Back to the roots or Taking a whole new path

by Tukuyomi

Sequel to A new life: Now that the dragons are gone, what is there left to do for Kidd and Harle? A little adventure maybe?

14. Elusive Truth

A/N: Whew, finished just in time to wish you all a merry Christmas! And a happy new year as well, because I don't think I'll be able to finish the next chapter earlier. Anyway, sorry this took so long, but I hope over 15.000 words will make up for that (seriously, next time I write a story, I'll try to write chapters with similar lengths XD) I hope you'll enjoy this chaper, even if it's not very Christmas-like. Please review!

And also,because writer-jm was so kind as to tell me, I'll give you a link where you can look up foreign words if they're not explained by context: w w w . w o r l d l i n g o . c o m / w l / t r a n s l a t e (I added the spaces in between because I have no idea if this site allows me to write links). It's a translator for almost every language one could think of : )

Chapter 14 – Elusive Truth

Clair and Eve walked along the crowded and noisy streets of Porre, Eve looking upwards the whole time, marvelling at the tall and impressive buildings that surrounded her. Eve had never seen a city this huge before, Termina had been about the biggest city for her up until now. She simply stared at her surroundings, her mouth wide open in the shape of an O.

"Don't you think this place is just great?", Eve asked, as she turned around from where she had run in front of Clair, looking at her expectantly.

"Yeah, it's pretty impressive." Clair couldn't really think of something else to say. Sure, this city was great, but unfortunately the last thing on her mind right now. They were here to do something, and Clair was immensely worried. At first she had thought that the Radical Dreamers would simply let them go upon reaching the harbour of Porre, but before she knew it, they had been deeply integrated into their plans. Eve didn't seem to mind at all, in fact she seemed almost eager to do it. Something that entirely slipped Clair's level of comprehension.

How could she be so carefree? Only a few hours were left until they would be fighting for their lives, probably. The very idea of being engaged in battle again appalled her. Of course, it was the right thing to do, to finally end this, to finally get to know the truth. But still, she was scared, probably more than one would assume her to be. She wasn't scared of the enemies. She was scared of herself. What would she do? Would she make the right decision?

She sighed, her eyes turned towards the ground. She should stop thinking like this, Harle had already told her that her decisions were right as long as she fought for something she believed in. And she really did believe that Viper was up to no good. All those guns he had, and his unknown objective as to why he wanted to kill the Radical Dreamers just for stealing the maps…it was most disturbing.

"C'mon Clair, hurry up! There are still so many things to see!", Eve called out to her happily, waving her hand.

Clair put on a smile and hurried to follow her friend along the busy streets. Eve had saved her life. Trying to be glad for her when she was enjoying herself was the least thing Clair could do. Tried to do.

They spotted all kinds of shops on the way, some of which they didn't even know what they were for. A foreign country was definitely different. So different that it might be a little scary at times, but also tempting.

The two of them passed a novel-looking building with a grand entrance door, and stopped to look at it.

"What's…this?", Eve asked hesitantly, frowning as she saw the unusually clad people emerging from the front door. They were talking to themselves eagerly, and were only mildly interested in the two soldiers who stood staring at them.

Clair watched them for a while, then shrugged. "No idea. It shouldn't be so bad though, the people coming out seem to be quite happy."

"Yeah, but look at their clothes! They seem like kings.", Eve whispered breathlessly. "I don't think we can go in there quite easily."

"They do look quite wealthy, that's true."

"I bet Kidd would know what this building is.", Eve said, furrowing her brows. She felt a little stupid.

"You think so? Harle strikes me as the more knowledgeable of the two, actually.", Clair said and a small smile tugged at her lips. Ever since she had talked to Harle, she couldn't help but imagine her as a sage or something similar. She was so wise, and could see right through people. At first she had been scared of someone who could see what she was feeling, but now it only made her want to talk to her again, to see what she sees. Clair felt quite silly however, thinking such things.

"But I guess since they're not here to tell us, we have to find out ourselves. Shall we go in, then?", Clair asked, motioning her head for the entrance.

"I don't think we should be doing that. Maybe people like us aren't allowed in there.", Eve answered and looked doubtful.

"You talk like we're beggars! I'm sure they'll let us in, we're soldiers after all.", Clair tried to reassured her, even though she didn't like to sound so proud of being a soldier. It would be over soon, anyway.

