Lyserg observed John for some more moments; the latter looked famished, but he still had the grace to remember his table manners. Even the way his jaw moved to chew on the food delicately radiated with finesse. It was really puzzling him how a young man as refined as him became a thief.

Despite himself, he felt a surge of sympathy for the stranger. Even though he didn't know what John could have went through, there was this certain aura in him that was making him feel comfortable. Oh yeah, and those captivating scarlet eyes…
He blinked when John suddenly stopped from eating and reached for the pad of paper beside him. He scribbled hastily, "Why do you keep on looking at me?"

Lyserg had to smile. "It's your eyes."

He jotted a reply. What about my eyes?

The dowser shook his head smilingly. "Your eyes remind me of a porcelain doll's…please don't be offended. Your eyes are lovelier than those I see in magazines."

He scowled. Stop looking at me.

Lyserg nodded, then got up. John instantly looked alerted, the Londoner noticed.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to lock the doors for tonight. I have this feeling that you're hiding from something or someone. And while you are in my residence, your welfare is my business too."

John looked down and wrote something. I have no money to pay for your help.

Lyserg smiled. "No, I won't help you out for money. I'm going to help you because I am concerned about you."

John still looked skeptical, but he nodded.

"Just finish your dinner and get a good night rest. We'll discuss your plight tomorrow, John." He pointed to his room. "You occupy my room too, because my unit is really for one person only. Let's just try to maximize the space in the room."

John nodded, then accepted his wave of goodnight.

Jeanne sighed, relieved that all throughout the masquerade, the green-eyed boy didn't press for details. She still wasn't ready to answer his queries for sure anyway.

She took out her crystal rosary from underneath her shirt and prayed quietly. "Merciful Lord, please deliver me from harm. I trust in You. I know that You have led me to a man with compassion, and I thank you for that. Please do not fail to watch over Marco and the rest of the X-Laws."

Lyserg watched from the top of the stairs, amused. This had got to be a first: a thief carrying a rosary.

But somehow, watching John pray solemnly, he couldn't help but admire the serenity within him. The dowser himself had almost forgotten that a God existed, ever since his parents were murdered heartlessly back when he was still a child.

He ran his eyes on the tiny figure below him. If not for the moustache, he would have guessed that the thief was just a year or two younger than him. However, John had explained that his stature was really small.

He gave one last glance at the praying stranger, then went into his room, followed by Morphine.

"Onii-chan!!!" screamed Pirika as she trudged through the forest. "You can run but you can't hide!!! I'll find you yet, mark my words!!! Your training isn't done yet!!!!!! Onii-chan!!!!!!"

She sighed- her brother was fourteen years old already, and he still acts ten years his junior. Her demented brother escaped her special training once more, as if he didn't know that she could still find him wherever he may hide.

She looked at the setting sun and realized that she wasn't able to watch Doraemon. This made her anger flame some more. "Onii-chan, I HATE YOU!!!"

She had been walking for more than an hour already when she heard some voices talking.

"I think he's dead," said one voice.

"Let's leave him here already," said another one.

And as quickly as she heard the voices, the footsteps began to hurry away.

Curiously, Pirika stepped quietly towards where she heard the voice. To her puzzlement, she didn't see anyone around.

"Could have it been my imagination?" she wondered as she walked around. "But I swear I heard- oof!" She stumbled over something warm.

"Itai!!! It hurts!!!" she tried to get up when she felt that something beneath her moved. Her eyes widened when she saw that she was lying on top of a sleeping boy with dark blue almost purple hair. She got up quickly. "H-Hey, gomen! I wasn't looking at where I was going. I'm so sorry! Why are you sleeping there anyway?"

He didn't reply, and it was then that she noticed the severe wounds and bruises all over his body. Her eyes widened in fright. This must be the person that those two voices left for dead awhile ago!

She slapped his face several times, trying to wake him up, but to no avail. She had no choice but to assist him herself. She placed his arm behind her neck, her other arm supporting his waist. It was easier than she thought- his diminutive height and general lightness helped a lot.

"Onii-chan, you're lucky. I won't be chasing you today." Pirika struggled to walk the unconscious body back to their tribe.

"Wu-hoo!!!" yelled Horo Horo in delight. "I'm free! I'm free!!!" He hugged Kororo gleefully. "I can't hear my sister's voice calling me anymore!!!"

The earth spirit cooed happily too.

Horo took his snowboard out. "To celebrate, let's go to the town of Izumo and grab some grub. Yahahahaha!!! No trainings for me today!!! I feel the love!!!"

Kororo groaned and pointed to the sky. It was already dark, and it was too dangerous to go for a stroll in the woods at night.

Horo grinned. "We won't be gone for too long. We'll just grab a chili dog and we go home, deal?" Without waiting for his spirit's reply, he rode on his snowboard and zoomed down and out of the mountains.

Tamao was just taking the muffins out of the oven when she heard something –or someone- crash against the wall.

"Hey Horo Horo, what sort of catastrophe brought you here?" she greeted wanly when she heard the door open.

The Ainu grinned. "Gastronomical catastrophe, Tamao."

"Your timing is perfect as usual," she said wryly. "Do you have built-in alarms for these type of situations?"

"It's my biological make-up," he explained as he took a seat beside her. "It is naturally attracted to anything edible. Food is my destiny."

