A/N: My apologies for this update taking so long. This chapter has been done for ages, but I was having problems getting into quickedit and my computer wasn't working properly, so that's the reason for the delay!

Chapter Nine – The Point of Saying Goodbye

Nash and Borus walked side by side through the ruin's hallway. The battles had still been tough, but the Harmonian had to admit that Borus was handy to have along. They had finally reached an empty stretch of hallway, with no monsters in sight.

So far, the two of them had traveled in complete silence, and the lack of malevolence in Borus' behavior had caused that silence to be intolerably awkward.

He knew he had to say something sooner or later.

"Are you worried about Chris?" He immediately regretted saying it, as Chris tended to be a touchy topic with the blond knight; Nash's swollen eye was proof of this.

However, Borus did not react harshly. "I cannot help but worry about my captain, but if anyone can stop Luc, she can," he said simply.

"I couldn't agree more."

Silence fell between them again, the only sound being their footsteps echoing through the stone hallway.

"Why are you helping me?" Nash asked suddenly.

Borus kept looking ahead, scanning the hallway for monsters. "Lady Chris did not want you to travel alone."

"But why volunteer? Chris would have most likely assigned one of her other knights to accompany me," Nash pointed out.

Borus' eyes dropped to the floor as they walked, and he seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I wanted to talk to you."

Nash raised an eyebrow. "You could have fooled me. You have barely said a word since you said you'd come with me."

Borus said nothing, and Nash was about to give up, when Borus came to a complete halt.

Nash turned to him. "What is it?"

"I want to apologize," the knight said, expressionless.

"What?"

"I'm... sorry. For punching you." Each word appeared to cost Borus a great deal of effort, as his tone seemed strained.

Nash was taken aback by the apology. Finally he shook his head. "I thought you hated me."

"I do. Make no mistake about that."

"Good, because I still don't like you either."

Borus narrowed his eyes at him. "I only apologize because even though you deserved it, I lost my temper and attacked you in a dishonorable fashion."

"You knights and your honor."

"Do you accept my apology, or not?" the knight asked irritably.

"If you call that an apology."

Nash caught the twitch in Borus' eye, and decided not to aggravate the situation any further.

"I accept. I suppose I'll need the good Karma," he said, thinking of how he wished for Chris' forgiveness.

"Good," said Borus.

They began to walk again. The silence returned.

"For what it's worth," Nash said, after several minutes, "I thought those drawings of Chris were quite good."

From the expression on Borus' face, Nash would later marvel at the fact that he did not end up with a second black eye.

------

It was a long time before they finally reached the end of the hall, back to the main entrance, where Apple and the other soldiers were standing guard.

Just as they arrived, there was an ominous rumbling noise. As though suddenly seized by an earthquake, the ruins began to shake, pieces of rock crumbling around them.

"What happening!?" Borus exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I don't think we can expect this place to stay standing much longer!" Nash exclaimed, as he ran down the crumbling steps.

Borus did not follow, he was looking back the passage from where they came.

"Borus, come on!" Nash called up at him.

"Lady Chris is still in there!"

Nash fought the wave of panic at this realization. For a brief moment, he considered going back to get her, but he knew that Chris' survival did not depend on him. Sasarai, on the other hand, might be lost and seriously injured somewhere, and Nash knew that finding him had to take priority.

"She'll be fine!" Nash called, trying to convince Borus as well as himself.

"I have to go help her!" Borus, blindly loyal though he was, had not been able to come to the same conclusion.

"Borus, there's no time to go all the way back, and you'll die if you go in there alone! Besides, you told Chris you'd help me find Bishop Sasarai. He's still missing down the other passage!" Nash ran back up the stairs to Borus.

"But..."

Nash grabbed his shoulder as Borus took a step towards the passage. "You know you won't make it through all the monsters by yourself in the crumbling hallways, Borus! Chris doesn't want you to die needlessly."

Borus looked back at Nash.