"I don't know…" Eve looked around self-consciously. She really wanted to know what kind of building this was, but her fear of making a fool out of herself nagged at her mind.

A smile crossed Clair's face unwillingly and she chuckled at Eve's behaviour. Eve could be so shy sometimes. After a quick glance to her, she strode forward and walked towards the door from which so many rich people had emerged just a minute ago.

Eve gasped as she saw Clair go, and quickly looked up to the huge letters above the door before she followed her friend. The letters read: "The queen and the thief", and Eve couldn't help but wonder about the strangeness of these words, having been put together in a seemingly nonsensical manner.

The large door seemed every bit as heavy as it looked, and Clair had to push hard to open it.

Inside there was a rather dark hallway, and Eve and Clair had to squint until their eyes got accustomed to the stark contrast to the bright daylight outside.

There was a woman standing behind what looked like a counter. She smiled at them and bowed as they reached the counter. "Welcome, what can I do for you?"

"Actually we…", Clair started but trailed off, her eyes searching until they spotted a board with the words 'entrance fees' on it, and underneath a list with several prices varying from child to adult. Without looking at the details, she just continued. "Actually we'd like two tickets.", she finally said, smiling at the woman.

"That would be 300 G. But I'm afraid the next play won't start within the next two hours.", the woman smiled apologetically.

Clair's eyes had grown wide as the mention of the price, but now returned to normal. "I see. That's too bad, we'll have to come back another time then, right Eve?", she asked, looking at her friend.

"Y…yeah, that's a bit late.", Eve stuttered, playing along. The prices were outrageous, there was no way they could afford this much money for something they didn't even know what it was.

Eve looked around, noticing a few people coming from a room beyond the hallway. They were dressed the same as the people she had seen before. At last there came a lady with long light violet hair, dressed in a fancy white dress. Eve didn't realize who she was until she lifted her head a little, but when she did, Eve grabbed Clair's arm, tugging at it.

"We'd better go then, bye.", she quickly said and dragged Clair from the hallway out onto the streets, where she quickly hid behind the corner of a nearby house. Clair, who hadn't protested until now pulled her arm free and looked at Eve questioningly.

"What's wrong?", she asked, joining Eve in her look around the corner. A few people were still walking out of the building and among them a sole woman, seemingly unaccompanied.

"Lady Riddel!", Clair gasped. "I didn't expect to see her here."

"Good thing she didn't see us.", Eve mumbled thoughtfully. "Though I don't know how much she really knows."

"I always thought of her as a nice person. I don't think she knows what her father does.", Clair said and frowned. They didn't know what Viper did either. They simply assumed that he was plotting something evil, but so far, they didn't exactly find any proof for that.

"We should follow her. No one seems to accompany her, so it'll be easy. We still have some time left before our mission.", Eve suggested.

"You're right. Let's do it." Clair approved and both of them stepped out of the corners and onto the busy streets, trying to follow Riddel as inauspiciously as possible, having all but forgotten about the strange building they had been so interested in a few minutes ago.

---

"Whaddaya say ta this? There's not one bloody guard in sight!", Kidd whispered in surprise, turning her eyes from the glass and to Harle.

"It'z trés suspicious, non?", Harle mumbled, taking the glass from Kidd to take a look herself. And Kidd had been right, this mansion looked perfectly normal and peaceful. "Zis iz ze right place?", she asked, even though she knew that it was, there was no doubt about it. It was just hard to believe.

"Sure is.", Kidd said, a little nervous. "There's somethin' wrong 'bout this, it must be a trap." She called it a trap, but she couldn't imagine how Viper could be expecting them. He couldn't possibly know about them. "I'm glad we sent Eve and Clair ta the warehouse. If Viper is still alive, he must be here."

To her surprise, Harle chuckled. When Kidd turned to look at her, she smiled at her knowingly. "You don't have much faith in zem, it seemz."

"It's not that.", Kidd quickly answered and looked away. "I trust 'em and all, they just seem so inexperienced with stuff like this. I don't want somethin' happenin' ta them, after all they've done ta help us."

"Zey will be fine, moi iz sure.", Harle said softly, reassuring her. "Eve iz trés strong-willed and brave, and Clair…", Harle wasn't sure how to put it, "she seemz wise…and trés intelligente. Zey are a good pair."

Now it was Kidd's turn to chuckle. "A good pair, huh? In what sense?"

