Ryu let out a huge yawn and dizzily scratched the back of his head.

Guess it was kinda too late last night. Oh well, a nice breakfast should do…

Pursing his lips, he went through the content of the shelves and fished out some bread and a few small pieces of meat. More or less satisfied with his findings, he turned around, pulled out one of the chairs and plopped down onto it.

Yet before even starting to eat, he stretched his tired muscles, letting out another huge yawn.

Just in that very moment, Katt entered the room, seeing him at once.

"Ah, there you are!" she exclaimed with a grin on her lips.

"Huh? Me?" Ryu asked, frowning, pointing at himself with his index finger, somewhat not knowing but curious what she might be needing him for.

"I've been looking for you all the time. There's something I kinda gotta talk to you about."

A very puzzled look could be mad out on Ryu's face, because he could think of nothing she might want to talk to him about.

Had he possibly done anything wrong?

However, before risking his brain to break down because of excessive research of information that was temporarily unavailable, he decided to rather make it easy and just ask her.

"So what do you need to talk to me about? Anything wrong?"

Katt walked up to a chair, put her foot onto it and brought her hands up to her hips.

"Well, actually I should be to one to ask you that."

Noticing Ryu shrug left her with the realization that he was absolutely unaware of what was going on and the thus she had no choice but to go on telling him.

"Well, I met Nina just a few minutes ago. And, she, you know, seemed kinda absent minded to me. And when I started talking to her and ask her if anything was wrong, she sort of avoided me and just left. So I just thought, you know, that probably you know what's going on…" she asked with a questioning look.

Despite the initial problems, Ryu's brain finally started working, analysing her question, and subconsciously creating a connection to the events of the past night.

Could it be that their small conversation was still on her mind, troubling her thoughts?

"Umm… probably…" he started hesitantly, "well, we had a … umm… a small conversation last night. I kinda noticed her sitting outside and joined her, asking what was on her mind. After some time she confessed that it was still all about her sister and I tried to… you know… cheer her up. That's about it."

Nina slowly walked up to the kitchen door, more or less determined to talk to Ryu about the events of the past night. Yet she came to a sudden halt as she heard voices coming from inside the room in front of her.

Katt? And who else? Ryu, isn't it?

She had not really caught anything they had said yet, only being able to make out who was talking. Yet her curiosity got the best of her and she leaned closer to the door, trying to overhear what was being spoken inside.

Katt frowned, plopping down onto the chair, rubbing her forehead.

"Hmmm… well, I can't really see what she might have gotten wrong about that…"

However, the thoughtful expression quickly transformed into the usual mocking face, a grin playing around her lips. "That is, unless you made her any false hopes. You know, you're mine!" she joked, nudging him playfully in the ribs.

Ryu grinned back, chuckling slightly.

"Sure I know, sweetheart. And nothing can change what we have." He replied, sticking out his tongue at her before finally taking a bit bite of his bread.

Still grinning and at the same time shaking his head, he leaned back with his chair. It was always fun joking around with Katt.

Nina's eyes got wide open.

Sweetheart??? No, this can't be! It just can't be!

Unbelievingly, she took a few steps backwards, away from the door. Trying to deny the truth.

What had up to now just been speculation, faint and easily shoved to the back of her brain, had now, at once, come to reality, abruptly and violently.

Her knees starting to get week, the first few tears rolling down her cheeks, she started shaking her head hypnotically.

It can't be true… It simply can't be true…

Not being able to deny the obvious truth, she had nothing left but escape.

To flee, to take off and leave all the aching pain behind.

Then she started to run. To run for the sake of her heart.

From behind the door, there was a sudden noise, which immediately caught Ryu's and Katt's attention. They turned their heads in the direction of the sound and listened closely.

Ensuing the excited rustling was the echo of fleeing footsteps.

Very soft, light footsteps…

Ryu and Katt exchanged a short glance, their two minds thinking the same thought.

Nina

Chapter 3: Unfamiliar feelings

This can't be true…

She kept repeating the phrase over and over again in her mind. Maybe, if she only did that long enough, it would turn into reality. And she would finally wake up from this nightmare.

Still, she couldn't bear it anymore, could not cope with the situation as it obviously was at the moment.

Rummaging through the drawers, she pulled out those very few objects which held a personal value for the Windian.

It seemed like there was no other possibility than taking off. She knew that she wouldn't be able to handle Ryu and Katt every day, now that she had confirmation on the type of relationship between them.

Nina was constantly fighting back the tears which threatened to spill from her eyes, yet it was getting harder and harder every minute.