"She's going to make it out," the Harmonian stated firmly, and this time he actually believed what he was saying.

The moments that followed seem to last a long time, but finally Borus nodded curtly, and he followed Nash back down the stairs.

They rushed down the hallway leading to the True Earth rune. About halfway down the hallway, they saw them.

Sasarai had his arm around Dios while his assistant tried to hold him steady. The bishop looked injured, and several skeletal-looking monsters cornered them.

"There they are!" Borus shouted.

"Nash!" Dios called, obvious relief on his features.

"Hold on, we're getting you out of here!" Nash called.

"I'll distract the enemy, you get those two out," said Borus.

Nash gave a nod, and Borus rushed forward, drawing his sword and mercilessly attacking the monsters.

Nash ran past them and made it over to Dios and Sasarai.

"Are you alright, bishop?" he asked immediately. "What happened?"

"We ran into Luc, and the bishop lost in a duel with him," Dios replied. "I was trying to get him out but the ruins started crumbling and all these monsters appeared."

"I thought you were ill, in the infirmary," Sasarai said weakly.

Nash shrugged. "I was, but an angel swooped down and kissed me better."

Dios and Sasarai both gave him strange looks.

Nash smirked at their expressions. "Nevermind, lets get out of here."

Sasarai nodded. "Thank you, Nash."

Nash lifted Sasarai's other arm and put it around his shoulders. With Sasarai now being held up on either side, Dios and Nash began walking him past the monsters, who had become distracted by Borus' relentless attacks. It was difficult, as the hallway was narrow and the unsteady ground kept shaking and crumbling around them.

Finally the three of them made it back to the entrance where the other soldiers were running around, evacuating people.

Nash removed Sasarai's arm from around his shoulder and stepped back to the hallway.

"Get the bishop out of here."

"Where are you going?" Sasarai asked him.

Nash sighed. "I have to go back and get Borus, before he kills himself with his heroics."

"There may not be time for that..." Dios said doubtfully, looking around at the crumbling ceiling.

But when he looked back, Nash had already run back down the dark hallway.

Nash found Borus leaning with his back against the wall, his sword hanging limply in his hand, and he was heaving for breath while a line of blood trickled from his mouth. There were only a few monsters left that hadn't been crushed by the crumbling structure, but the knight appeared to be too tired to finish them off.

Nash fired his projectile weapon at the skeletal monsters, and they stumbled back. He ran to Borus, who seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here."

"Get out before it's too late."

"Are you determined to die, or something?" Nash asked incredulously. "Chris wouldn't want you to give up you life without trying."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because, I don't want to have to tell Chris that one of her most loyal knights died because I didn't bother going back for him." Here Nash shot at a few more monsters.

"You really believed it, when you said she's going to make it out," Borus stated abruptly.

"Of course I do. Is that why you've given up, because you don't think Chris is going to make it? Such a defeatist attitude. You should know your captain better than that." Nash shook his head before continuing. "Now, I'm taking you with me, sanctimonious attitude and all."

Borus grunted his resentment, but did not resist when Nash slung Borus' arm around his shoulder and started helping him towards the exit.

"The least you could do is thank me for helping you out," Nash said, quickly and carefully moving them through the crumbling passageway.

Borus grumbled.

"Ruffian..."

------

Nash slowed his pace to a stop, taking in the vast scenery of the Yaza plains. The grass blew gently around him, and the sun had begun to sink beyond the horizon. It was beautiful, although for some reason he was sure none would ever compare to the one he'd witnessed in Iksay.

He was traveling on his own again, heading towards the east. As soon as he had gotten Borus out of the crumbling ruin, he had left without a word. His job was done there, and for some reason he couldn't bring himself to wait for Chris' return. He had not yet identified the reason why, but perhaps that was because he hadn't allowed himself to think of it.

After all, isn't that how his missions usually ended? With him vanishing without saying goodbye as soon as the battle is over, leaving to travel alone?