"Moi doezn't know.", Harle said with a frown.

"Maybe you're seein' things.", Kidd said with a kind voice, not trying to make her angry.

"Maybe…" Harle wasn't really sure, but to her, Clair seemed to be more than just a friend to Eve. She didn't know if it was the same the other way around, though.

"I really hope they won't get inta trouble.", Kidd said, changing the topic.

"You worry too much, mon amour.", Harle replied, smiling.

"I know. But I have a bad feelin' 'bout this. We all but pushed them inta this, we didn't really ask if they wanted ta help us."

"Moi iz sure zey want to help. After all, zey don't seem to have any odder place to go to, anywayz.", Harle said gravely.

"Ya think they'll want ta join us?", Kidd asked, her smile growing at the thought. She would certainly like to have more women on board, to balance out the load of testosterone, even though she couldn't say that she disliked any of the men. But also, Eve and Clair seemed like really good comrades, and she would hate to see them wandering around without having a goal.

"Peut-être.", Harle replied, even though she didn't really think Eve and Clair would join the Radical Dreamers. She hated to think it, but Eve and Clair just seemed too good to be pirates. Not that she considered herself especially evil or mean, but she had no pity for those who stood against her, no matter who it was. And Eve and Clair…they just seemed a little too soft.

"It's already gettin' dark.", Kidd noted absent-mindedly, "we should strike soon."

"Oui."

"I don't believe there are no guards, we'll have ta split up. I'll be the bait and you'll sneak inside and try to find some information, or maybe, Viper himself. Avoid too many casualties. Those people are just doing their job.", Kidd explained and chuckled at the end. She didn't want to imagine the fate of those poor fools who would try to stop Harle.

"Mais oui.", Harle nodded and smirked. "Moi won't be too hard on zem."

"Okay then. But try ta stop Viper at all costs if you really find him. I'll see what I can find after I'm through with the guards. I'll help you then. He has ta hide his personal stuff somewhere…", Kidd said thoughtfully.

---

"Good evening, lady Riddel!", two surprised soldiers said and saluted. They both stood to the sides of a wide wooden door, and while they weren't wearing the uniforms Riddel would have expected them to wear, she could still see they were guards of Viper.

"Good evening gentlemen. I have come here to see my father. May I pass?", Riddel asked calmly as she stood before them.

"Of course!", the soldier to her right replied, opening the door for her. Riddel passed through the door without another word to the soldiers, who simply bowed to her.

Inside, Riddel was surprised to see the warehouse quite busy, even though it was already late. There were still countless people walking about the place, heaving wooden boxes or running around to manage the deliveries.

Riddel knew what those boxes contained. Most of them were filled with rations for the soldiers, and swords for them to carry. But there were also a lot of large boxes with ship parts and all kinds of construction plans. Things like that had never interested her much, and anyway, she wasn't here to see those people work.

Climbing up a flight of stairs, she soon reached a door which she knew lead to her father's office. To her surprise it wasn't locked, so Riddel didn't knock and simply opened the door quietly.

Her father sat at a large desk full of papers, sitting in a large chair with its back turned to her. He seemed to be speaking to someone via communicator. Riddel didn't want to disturb him, so she decided to close the door again and wait outside until he finished.

However, just as she moved to close the door, her father's unusually harsh voice made her halt.

"Fifty-thousand G!", Viper asked incredulously and laughed angrily. "Just to get rid of her? I believe that's a bit much, my friend." He emphasized the last two words threateningly.

Riddel couldn't bring herself to lock the door at those words, and simply remained standing at the half-opened door, frozen.

"Yes I know you are a professional. Yes, you never fail. But requesting fifty-thousand for a single person is just-". Viper obviously tried to persuade the person on the other end, but was seemingly interrupted and now listened closely.

"Yes, I believe we both know whom we are talking about.", Viper said, seeming to force himself to sound calm and listened. In between, he sometimes nodded and gave a grunt, more to himself than to the other person. Riddel couldn't help but wonder whom her father was talking to. This conversation seemed to be beyond ordinary business.

"Well then, let's make a deal. You get the money, but only if you do it according to my schedule. You'll do it exactly three days from now. If you do it any sooner or later, I'll only pay half of the money. Understood?", he asked and soon an evil smile formed on his lips. "Good."

After that he shut the communicator and sighed, turning around in his chair. "Whoever let this monster run loose should be shot."

