Again, another first. Please read and review to let me know how crap-tastic this part is. I'm happy with Mia, but the rest…I try to avoid reading it. But I'm probably just imagining things, so read it and tell me! Yay, almost done!

Chapter 10: The Cleansing Rain

As Beldo reached the end of the house's sidewalk, he paused and looked up toward the darkening sky. While they had been inside, storm clouds has gathered over Monsbaiya, blotting out any trace of sunlight and covering the town with an eerie gray filter.

Monsbaiya was almost exactly in the center of the desert, a tiny oasis that took at least a week of hard travel to reach. The surrounding desert was formidable, scorching heat and no shade for hundreds of miles turned away most travelers; only the die-hard fortune seekers dared the crossing.

Of course, because of its location, Monsbaiya seldom ever saw rain. The town's only water supply was the central fountain, supplied by a lively, apparently never-ending spring. The popular myth in Monsbaiya was that the spring was fed by magic from the Tower. The only other source of water was the rain, which came so rarely, its coming was written into songs and myths in the desert town. The last rain had been seven years before, on the eve of Guy's death.

Because rain came so rarely, when the clouds finally released, it rained in sheets, sometimes for days on end, as if the sky had been saving up its raindrops for one great show. The townspeople stayed inside and watched dolefully out their windows, waiting for the waterfall from the sky to turn to a drizzle and then cease altogether. No one stayed outside in the rain; there were no exceptions. The people of Monsbaiya seemed bewitched by the rain, afraid that it would wash them away as if they too were made of sand.

Beldo stared up at the angrily swirling clouds. Suddenly, a brilliant burst of lightning obscured the town. For less than a heartbeat, everything was gone in a white flash of light. Then, the town was back from the nether world, the walls of the houses rattling with a deafening clap of thunder. Beldo closed his eyes and let the sound cascade over him, remembering the last time he had heard thunder.

As the thunder rolled away into the distance, the rain began to fall. A few fat droplets landed on Beldo's face. He wiped them off with the back of his hand and stared at the dark streaks they left on his glove. He smiled, his smile small and nostalgic as the fell of rain returned to him.

He considered turning around and returning to the house, but Beldo doubted he would stay long even if he did go back in. Casting one last glance at the sky, he set off into the rain.

Shortly after he left, the easy sprinkling transformed into the downpour. In just a few minutes, puddles were beginning to form on the ground and streams of rain flowed off the roofs into urns that acted as rain collectors. Beldo carelessly splashed through the puddles, hardly even noticing the state he was in. His hair and clothes were soon completely soaks, but he kept walking.

He stopped in front of a building a block or two north of his own house. Something, an unseen force perhaps, or just the desire to get out of the rain, drove Beldo into the building. He looked around furtively, an old habit, confirming that no one was following him and he pulled the door open. A rush of cool air greeted him, chilling his drenched body and sending goose bumps up his arms. He shivered, pushed past the wall of air, and entered the library.

The library was completely silent; the only sound was the dull patter of raindrops on the roof. The bookshelves stood in stately rows, the colors on the spines of the books muted by the dim light from a few gas-lit lamps. The building was deserted; not a soul could be seen except the wizened old librarian sitting behind his desk at the far end of the room.

The tiny man looked up from his papers in irritation as Beldo walked in. His glassed fell from their perch on the end of his nose and he sputtered angrily, "Y-y-you can't come in here, young man! You must leave a-at once!"

Beldo narrowed his eyes and shook his arms defiantly. Water droplets flew out from his clothes. The little man squeaked in panic and shuffled to the stack of books around Beldo. He produced a large handkerchief and tenderly blotted the books, muttering soothingly to them as he worked.

"You m-must leave!" the man said, "I won't allow you to stay here and destroy my books!" He spoke about the books as if they were his children and every few seconds, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the books weren't suffering or whatever it was that he was afraid was happening to them. "Out! Out!" he said as he swatted at Beldo's arm with the handkerchief.

Beldo's hand shot out and grabbed the handkerchief in mid-swat. For a moment, his temper flared and his considered grabbing the little man by the throat. In the next second, though, the anger subsided and he was left with a feeling of mild annoyance. "Is this not a public building?" he said in a quiet dangerous voice.

The librarian faltered, "Well, y-yes, but…" He frowned deeply and threw his arms in the air, "Just don't touch the books until you dry off!" He stalked back to the circulation desk, muttering angrily under his breath. He climbed onto his stool, glared at Beldo once more, and returned to his paperwork.

Beldo looked around as he slowly wrung himself out. He took off his cloak and twisted it tightly, taking care to allow the water runoff to land in "safe" areas. He did the same with his hair, squeezing out the water as efficiently as he could manage. When he was satisfied he was as dry as he could manage, he left he entry area and wandered around in the library.

