RO3


A/N: hi again! Thank you soo muchfor such wonderful reviews! When I saw them, I was so moved! (my eyes watered up, but if you ask me, I'll deny it XD)

Please, enjoy!


Chapter 3: Run.


She paused. After all, she had been running all her life. But what did one short little break worth? And with that, she kept running.

Danniela Loria's Off Course, page 135

The girl with the queen ribbon sat under the shadow of her "sanctuary".

"What a sweet girl!" many would say, when they saw her, and offer her a candy or gift.

"… For the girl who has on such a pretty dress!"

What did they really know about her, though? That she was the only child of the high wizard and priestess of Morroc. That she was mostly kept at home, schooled and educated into a fine lady, who one day would make her line proud. That she was the perfect model that all little girls needed to be.

Getting the gifts, she would always give a sweet smile and curtsy politely. But that wasn't what she wanted! Even though, what did she want?

She didn't even know.

"Hello…do you live here?" a timid voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Surprised, she glanced up from her resting position under the lightly leafed tree.

A boy stood in front of her, with an expression just as surprised as she. Immediately, she liked him. Or his hair, to be more exact. His hair was slightly messy, defying gravity like the tree she was sitting under, unconsciously swaying in the wind. And the color! It was almost blinding silver! And as the hot sun's rays hit him, it seemed to change colors to an even brighter color. His eyes were quite astounding too; russet-colored.

"Ah…" she was suddenly lost for words. After all, she hadn't been allowed out often. How was she supposed to reply? Did he like people that lived here? Did he hate them?

Her head started spinning.

"…Are you… okay?"

"Eh…?" She focused on him again, confused.

Frowning, the boy bent down and felt her forehead. She felt herself growing even warmer.

Brows furrowed, he leaned back, rocking slightly on the heels of his shoes. "You feel hot. You should see a doctor. Maybe you're sick."

Her hand fluttered up to her forehead in response. Was she really sick? Did she have to see the doctor? She didn't like the doctor.

"I… I don't want to…" her mouth mentally snapped open. Did she just say what she thought she said? Ohhh… now the boy was going to hate her…!

The boy looked taken aback for a moment. "Why?"

She felt her head get light. Cold, then warm. Why?

"Because…" her heart hammered inside her chest. "… Because… I don't like the doctor…and… and you can't make me go…!"

There. She had done the worst. Retaliate.

A chuckle brought her back to reality. Cocking her head, she looked at him in astonishment as he fell backwards from his kneeling position with laughter.

What was so funny? Was he laughing at her? That must be the answer. He was laughing at her because she was so stupid as to be afraid of the doctor…

Hiding the hurt expression on her face under her bangs, she closed the book in her lap and stood up.

"I'm sorry…" She quickly turned away, ready to run, though that was an improper thing to do.

"Hey. Wait." An arm grabbed hers before she could flee from him.

Startled, she shot a look backwards at him, still kneeling on the ground, who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Let me… let me go…" vainly, she dropped her book and tried to wretch her arm out of his grip.

"No… wait… hey, stop it…." And with a last effort, the boy pulled her to him. Stunned, she felt herself fall, crashing into his body.

She screwed her eyes shut tightly. She didn't want to know what was happening. She really didn't want to know.

"Oi… it's all right…" arms wrapped around her curled-up figure in a half-embrace. Then, she felt herself being pivot-turned into a sitting position, an object being placed in her lap. Her book.

Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a partly-worried, partly-exasperated face looking at her.

"Eh…" confused and frightened, she inched backwards from him.

He sighed.

"Look, look…" he ran a hand heavily through his hair with frustration. "... I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just that I think it's funny…" here, he stopped abruptly at the look on her face.

"—No, no! Not funny in that way," he corrected hastily. "I mean… argh…" his shoulder sagged. "… I mean it's all a coincidence to me…"

She looked at him with some interest. "….What kind of coincidence… if I may ask…" she murmured softly.