After a few moments, he dedicated his thoughts to the papers on the desk in front of him, frowning as he looked through them.

By the time he did, the door was already closed again and Riddel gone, dashing along the stairs, and only slowing when the workers looked at her strangely.

She wanted to get out of this warehouse as soon as possible, and was quite out of breath as she finally saw the door that lead outside. She tried to calm herself as she reached the soldiers standing there, but noticed the questioning looks they gave her.

"Is everything alright, lady Riddel?", one of them asked, his expression worried.

"Yes, everything is fine.", she replied half-heartedly and intended to walk past them, but was stopped by the voice of the other soldier.

"Isn't it too dark for you to walk to the manor alone? Should I get someone to accompany you, miss?", he asked and already turned his head to look for someone to spare.

"That won't be necessary, gentlemen. I shall think I'll find my way to the manor alone.", Riddel retorted, not willing to discuss this matter. The soldiers simply shrugged and let her leave.

The way to the manor wasn't a terribly long one, and Riddel guessed it would take her twenty minutes to get there, if she took the shortcut through the woods. Which she did, because she didn't care much for the noise of the city, and was glad that both the warehouse and the manor were situated apart from the centre of Porre.

She didn't know why she had even come here, at all, if she didn't like big cities. After all, she could have stayed in Viper Manor back in El Nido, and not have bothered to come all the way to the Zenan Mainland just to sit in the manor all day just like before.

She had wanted to see the continent where she had been born, had lived for so long. It had simply interested her, but now that she was here, she didn't know where to go, where to look. And Riddel didn't even know where she was. She hadn't seen her in quite some time. Of course, things had changed over all these years, but she still missed the good old times, when she sat in her room, all alone, her only entertainment being the rising and setting sun.

She had been so childish back then, playing with her. Riddel wondered if she could ever laugh this freely again. She hadn't laughed in quite some time. She only occasionally smiled when she thought of her past, of her friend…and Dario too. How she missed him! How she missed being a careless child. How she missed being oblivious to everything.

---

"I still don't think this is a good idea. We're going to get into so much trouble.", Eve murmured thoughtfully.

"We're already in it. But this is one way to make it easier for us. You know I don't like it either.", Clair replied glumly. "I always kind of liked her."

"Yeah, it seems unfair to drag her into this when she probably doesn't know about anything."

"We won't hurt her or anything. After we have finished this we let her go."

"Alright. I just hope it works out.", Eve said doubtfully. She was eager enough to raid the warehouse and hopefully find information on Viper's doings, but dragging Lady Riddel into this seemed a bit much to her.

They both lay on a hill and watched the path below, which lead from the warehouse into the forest. Once Riddel appeared, they would go down and stop her. It seemed easy enough.

"Hey, Clair.", Eve said suddenly, still gazing at the path thoughtfully.

"Mm?"

"What will we do after this? I mean, after all this. Suppose Viper is still alive but we get rid of him, and stop all of whatever evil plans he has in store. What will we do, after that? We won't be soldiers anymore, then.", Eve said, trying to distract herself from what she was about to do.

"You could join in another army. You're good, I bet everyone would take you in.", Clair answered instantly, smiling weakly at her friend.

"I'm not sure if I want that anymore. I don't want to fight for people I don't know the intentions of. I would probably end up just like I am now."

"Maybe. What about the Radical Dreamers, then? Kidd seems to like you, I bet she'd like to have you with her. And you could simply leave whenever you chose to.", Clair suggested. She didn't know if she could quite imagine her friend as a pirate yet, but it would probably suit her better than being a soldier.

"I've thought about that too, but I have no idea if they'd want me. They seem to be nice people, though.", Eve mumbled thoughtfully. She really hadn't thought about her future all this time. She had always thought she would still be a soldier, ten or twenty years from now. How foolish it seemed to her now. "But what about you, Clair? What will you do?"

Clair looked at her friend for a moment, then sighed. "I have no idea."

"You don't want to join the Radical Dreamers, then?", Eve asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice, even though she didn't know why she felt like that. It wasn't that she had thought that Clair and her would always be together, she had known that sooner or later, they would go different paths. But she wasn't sure if she liked that thought.

"No, I don't think so. I guess I'm not the right type for fighting, after all.", Clair replied levelly.