"Haven't you forgotten something?"

It would appear that he wasn't completely alone.

Nash turned around. Not too far from him stood Sierra, holding Dominguez Junior in her arms.

"You again? What are you doing here?"

Sierra held out her arm, Dominguez perched comfortably on it. "You forgot this forsaken fowl. Were you going to leave without him?"

"I didn't forget him," Nash shrugged. "He would find me on his own, eventually. He always does."

"You could have at least checked to see if he was better," Sierra replied.

She gave a slight wave of her hand, and Dominguez Junior flapped his wings and took off into the air, soaring around the two of them, and finally landing on Nash's shoulder.

He grinned, reaching up to pet Dominguez Junior's feathers. "I thought you said you had better things to do than to look after my bird."

Sierra hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. "I do, but the wretched thing kept following me around. I didn't have much of a choice."

Nash raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Nash turned back to the sunset. "Just admiring a sunset before I go."

"So you're leaving. The Fire Bringer has won the battle, I take it."

"The Ceremonial Site has been destroyed, and the world is still in one piece, so I would say so, yes."

"What happened to Luc?"

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out."

"What about Chris?"

Nash paused. "I have no doubts that she survived."

"You just left without saying goodbye? That was rather foolish." Sierra stated, shaking her head.

Nash turned around to look at her. "That ironic, coming from you."

Sierra lifted her chin with self-importance. "I'm a vampire, it's my way."

"Well, it's my way as well."

"It shouldn't be."

"Says you," Nash replied. Deciding it was time to change the topic, he added, "What do you want?"

"Nothing, I just came back to give you your ruddy bird."

"Are you also leaving, or will you continue skulking about Budehuc?"

"I'm leaving."

"Where?"

She sighed impatiently. "Somewhere far away from you. I'm going to take a long, Nash-free holiday."

Nash smirked. "Those usually last around fifteen years. I don't suppose I'll see you after that, will I?"

The vampire shook her head. "Not if I'm lucky."

Nash laughed, which was much to Sierra's surprise.

"What are you laughing at, you fool?"

"You never change," he replied.

"Unfortunately, nor do you."

Nash smirked, but said nothing.

"Well, I'm out of here," Sierra said finally. "I can't say it's been a pleasure to work with you again."

"Likewise."

Sierra turned to leave, and Nash called out to her.

"Sierra?"

She turned back, slightly taken aback, as he rarely addressed her by name, especially in such a sincere, sarcasm-free tone. "What?"

He paused. "Goodbye."

He expected some kind of abrasive remark, but the vampire just shook her head. If he had known any better, he would have even thought he'd seen a slight smile on her features.

"Goodbye, Nash."

Nash once again gazed upon the sunset, knowing Sierra wouldn't be there if he were to turn back. To his astonishment, he felt a distinctive twinge of sadness.

Goodbyes always did that to him, he supposed. Even with the Old Hag.

Eventually, his thoughts turned back to Chris. That's probably why he hadn't stuck around for her return. For some reason, he felt that saying goodbye to her might be too difficult.

He found himself looking a little more towards the south. He knew she would have already left Budehuc Castle with her knights, and that they would be returning to Brass Castle.

He never did get a chance to apologize and explain everything to her. If he had given the Old Hag a goodbye, surely Chris deserved one as well. Yes, goodbyes were painful but the sorrow felt during them is what makes the other know that they will be missed.

And isn't that the point of saying goodbye?

A/N: I really felt I had to include some more interaction with Borus so that the poor man had a chance to redeem himself. After all, Nash really can be a jerk. (But I love it!) Anyway, this also helps redeem Nash as well, and it shows that even though he's a bit on the seedy side, he generally does what's right in the end. Or something like that...

Originally, I was going to end this fic here, but I simply couldn't resist writing another chapter about Chris and Nash's last meeting. I may still change my mind about posting it, but if not, it should be up in a bit! As always, my thanks and appreciation to all readers and reviews.