe you should talk to Sage if you want wisdom."

He chuckled and headed for the door, Kento at his heels. "Naw...I'd rather get wisdom from someone who's older. Sage's armor isn't going to help THIS time... Although, if he could shed some light on Kimon, I'd be grateful to him."

They walked in silence to the front door and Kento leaned against the archway and waved as Cye headed for the sidewalk. "Good luck buddy!"

"Arigatou Kento! I'll let you know how it turns out!" He called back.

"Make that ALL of us!" Kento kidded, gently closing the door behind him, shaking his head. "Those two..."

~*~*~

"I really CAN'T believe you pushed him away like that!"

"Oh please don't get on my case...I feel bad enough as it is."

"Then why don't you TELL him?? Heck...why don't you tell ME??"

Teeth momentarily bit down on her lip. "Because...I..."

"Because you CAN'T? I have never bothered to ask you anything about your life that made you even SLIGHTLY uncomfortable. You KNOW that. I let you supply information on your own time."

"Wakarimasu..."

"But when something like THIS happens and you don't think about what you're doing to your relationship with such a great guy, you HAVE to tell him. Do you want this to drive a wedge between you two??"

"I...I never meant to...to hurt him..."

"Then you HAVE to tell him! This IS hurting him! Didn't I tell you that Cye was a very trusting person? Do you know that by avoiding it and showing how little you trust him, after six MONTHS, is probably killing him?"

Kimon grimaced and looked to her teacup, slowly rubbing a finger against the side to fidget. "But...I don't want him to know the truth! He won't want to be NEAR me when he knows!" She returned, feeling the need to make Mia understand. Her shoulders drooped. "I couldn't deal with that if he pushed me away and never wanted to see me."

"So instead, you push HIM away and avoid him for three days." Mia dryly retorted, sending a mild glare to the girl in the other chair. "This is apparently hurting you as well. I don't like seeing you distressed, but you have to wake UP. Didn't I TELL you a long time ago if you took a chance with Cye that it'd be the best thing you could do?? Since then, I've never seen you HAPPIER. Why can't you trust him with this?? What's so BAD about it??"

Gray looked away, almost in irritation. "That's what HE said..." She whispered.

"Well then...ENLIGHTEN me."

She slumped back against the comfy chair, taking no comfort in the plush fabric. It WAS true...she WAS miserable, knowing what she was probably doing to the one person she cared so much for. Yes she cared a great deal for him...but she couldn't subject him to the horror of her childhood. If she heard the horror or distain in his voice, she wouldn't be above pleading to make him understand. With her pride...she would throw it away to make him understand. And that was one reason she couldn't tell him. It'd been a secret between her and Aroon for so long. "I...I can't..."

Mia sighed after a minute and set her saucer and glass on the tray. Slowly, she moved to kneel in front of the girl and took her hands. "You've been my friend for two years, give or take the timeframe. I feel I can say anything to you and you won't tell a soul. Why don't you have that kind of faith in ME? I would swear on my grandfather's GRAVE if that would make you believe me. If you wanted, I'm sure Cye would swear on his FATHER'S grave if you needed that to trust him with your secret." She squeezed Kimon's hands, seeing tears well up. "Your separation has been a bad move on your part. I KNOW you have to realize that. You've never been happier since you met Cye. Honestly, you've rarely been this happy when you spent time with ME. Cye is the one who can GIVE you the happiness you deserve. Let go of whatever it is you're hiding from us and making you miserable. TRUST him."

A tear fell as she tried to swallow. Mia was absolutely right, but...she just...COULDN'T. It wasn't a pride issue to tell Cye, and it wasn't about trust either. She just didn't want to lose him. But...why WAS that?? Surely she should've been fine if only she never got so...attached? She did a mental blink. 'How could I've come to feel something so deep for him? Where did this come from...and when did it START?'

"It's not that I don't trust you or Cye..." She whispered, leaning around to put the teacup on the tray. She leaned back with a sigh, staring at the ceiling. "It's just......hard. I haven't told a SOUL about this...and otou-san is the only other one who knows what happened." Her jaw clenched from a stab of guilt. "But only I know what REALLY happened."

Mia squeezed the girl's hands to let her know she was there and for encouragement. She wanted to know why Aroon didn't know what actually happened, but forcefully bit her tongue. Questions would come when she learned more.