He shrugged. "It's just that I don't like doctors either."

For the second time that day, she was taken aback. He didn't like doctors either? There were so many mysteries about this boy!

"Yeah, well, anyways," he stretched out his hand to her. "I'm Senuta Enerim, nice to meet cha'."

"Oh!" giving him a smile, she took his hand gently. "I'm Altera Lyrecean… and it is a pleasure to meet you!"


"What a dumb-dumb quest…" a certain yellow-haired huntress trudged along the cobbled streets of Geffen dejectedly.

Shivon patted her on the back. "Don't worry… maybe it'll be exciting."

Zeffy slouched lower and lower. "I highly doubt that."

The other hunter shrugged. "Suit yourself… but there's going to be food there. All-you-can-eat."

Behind them, a half-awake assassin perked up slightly. Food…? Then, she went back into her dreamy state. Unhhh… I'm too tired to eat…

"—but why?" ahead, Zeffy was spilling out her complaints to Yuzuna, who was beside her. "I mean… they never choose me for any important missions and they leave me with these boring ones."

Yuzuna shrugged and petted her lunatic(whom she had gotten back rather quickly) contently. "I guess... they thought you would think it would be a really important mission."

"Important mission?" Zeffy looked at the assassin in disbelief. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Guarding a Priestess at a dinner party. Real dangerous, I'm sure."

Shivon grinned. "It might be. After all, we're guarding someone as important as Altera Lyrecean."

Zeffy groaned. "What's so important about her, anyways?"

"Oh!" Shivon laughed. "Don't tell me you don't know Altera Lyrecean!"

The small hunter crossed her arms indignantly. "So what if I don't?"

"Alright, Mimi! History lesson!" Yuzuna turned around and smirked at the other assassin who gave off a little groan and mumble.

"Aww… c'mon!" Yuzuna grabbed Mimi's arm and dragged her to walk along the same line as Zeffy and Shivon.

"I'm too tired… leave me alone…"

Shivon grabbed Mimi's other arm. "Please? You have to help educate Zeffy's brain!"

"Hey!" Zeffy glowered indignantly.

"Ow… fine, fine…" Mimi, managing to shrug both girls off, sighed, clearing her throat.

"Jeez… Altera Lyrecean was born into the Lyrecean family line, and to the couple Asescha Lutira and Dratieus Maruule Lyrecean. As the most wealthiest and highly-educated family in Morroc, and probably the whole world of Rune-Midgard, Altera was forced to be trained to become a highly proper and educated young lady. Now, she has taken charge of the Prontera Church, and all it's branches, including the mage branch as well" at this point, the assassin gave a yawn. "…and that's all."

Zeffy made a face. "Okay… so… why are we guarding her, exactly?"

Shivon smiled. "Because there is a hidden story to that."

"What's that?" Zeffy raised an eyebrow with disinterest.

"You see…" Shivon grinned. "… Altera has a lover."

"… Uh-huh— what's your point?" Zeffy's eyes held a dull look.

Shivon looked slightly annoyed. "My point is that Altera has a lover. And not just any lover—an assassin."

Zeffy's brows knitted. "So…? Yuzie and Mii are assassins too."

"What she means," Yuzuna interjected. "Is that with a family with standards as high as the Lyrecean's, assassins, rouges, and many other classes are off-limits. Subordinates. Junk. But then, Altera fell in love with an assassin, who just happens to be her childhood friend… typical, huh? Anyways, so because families like her's can't afford "mistakes" like that, they hired someone to hire an assassin to kill Altera."

"What?" Zeffy was confused. "Wait… that doesn't make any sense… I mean, it would make more sense if you said that they hired an assassin to kill her "lover". I mean, isn't Altera family? And besides, she has control over lots of branches and stuff."

"True." Shivon smiled wryly. "If it was a normal family. Lines such as the Lyreceans have gotten so wrapped up in their power and wealth that love has become a minor feeling, or even nothing at all. And once they get rid of Altera, they can just claim the power for themselves, as being her kin."