"Hai." She sighed. "Careful, Horo Horo. It's still hot-" She sighed once more in exasperation when Horo cried out in pain, withdrawing his hand from the just baked muffins. "You're being an idiot purposefully."

Horo Horo pretended to look wounded. "That's not very nice." He rubbed his throat. "I'm thirsty."

Tamao got up to get him a pitcher of juice, although she knew it wouldn't be enough for the appetite of the Ainu. "By the way, Horo Horo, you can get your shirt now. I've sewn it for you already."

"Thanks, Tamao." He eagerly reached for the pitcher of pineapple juice in her hands.

The girl watched him drink straight from the pitcher with much gusto. She had barely noticed the years that went by since their first meeting. It was when Yoh was just eight, and he was on the verge of falling from the cliff then. It was only her who was accompanying young master Yoh then, and she was frozen stiff, not knowing how to help him out. It was then when a snowboarding boy with crazy spiky hair rescued Yoh without even breaking so much a sweat. She could still remember how he helped Yoh down from the snowboard, grinning, after he introduced himself.

**

"There! I've rescued him!" Horo Horo held his hand out. "Now pay me."

Both she and Yoh blinked.

"Well?" asked the boy, shaking his fingers impatiently.

Yoh sweatdropped. "W-We don't have money to pay…"

She placed her hands on her hips. "Look, isn't it enough that we owe you a huge debt of gratitude?"

Horo chuckled. "A huge debt of gratitude can't satisfy hunger."

Yoh grinned. "I know! From now on, you're welcome to go to our house in Izumo and eat there to your heart's content whenever you want to!"

Horo Horo's face lit up. "H-Hontou?"

Yoh turned to the girl. "And you'll be in charge of cooking for him!"

Tamao wanted to protest, but she was serving Yoh and his family. She had no right to say 'no', even if she finds the boy too impertinent. For pete's sake, he didn't even had the grace to be modest and refuse Yoh's offer, and just accept it when Yoh insists on it!

**

"I see you're remembering it again," smiled Horo Horo when he caught her staring off to space.

"Yes. You haven't changed at all since then." She smiled, shaking her head. "You're still cheeky."

Horo shrugged. "And your cooking is still great! Enough to make a man forget the thought of philandering and just go home straight to his wife."

She smiled- he may be cocky, but he sure knew how to flatter very well. "Thanks Horo Horo." She pushed another batch of muffins into the oven. "Just keep on eating, Horo. More muffins are on the way."

Horo grinned. "Tamao, I am so going to marry you someday. I don't think I can live without these." He took a big bite of the muffins. "Yummy!"

Jeanne looked awkwardly at the door before her. In her escape from the convent, she had done so many outrageous things like stow away in a ship and wander in the streets escortless. She had endured almost two days of hunger and hygieneless living.

But to sleep in one room with a man?

She clutched her rosary, then tried to pacify her fears. Lyserg Diethyl was a most honorable man, she knew that. Besides, he knew she was a male, so she shouldn't be so worried.

But no, she wasn't really worried about Lyserg. She was more worried about herself, actually. She didn't know how she would react- male was a forbidden thought for her, because Marco and the X-Laws reared her like that. No male aside from them was able to talk to her yet, and she was always surrounded by nuns.

She fixed her cap once more and nervously raised her fist towards the door.

Then it swung open. She nearly screamed- which could have ruined her whole masquerade. She was supposed to be mute!

Lyserg looked at her, puzzled. "John," he said gently. "Why don't you come in yet?"

She licked her lips nervously, then nodded. She stepped into his room, then looked around. It was more like a library though, with books and folders strewn all over the place. A laptop was on the desk too.

"No, you won't find anything valuable to steal here, John," said Lyserg wryly.

She shook her head vehemently and held herself back from screaming in negation. No one had ever thought of her able to commit such sins and being thought of one right now was doing wonders on making her feel so sick.

Lyserg quickly noticed the change in her. "Sorry."

She blinked. Why was he saying sorry for saying something like that to a thief?

He gestured to the bed. "There's only one bed, so I hope you don't mind if we share-" One look at her though made him sigh. "OK, you do mind."

Her head hung. If she kept on being choosy, he might just guess that she was just pretending. She smiled apologetically at him, then pulled him down the bed with him, as if telling him it was alright.

She didn't expect though the intent gaze he was giving her. She panicked. What was it that she was doing wrong? She was being agreeable to him, right? So why was he starting to look as if he doubts her?

Lyserg kicked himself mentally. What the hell was wrong with his stupid heart? When John smiled at him, he felt his heart skip a beat. When he touched him, his heart danced.

"God…am I…gay?" Lyserg wanted to bang his head on the wall. Instead, he mustered a casual smile. "Let's sleep."

Was it just his imagination, or did he saw John blush? He couldn't tell though, because the stranger quickly lied down, blanket tucked over his head.

"You're going to sleep already, won't you?" he couldn't resist asking. "Why don't you take your hat off?"

All he got was a vehement shake of the head. He shrugged. "OK, if you say so."

He lied down, looking at the ceiling, wondering if he could ever get to sleep at all, now that he realized that he was getting, ahem, interested with John.

tsuzuku

whaahhaaha!! No Hao/Anna/Yoh in this chapter? Gomen, I cut the chapter short but I'm still off to school! Wai wai, just 12 more days to endure and it's sem break for me!!!!