"I see.", Eve murmured. She should be glad for her friend and support her, but instead, she felt like she would do about anything to change Clair's mind. But seeing the sad and distant look on her friend's face, she decided not to be selfish. She hadn't really thought much about Clair's feelings lately, even though she now thought that she should have. They hadn't really talked about the battle on Viper's ship, what Clair must have been gone through, all alone and locked up on the lowest deck. Eve couldn't imagine how it would feel, to know that she was going to die. It must have been the most terrible feeling of all.

Eve felt a sharp pang of guilt, feeling that she had let down Clair, when she had needed her. She had to make her sadness go away, somehow.

"Well, I could imagine youliving in Termina and have a family.", Eve smiled brightly and moved her hands before her to emphasize. "You'd have a great view onto the ocean and your kids would beg you to go the beach with them everyday. Your husband would come along too, on the days on which he doesn't have to work, and together you'll live happily ever after." Eve's smile came forced now, but she was intent on trying to be happy, for her friend. "Wouldn't that be nice? I'm almost envious just imagining it!", she said and laughed. However, as she met Clair's eyes they were wide and incredulous, so unlike the eyes Eve had expected to see. But before Eve could say anything, Clair turned her face away from her.

"Do you really think I would want that?", she asked silently, her voice hiding her emotions completely. Eve didn't know if she was joking or really angry, though the latter seemed more probable to her. But she didn't know why.

"Clair, I-", Eve started, but was silenced as she saw Clair putting her index finger to her lips.

"She's here." Immediately after saying this, Clair sneaked down the hill. It was already quite dark, so she didn't have to worry about being seen too early. Eve followed suit, a little taken aback by the sudden change but intend to push it to the back of her mind until this was over.

Eve hadn't reached the path when Clair already called out: "Stop right there!" Her tone was angry and harsh, and Eve wondered just how much of this was acted.

As expected, Riddel stopped at once, looking around curiously until she spotted Clair, who came to a halt about two metres in front of her, her sword drawn.

"One more step and you'll regret it.", she said threateningly, watching Eve take place behind Riddel, to prevent her from running away.

To their surprise, Riddel didn't cry out or tremble with fear. She simply watched them, trying to see whom she was facing.

"Are you…Viper soldiers?", she asked, judging from the clothes the attackers wore.

"Ex Viper soldiers.", Clair answered immediately. At this point Eve knew that Clair would do all the talking, and Eve didn't want to argue and say she shouldn't be too hard on lady Riddel. It was too late now, anyway.

"What do you want from me, then?", Riddel asked, her eyes daring, as if it was the most obvious question to ask. If Clair was surprised by Riddel's brashness, she didn't show it.

"We're taking you hostage.", came the answer. Just then did Riddel turn around slightly to look at Eve with a sceptically raised eyebrow, as though she hadn't noticed her before. "I see." Riddel's lips formed a wry smile.

Eve trembled under the gaze of Riddel, she hadn't expected her to react like this. She had imagined her to cry out for help, or try to run away and scream, or do whatever a rich daughter is supposed to do in such a situation, but Riddel before her was entirely different. And shockingly indifferent. Riddel looked at her as if she was above such petty things like kidnapping, as if she had seen worse than this. But had she? Eve couldn't guess.

"I guess you should do as you please then, seeing as how you two are armed and I am not. But I ask you not to use too much force on me, I won't struggle." Her own bitter and cold tone surprised Riddel, even though she didn't show it. Did she really not care about being taken hostage? Didn't she care that these people might as well kill her? Was the shock over her father's shady doings too much for her? She didn't know. Didn't want to know.

"Tie her hands, then her feet.", Clair said to Eve, and Eve obeyed, though slightly dismayed that Clair wouldn't even call her by her name.

She took out the rope and began to tie Riddel's hands together, carefully not to tie it too tight, but not too loose either. After she finished with her hands, she nudged Riddel to walk forward, to a tree a little off the path, where Clair already stood.

Riddel already knew what she was supposed to do and walked to stand with her back facing the tree. Eve went towards her and knelt down to tie her feet together.

"What do you gain by taking me hostage?", Riddel asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"You'll save our lives.", Clair replied, her voice now a little gentler than before. There was no use in trying to intimidate her. Riddel was submissive enough, and even though she seemed unimpressed by them, Clair didn't think she would cause any trouble. "You'll just have to wait here until we come and get you. That's all.", she said, watching Eve stand up and start to finally tie the rope around the tree and Riddel.