Suddenly, there were footsteps on out on the corridor, their volume increasing as they came closer to her door.

A rush of adrenaline made its way through her whole body and caused goose bumps.

Do they probably know what's going on? Do they know what I'm up to?

Abruptly, she stopped in her tracks and remained quiet, silently thanking herself that she had locked the door before.

The footsteps stopped right in front of her door, and a knock echoed through the room.

No, please, stay away, don't come near me…

Unknowingly, she even slowed down her breathing, not daring to move a single muscle in her body. She would try to avoid letting them know that she was there as long as possible.

There was a knock on the door, followed by some whispering.

"Nina?" a high pitched voice asked, "are you in there?"

Do NOT answer them, no matter what, they would just try and keep you from leaving. They would try to keep you here, and make your pain go on and on…

More knocks followed, yet she would answer none of them.

"Nina? Nina, please, if you're there, please answer. Just say something."

"Nina? Nina, please, if you're there, please answer. Just say something." Ryu tried.

Any sign from her would be enough, just a little sign to let him know that she was allright, and that his suspicions were wrong.

Nothing.

The silence carried on for a few minutes, nothing happened, no sounds came from the other side of the door.

Katt shot Ryu a worried look.

"We really should go in there. Something's wrong."

Ryu nodded and started fiddling with the lock until it made a clicking sound and opened the way into Nina's room.

What they saw however was what the had expected to, yet hoped not to see: all her drawers had been pulled open, pieces of clothes hung out of them or were strewn on the floor, some maps and pictures had been taken off the walls and out of the desk drawers and were missing. But the most alarming fact was the opened window, curtains blowing in the wind. The room had definitely been left in a hurry.

The woren gasped, shock written all over her pretty face.

The young warrior then spotted something out of the corner of his eyes, right on the floor in front of the open exit.

He made his way to that particular area and knelt down, picking up the small item.

Realizing what it was nearly robbed his breath.

Katt put her hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?"

Reaching his arm up and thus handing her the item, his gaze remained directed at the floor as if he was hoping to find support there.

Katt swallowed as she took a look at the small piece she held in her hands; it was a soft, pitch black feather.

The young woman landed with a soft thud, her wings slowing her fall.

She only gazed back up at the window once, a hasty motion, before she ran off, into a direction she knew would lead her to somewhere better than where she had been up to now. To somewhere where there would be no more pain and sorrow.

But where should she go, she wondered, her feet almost leaving the ground in her run, being supported by her wings.

There was no real place she knew she would be welcome. She might try and go back to Windia, people would surely be glad about her return, despite her black wings and the prophecy connected to then, since she and her friends had saved the world.

But Windia was too close, way too close. Not geographically, but it would be her friends' first guess, and she did not want to see them again. The pain had already been too much, and even though she doubted that it could still get any worse, she did not want to risk trying it.

What else was left, what places could she go to?

Thinking the same thought over and over again in her mind, she kept wandering, without aiming for a certain destination.

The landscape changed from rushing shores, to dizzily high mountains until the came across a dead, desert-like region. The sun burned down upon her, robbing her of her senses.

She could not say how long she had already been walking; she had lost track of time long ago.

Her legs felt heavier than they ever had, each step taking up more strength then the one before. And finally, she reached a point where even her will would not keep her going anymore; she felt her legs get numb and realized the ground coming closer and closer. Yet before anything happened, the world went pitch black and the pain was gone.

He slammed his flat hand against the frame of the open window.

Rage was burning in his eyes, hatred and disgust making way into his mind.

He hated himself, for not having realized the way things had been.

For having been a blind fool.

How could he have overseen what she felt for him?

Why hadn't he ever discovered the meaning of those short, sweet glances she stole at him when thinking he didn't notice.

Breathing heavily, he looked out of the window, in the vain hope of somehow spotting her somewhere close.

a/n: I know, this is a darn short upload, and I'm really really sorry for it. But my college semester did not end till last Saturday, which means that, over the past 2 months, I had a hell lot of work to do (which is not easy with an extremely strong headache): learn for important exams, and in papers, homework… all that stuff. But now that I'm done with it, I'll update in much shorter intervals. The next part of the chapter should be up in like 2 or 3 days, depending on whether the writing flows easily or just makes my mind work extraordinarily hard (like over the past few weeks).

Again: sorry sorry sorry sorry. I hope you all can forgive me.

Please review. Getting nice reviews helps me writing this, the emphasis lies on the word NICE^^

Anywayz, later all of u^^