"That's horrible…!" Zeffy wrinkled her nose distastefully.

"That's not the worse part," Yuzura contined," The assassin hired to kill her was her lover. I think his name was…er… Senuta or something…" seeing Shivon's nod, she smirked. "Yeah, it was Senuta. But when he found out, he refused, but then the Lyreceans wanted to inflict pain on him. Not just any pain— mental pain. "Punishment", in their words, for tainting someone so pure like Altera. Well, something like that. Anyways, I don't know how they forced him, but somehow he agreed to kill her."

"… So now we're hired to protect her." Shivon finished.

Zeffy, for once, was silent. Then she opened her mouth.

"… That's scary."

Shivon and Yuzura laughed while Mimi gave a tired smile.

"You might want to shake off your fears now, because we're at our mission site," Yuzura gestured towards a medium-sized house on their left side.

"That's Altera Lyrecean's house!" Zeffy was dumb with shock. The house was rather plain.

Shivon sighed, shaking her head. "Nah, the house belongs to the host of this dinner party… now behave by not being noticed. We're er… undercover there."

Zeffy gave a half-stiffled snort of laughter. "Undercover? Who uses that words anymore, Shii?"

The hunter looked away, giving a wry grin. "… Uhnn… I couldn't find any other words suitable…"

Yuzuna rolled her eyes. "What the heck…? You people fight about the simplest things…"

"Nu-uh!" Zeffy stamped her foot childishly. "Somehow, I can seem to remember perfectly all the times when you had an argument like that… and we aren't even fighting! We're just… having a conversation."

"Yeah, sure," and with possibly even less conviction than ever, the assassin grabbed the other assassin by the arm. "Alright, Mims, 'cause you're acting so docile today, you get the honor of being our scout. Get in there, girl." And with that, she playfully smacked the other girl's back, producing quite a few hacks and coughs.

"…why…!" Mimi rasped, glaring.

Yuzuna grinned evilly. "Because… you're almost falling asleep… maybe the party'll blow you out of la-la land."

Mimi's glare intensified. "I am not in la-la land. And to justify my point, I don't even know what la-la land is."

"Okay, sure!" and Mimi was pushed through the door. Stumbling, she almost missed crashing into someone. Almost.

"… Are you alright?"

The assassin glanced up from her ungracefully sprawled position on the ground. That voice sounded familiar…

"Oh My Odin… Dark…?"

The mahogany-haired wizard had the grace to look wary as he stared at her.

"… Nn."

"Holy Odin, what're you doing here, Dark?" Both of them jerked as Yuzuna's voice flooded into the noisy room.

He shrugged nonchalantly.

"… Ecarg sent me."

"Oh… for Odin's sake…!" Zeffy threw him a disgruntled look. "… Why did she send you? What for? We're perfectly able to handle this missi—"

The other hunter slapped her hand over Zeffy's mouth.

"Good grief… do you want everyone here to know that?"

"… er…" Zeffy ducked. "… No…?"

Mimi sighed impatiently and murmured, "C'mon… we've got to find— "

The assassin was interrupted abruptly.

"—hello, girls… care for a drink?" a knight with what seemed to be his rogue companion stood in front of them, smiling.

"…umm… no thanks…" Mimi smiled back nervously, scooting backwards.

The knight raised his eyebrow and leaned down towards her.

"Why?"

Mimi stammered.

"… because, well… you see…"

A sigh was heard followed by rustling and muffled whispers.

"… Because she already has someone she's going with."

With that, Yuzuna pushed the knight rather impolitely out of the way and thrust a very chagrined wizard in front of his shocked face.


20 Sept. 2005
A/N: I'm so sorry again that this chapter is so late! I had a wonderful time writing it though!

I hope all characters weren't too OOC…! Everyone's so sweet and supportive I would hate to disappoint your expectations!

Please, again, comments and suggestions are very welcome!

-hopelessmine!