"And you're letting a lady freeze in this forest for saving your lives? That's pretty harsh.", Riddel said mockingly. She didn't know why, but she didn't fear those people at all, or maybe she really was beyond being afraid right now. But it gave her an unusual kind of satisfaction to provoke them, something she would have never thought of herself before.

"I guess it is.", Clair said, reminding herself not to give in to her own hostage, even though it really was kind of chilly. But even as she spoke these words, Eve began to unbutton her jacket and pull it around Riddel's shoulders, buttoning it at the front to keep her warm. At least a little.

Clair had wanted to protest, but it was already too late. She looked from Riddel to Eve and sighed. Both their behaviour was upsetting her, but she didn't say anything and simply walked towards the path again.

"We'll be back soon, so don't try to run.", Eve whispered to Riddel and then followed Eve. Riddel just nodded and watched them leave.

---

Kidd knelt behind a bush, listening closely for any kind of sound at all, but everything was quiet. Too quiet.

This trap was so obvious it was laughable. Kidd couldn't believe Viper thought of them as such fools. As if anyone would think that someone like Viper wouldn't guard his own mansion!

But still, something was strange. This mansion and the warehouse were marked on the maps Kidd had stolen. But why would Viper mark his own mansion on a map? She was determined to find out.

She had watched the entrance door for about half an hour now, and nobody had come out yet. Nobody had gotten inside, either. It seemed as if the mansion was completely devoid of life.

Kidd looked around in the dark, her hands searching the ground for a few small stones. She found them, and chose the smallest one first.

The bush behind which she was hiding was located about fifteen metres away from the entrance door, so Kidd reached back and threw the stone against the door.

The stone hit the centre of the door with a rather loud thud, then dropped to the ground. Kidd waited a few moments, expecting a soldier to open the door, but nothing happened.

Slightly agitated, she threw the next stone, about three times as big as the first one. It hit the door hard, but still nothing stirred after that.

"Bloody soldiers.", Kidd huffed and stood up, walking towards the door. Her dagger was drawn and she laid her ear to the door to listen for any movements behind it, finding none. It really was too suspicious.

Kidd tried to open the door, but of course, it was locked. She stepped back a little and regarded the set of double doors, trying to think of a way to get in.

There was nothing but a long handle at the front, so the door was obviously locked from the inside. Kidd looked up at the sky and frowned to see the moon half covered with clouds. She took the dagger out of its sheath and held it before the lock, twisting the blade until she found the angle which reflected the dim light of the moon right into the space between the doors. And just as expected, the light hit the shiny surface of metal.

Kidd almost laughed at the sight. Viper's second mansion was only locked with a simple bolt. He obviously didn't care much about his second residence then, Kidd guessed. Every amateur would get past this bolt.

Kidd stepped close to the door, sliding her dagger in between the doors until she hit the bolt. She moved it a little downward then, and forward again until her dagger was beneath the bolt. Then she simply pushed it upwards.

As expected, the bolt was quite heavy and her dagger a little too short, so she had to push the dagger in until the hilt hit the wood of the doors.

Once again, Kidd was grateful for her Prism Dagger, at least she didn't have to worry over it breaking under the pressure of the bolt. But it was still too hard to lift normally, so Kidd had to go on her knees and take the dagger into both of her hands. She then stood up slowly, lifting the bolt bit by bit until it stood vertically.

With a relieved sigh she opened the door and quietly closed them behind her as she stepped into the dark hall. A few candles were lit where a stairway lead to the next floor and a corridor lead deeper into the mansion, but aside from that, it was dark. And silent.

"So much for distractin' the guards.", Kidd whispered to herself as she placed her dagger back into its sheath and proceeded deeper into the mansion.

---

Harle leaned against the cold wall of the mansion and sighed. She was standing at the outside wall on the second floor, beside a balcony she had not yet dared to step upon. She had stayed in place for over twenty minutes now, and began to admit that it was getting chilly.

Kidd had told her to go in once she heard noises at the front door, which meant that the soldiers were occupied with Kidd, but up until now, it had been silent.

So after a lot of deliberation, she decided to go in. The balcony was easy to enter, and soon she found herself in a long hallway, leading to a flight of stairs to the right, and a junction to the left. She chose left.