The library had not been here seven years ago, so Beldo came to the conclusion that Koh had built it. He felt no pang of anger at the thought of Koh, just a fleeting sensation of sadness over another piece of evidence that the town he had known was gone. Alongside Koh's picture in his mind were Wreath and Weedy's, suddenly appearing like dandelion seeds dropped in by the breeze. Beldo forced their faces from his mind and concentrated entirely on his surroundings.

The skylights of the library, normally clear and sunny, were now a reflection of the sky outside. The sliver of visible clouds was dark gray, almost black and the surface of the glass was speckled with raindrops that glittered like tiny diamonds.

The interior of the library was dark and felt as if it should be musty-smelling, due to the large amounts of dusty volumes on the shelves. But the smell of the books was overpowered by a smell of freshly cut wood and new paint. This place must have been built recently, Beldo thought as he walked down the rows of shelves. Beldo's eyes glided over the spines of the books without taking in any of the titles. The books were unimportant; he was simply here to escape from his life, if only for a few hours.

Beldo chose a book to read, deciding completely on a random basis, and ending up with a dark green book on the botany of Monsbaiya. He rolled his eyes in disgust, but sat down in a black armchair with the book on his lap. He opened the book and began to read, or rather to scan the pages in an autonomic fashion.

"You're not really reading that, are you?" A young girl seated behind Beldo turned and stared from him to the book. Her glassed were very thick and hid most of her face. The rest of her face not disguised by the glasses was veiled by her straight turquoise-colored hair. She adjusted her glasses and said matter-of-factly, "You look like you'd be interested in books on the Monster Tower. They're over there, number 714.5 through 720.1." She pointed toward a shelf of books and waited for Beldo to move.

Beldo paused, waiting for the girl to respond to his silence. When she didn't, he snapped his book shut. "Do you work here?" thoroughly annoyed by the girl.

She shook her head sharply, causing the ends of her hair to brush the tops of her shoulders, "No, I just stay in here a lot. Even when it's not raining." She paused, then tentatively extended one hand, "I'm Mia Myrra."

"I do not care," Beldo said brusquely, waving Mia's hand away, "Leave me alone."

"I'm sorry," Mia said, her voice quivering as if she wer on the verge of tears, "I guess I do butt in sometimes. I just figured I could help you. I mean, I do read a lot of books and sometimes books can help you solve problems in your own life. But if you want me to leave you alone, I understand. Most people find me irritating and…"

"Stop!" Beldo hissed, mindful of his voice level, "If I permit you to…say whatever it is you want to say, will you please be quiet?"

"Of course," Mia said. She picked up the book she had been reading, clutched it to her chest, and sat down in a chair facing Beldo. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll solve it."

"Well, I…my brother has been distraught lately," Beldo said cautiously, "He loves this woman and she loves him. Or so she says. But I…he did a terrible thing in the past and he feels he is unworthy of the woman." Beldo stopped in shock, surprised at how much information he had just released and at how easily it had come out.

Mia nodded knowingly, unaware of Beldo's obvious role in his story. "What's your brother's name?" she finally asked.

"Umm…Jabs."

"How old?"

"Thirty…er, thirty."

"What color hair?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes! It's important!"

"Fine. Brown."

"How could he have brown hair if he's your brother?" Mia said suspiciously, "He should have blue hair."

"This is irrelevant!" Beldo said impatiently, "Are you trying to be difficult?"

"You must be half-brothers," Mia concluded, more to herself than to Beldo, "Or he's adopted. That explains the hair." Beldo sighed and started to stand up, completely frustrated by the girl. "Your brother's problem is just like the book The Hidden Knight. Do you wanna hear the end?"

Beldo stopped and turned to face the girl. "No," he said softly, "I do not want to hear the end." He sat back down and said pensively, "Tell me, do you believe that one wrong deed condemns a man forever?"

Mia looked up from the book in her lap. She studied Beldo for a while and answered in a serious tone, "I believe people can make mistakes and those mistakes shouldn't be held against them, y'know?" That's just the way we are. If your brother knows what he did was wrong, he probably punished himself for it already."

"Perhaps it was the Tower," Beldo mumbled, "That made me act the way I did."

"Oh, sure!" Mia exclaimed, nodding her head emphatically, "There are studies! The Tower emanates some kind of magic or something that makes people more aggressive! I can find the book if you want!

"But with your brother," she continued, "Whatever he did, he obviously can love and be loved. So he's not all bad. Tell him to take a chance with his girlfriend."

Beldo smiled, his first genuine smile in seven years, "Thank you, girl. You are wise beyond your years."

"Hey, how old do you think I am?" Mia retorted, but Beldo was already across the library and heading out the door.

The librarian noticed Beldo's departure and shouted after him, "Y-young man! If you leave, you can't c-come back in! Not with that rain outside!" When he received no response, he sat down and returned to his work, muttering about the insolence of youth.