Gray looked away, trying to get past all the barriers that were screaming at her to stop and put distance between herself and the woman. Didn't she OWE this to both Mia AND Cye?? And if that was the case, didn't CYE deserve to know first?? But that depended on how much she could get out to Mia before breaking down. Not having a mother was always such a painful, touchy subject for her and she never liked to admit that. Telling about it wasn't any better.

"Aroon...she listens to you too. Kimon, sit down and BEHAVE yourself!"

"Ah...KI O TSUKERU!"

Her eyes squeezed shut. Why did reliving it always eat her up so badly? After so long, it shouldn't BOTHER her this bad! But...she never really let herself get over it. She accepted the punishment that came along with her actions, but she never really grieved for her mother. She never got to see the woman one last time. That was the saddest part of all.

Tears started to fall as she tried to blink them away. "I...it was...I was only four... My mother...she...and my sight...otou-san never forgave me...for......"

Mia felt bad for pushing Kimon so badly. She leaned back as the girl covered her face and openly sobbed. After a second, Mia stood and gently pulled the girl up to a hug. She was mildly shocked when Kimon tightly wrapped her arms even tighter than hers and sobbed against her shoulder. A hand moved and petted that long, raven hair. "Shh...daijoubu Kimon-chan... Gomen nasai...Sumimasen...I didn't know this hurt you so badly..."

She didn't know much, except that something horrible happened when she was a child. So bad her father never forgave her for it. And that it was eating her soul alive. Kimon couldn't keep something like this inside anymore. She HAD to let it out, if only to FEEL better. The crying she was doing was painful to hear, as the sobs were utterly heart wrenching and from the soul. Whatever happened then also took her sight. Mia blinked and thought that one over. 'So she WASN'T always blind then...'

~*~*~

Not long after Kimon had gone and she started picking everything up to busy herself, the phone rang and gave her another much needed distraction. "Moshi moshi." She tiredly muttered, leaning against the wall.

"Oi Mia? Are you okay?"

Fate was indeed cruel. How ironic that Cye should call after the big emotional wave. Her lips pressed together. "It's...been a long day Cye. What do I owe for your call?"

"I wanted to ask you about what to do with Kimon-chan."

Teeth bit her lip as she resisted the urge to sigh. She was regretting ever getting in the middle of helping these two out. Hopefully this would be the last time she'd ever have to help. "About her avoiding you?"

"So she's talked to you about it?"

She didn't like the accusing, hurt tone in his voice, but brushed it off. His emotions were directed to only one person. Still...she couldn't answer that, as Kimon stuttered through tears to not breathe a word to Cye...as she would think about telling him. She didn't really LEARN that much...but she learned a wisp of information. And depending on how much CYE knew, that might not be much. "You have to talk to her Cye." She quietly sidestepped, hoping he'd miss the slip when she finished talking. A hand rubbed against her forehead. "You CAN'T let her keep avoiding you like she is over whatever happened in her past! It's...eating her alive."

"So she DID tell you?? Why didn't she tell ME?"

"Calm down... I don't know much YOU know, but she didn't even get out a full sentence without breaking down into tears." Deathly silence sounded on the other line. That sure shocked him if nothing else. She openly sighed and slouched to the floor, feeling tired. "She only told me about a dozen words, all which didn't make sense. Gods...this is hurting her so much, but she won't let it out. It's like she and her father made some kind of invisible, silent vow to not SAY anything. It's highly touchy and that's all I know. Whatever you do to get her to talk, don't let her dodge the question." Auburn leaned against the wall as blue looked up to the ceiling. "I feel bad for pushing her to try and tell it to me. It's delicate Cye...try not to feel angry at her not telling you. If you saw what I saw, you'd feel guilty for trying to push her too."

After an extremely long pause, a deep sigh sounded. "Wakaru. I swear I'll find out what's going on, if only for both of our sakes. When I figure out the truth, I'll see how much she'll let me tell you."

"Thank you. I want to know probably as much as you do, but I can wait until she comes to terms with it." A humorless grin appeared. "After holding her till she calmed down, I'm suddenly filled with a lot more patience."

Another silence passed. "Don't worry Mia...I'll get to the bottom of this. I swear it."