This unwillingly reminded her of the last time she had done this, and she couldn't shake off the thought that she was doing the same thing again. She didn't listen to Kidd. But this bugged her only until she reached a richly decorated door, and a smile formed on her lips. This must be it.

Harle approached the door slowly and silently, her steps cautious. She leaned her ear onto the door, listening for any voices or movements inside. Everything was perfectly silent.

Harle idly wondered if this mansion was completely empty as she pulled at the doorknob and opened the large door. Nobody would leave a mansion like this unguarded. Something must have happened. Maybe Viper really was dead, and all the soldiers of the mansion dispatched to search for the remnants of the ship he had been on.

The room Harle stepped into was even darker than the hallway, and she left the door open to allow the dim light of the moon to reach inside, as sparse as it was.

Carefully treading through the room she noticed a large bed with gleaming white sheets and tall wooden posts at each corner. She held her breath and moved closer, but saw that the bed wasn't occupied. It was rather wide, effortlessly offering space for at least two people to sleep in, probably even three. However, she guessed the bed was only used by a single person, for she only saw one pillow at the head of the bed. She released the breath she had been holding and moved to turn around when a flicker of light caught her eyes, startling her.

She quickly looked up and took out her throwing cards in one swift motion, holding four of them in each hand, which were defensively crossed before her chest. The cards quivered in her hands. The source of the light was in front of her, only a few metres away. However, as she walked closer to it, it vanished and made place for a pair of red eyes.

Harle's eyes widened at the sight, and so did the ones she was looking into. Then her arms slackened and she came even closer until she could see her whole face. It was just a mirror. Harle chuckled slightly. It had reflected the moonlight that came through the door she had left open.

Harle regarded the mirror a little longer, noticing the fine crafting of its silvery frame in the shape of a snake. A viper, most likely.

Harle turned and looked around the room once more. This had to be a lady's room, she reasoned.

With her eyes now a little more accustomed to the darkness, she could make out a round table with only one chair next to it. Now she also saw dark curtains on the wall next to the table, and slightly pulled them aside to see the window behind them.

The window gave a nice view outside, but most of it was covered by trees which were planted too close to the window. Or maybe this was intended, for whatever reason.

As Harle closed the curtains again and turned around her look fell onto a small frame with a photo in it. It stood on the round table, and Harle picked it up and turned it towards the light from the door to look at it.

The photo showed Viper a few years younger than now, though how many, Harle couldn't guess. Beside him in his big arms stood a girl of maybe fifteen years, smiling broadly.

Harle frowned at the picture. It seemed to be old, for the colour had almost completely faded from it. She looked closer at the girl in Viper's arms. It was Riddel, smiling as if Viper meant the world to her. Maybe he had. Maybe he still did.

Harle couldn't help but wonder how any girl could be happy to have a father like this, a father who was so corruptive and deceitful. How could a child love such a father so much? She didn't know, but she wasn't the right person to ask such questions anyway. She was the last to question or define love and evil. She was the last who would know.

She sighed and put the photo back to its original place, intent not to linger in this room any longer. It obviously belonged to Riddel, which meant that it had no use for her. She doubted that she would find anything to prove Viper's evil plans here. Quite the contrary, probably. This room almost seemed like a shrine to all the good memories of Viper, and Harle shook her head at the thought. The very worst room to look into, indeed.

With quicker steps than before, Harle left the room and closed the door quietly. She was just about to continue along the corridor when an eerie voice behind her halted her.

"Fancy seeing you here, Harle." The voice sounded amused, but Harle immediately caught the sinister undertone and shivered.

Her hands quickly went to her pockets as she turned around, ready to attack the person. But as she saw who it was, her cards dropped to the ground unused, her eyes wide with terror. It was Jack.

He wore a long black coat and Harle could only catch a glimpse of the white shirt underneath, and she immediately knew it was him, despite his well-groomed and combed hair and twisted expression. It really was him.

In the dim light and his dark clothes, he looked even taller and broader than she knew him, and the throwing-knives he threateningly held in both of his hands underlined this image.

Harle shook her head slightly, but couldn't bring herself to speak. Instead, her feet moved backwards, almost of their own will.

"No need to run, Harle. I'm not here to hurt you." His eyes fixed hers.

Harle simply shook her head, and ran.

---

The guards at the front door had been easy enough to get rid of, without anyone noticing.