Mia returned her gaze to the blue-haired man's retreating form, now disappearing through the library door into the storm outside. She gasped as sudden realization came to her. "That was a man!" she whispered in awe. She had always thought she couldn't talk to any member of the male sex. She smiled and blushed furiously as she congratulated herself on her self-improvement. Then she sat down in an empty chair and resumed reading, seemingly unruffled by the encounter.

"Weedy, sweetie, please don't mope like that," Wreath pleaded with her small daughter, who was sitting at the table with her chin propped on one hand. Wreath continued, "Why don't you read me a page from your Monster Book?"

Weedy moaned sadly, "I don't wanna. It's not the same without Beldo." She closed her eyes and allowed her head to slide from her hand to the tabletop.

"You read it perfectly fine before Beldo," Wreath replied, "I've told you he might not come back. He's…very busy with the Tower, after all."

"I'm gonna go see him," Weedy declared. She bounced to her feet and marched toward the front door only to be caught up by her mother.

"Not in this rain," Wreath said, setting her daughter back in the kitchen and moving to the window. Weedy followed her and rested her chin on the windowsill dreamily.

"It hasn't rained like this in years," Wreath murmured, absently stroking Weedy's hair, "Not since Guy's…"

"Not since what?" Weedy asked, turning to glance up at her mother, "What, Mama?"

Wreath was about to deny what she had said, sparing herself the pain of thinking of her late husband. She looked down at Weedy and something changed in her mind. It isn't right for her not to know anything about Guy, Wreath thought. She smiled at Weedy and said, "Since your daddy died."

Weedy stared at her mother for a moment, completely shocked at Wreath's unusual mention of Guy. Then she smiled and tugged on Wreath's hand comfortingly.

Suddenly, the quiet of the house was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Mother and daughter looked at each other, each with a different emotion in their hearts. Weedy's face was lit up with excitement and surprise. "I'll get it!" she cheered as she dashed off toward the door.

Wreath moved more slowly, a feeling of dread settling over her. Her memory of a night like this was accompanied by a knock on the door, a familiar without a master, and the news that Guy was dead. As she followed Weedy to the front door, she expected and feared to see Koh's familiar holding Koh's sword before it, a sure sign that her baby was gone. She swallowed hard and helped Weedy to unlock the door.

The heavy door swung open and the rain took advantage of the newly exposed dry area; almost immediately, small puddles began to form. The landscape beyond the door was shrouded in a veil of water, leaving only dark shapes of houses to be seen. But the figure in the doorway could be seen clearly by the dim lamplight from the house, his blue hair glowing in the low light.

Wreath and Weedy gasped at the same time, their voices molding into an unsung harmony, "Beldo!" Weedy squealed and dashed out into the rain to wrap herself around Beldo's waist, careless of the pouring rain. Wreath made no move to stop her; instead, she smiled with relief.

Beldo hadn't expected a seven-year-old girl to come pelting at him, so Weedy's attack had almost knocked him off balance. He steadied himself and returned Weedy's embrace. He glanced at Wreath, who still stood in the doorway, watching the two in the rain. "Hello, Wreath," Beldo said simply as he straightened to face her.

"Oh!" Wreath exclaimed, "Come in! You'll catch cold if you stay out there!" She took Beldo's hand and pulled him inside the house, Weedy trailing on Beldo's other hand.

Wreath turned the dials on the gas lamps in the room, increasing the dim light. She darted into the house and returned momentarily, a stack of clean towels in her arms. "Here," she said handing towels to Weedy and Beldo, "Dry yourself off, Weedy, and go get some more towels, please."

Weedy obeyed hastily and ran off into the house after giving Beldo one last hug. Beldo watched her go, then turned his attention to Wreath. He stood still, taking care to drip water only in a small radius around his feet.

"What were you thinking?" Wreath scolded him as she tossed a towel over his dripping wet hair," It's pouring and you decided to go for a walk?"

"I just needed to clear my head," Beldo said quietly. He waited as Wreath dried his hair, allowing her to riffle the towel and, in the process, mess up his hair.

"Because of what I said?" Wreath asked, her voice rising in motherly panic, "If you get sick, I'll never forgive myself. And you, you're not much better! Did you even look at the sky? How long were you out there for?"

"Wreath," Beldo caught Wreath's wrist and stopped her flurry. " I did come because of what you said," he explained as he pulled the towel off his head, "And there is but one thing I need to know. Did you mean it?"

Wreath gasped for a moment, shocked by Beldo's tone of voice and by his hand still on her wrist. "Of course I did," she whispered, "Or I wouldn't have said it."

"And you can live with my past?" Beldo said tentatively as he took Wreath's other hand in his own, "And love me despite that darkness?"

Wreath smiled and lightly touched Beldo's cheek. "I always have," she said, "And I always will love you."

Beldo's hear leapt in his chest. He pulled Wreath toward him and wrapped his arms around her. As she returned the embrace, Beldo knew that, finally, he was truly happy.