Eve and Clair had just finished dragging the unconscious bodies behind a few boxes and barrels nearby, tying them up to be safe.

At first they had planned to go straight in. They still wore their Viper uniforms, after all, so it shouldn't have been a problem.

The soldiers at the warehouse however wore different uniforms, much to Eve and Clair's surprise. While their uniforms were blue, the soldiers at the warehouse wore red ones. A deep red which, while looking noble, also looked just like blood.

"Do you think we should take their uniforms? From what I hear, the warehouse is pretty full of soldiers and workers.", Eve suggested, choosing the easiest option.

"Yes, I think that would be the best to do. It won't do if we'll have to fight against everyone in there.", Clair answered. "My rod and your gun could be suspicious, but we can't risk leaving them here."

Clair was right, Eve knew that, even though she would have preferred leaving their suspicious weapons somewhere. But the thought that they could end up openly fighting with all the soldiers because of them was frightening her. Clair seemed to feel the same, because despite of what she had said, her face was dark and anxious.

"Let's change, then.", Eve said and grabbed one of the soldiers by the collar, starting to unbutton his jacket. "I do think the uniforms will be a bit large, though.", she added as she took the jacket off and looked at it.

"Just wear it over your uniform.", Clair replied, not looking at Eve. Then she shook her head, remembering that Eve only wore her shirt anyway, and that alone wouldn't help much. She quickly stripped the man before her off his jacket and trousers and put them on. Eve did the same, but found the legs and arms of the uniform a bit long, and the shoulders a bit broad. But with a stiff uniform like that, the shoulders wouldn't be the biggest problem.

Clair looked at Eve, then at herself. "Mine will be good enough, but yours is too obvious."

She walked over to Eve and took her left wrist abruptly, folding the arm of the uniform so that it only reached to her wrist and not all the way down her hand as it had before. She did the same with Eve's other arm, and also with both of her legs, for the trousers were so long that Eve would step upon them when she walked. Clair did it like a mother would do for her child. Except that Clair didn't feel as content doing it.

"Thanks.", Eve said and smiled sheepishly, but her smile wasn't returned. In fact, it didn't even seem to reach Clair at all, who simply gazed at Eve's hair and frowned.

"Tie your hair up, maybe they'll get suspicious if they see we're both girls." Eve nodded and did as she was told, but looked at Clair questioningly.

"But what about yours?"

"My hair won't matter. Just do it.", Clair replied and watched Eve hide her hair under her cap. She almost looked like a boy, with her hair seemingly short and her flat chest almost invisible under two shirts and a jacket. She was almost as tall as a man too, and the few missing centimetres wouldn't matter. It might work, if the others didn't notice. She hoped they wouldn't. She hoped that Eve would get out of this safely, despite of what they were going to do. Because she knew that if anything happened, it would be her fault.

"Why are looking at me…like this? Is something wrong?", Eve asked hesitantly, having noticed the sad look with which Clair was regarding her. It made her uneasy, because she still didn't know why Clair was looking at her like that, why she was so sad and serious lately. Clair wouldn't tell her. Eve wondered where her high-spirited and gentle friend had gone, she wondered what she had done that had made her leave in the first place.

"It's nothing. You'll look like a man to everyone inside, they won't notice a thing.", Clair answered calmly, even though she was worried about Eve.

"Let's go in, then.", Eve said with as much confidence as she could muster despite her uneasiness, and slowly opened the front door.

The voices from inside were loud, calling to each other about boxes having to be moved or packed, and people to be dispatched. Eve didn't listen to them, looking around the corner to see the whole interior of the warehouse.

Almost as expected, the whole hall was divided into cell-like parts, each of them occupied by busy workers and soldiers.

"We have to be quick. If people look at us for too long, they'll find out.", Eve cautioned. Clair merely nodded.

"His office must be up there.", Clair said and pointed to a flight of stairs which lead to a corridor with a few rooms lined there. "We'll try to find some information there. We'll just have to get past the soldiers quickly enough."

"Got it.", Eve simply said, already looking for a way to do just that.

---

She was getting cold despite the jacket. And it only made her wriggle more, trying to get rid of the rope that tied her to the tree. She had told herself that she wouldn't try to run, but her excitement over being a subject of kidnapping had long subsided and had made place for simple bitterness.

The memories of the talk of her father wouldn't leave her mind anymore, it was the only thing she could think of. What was he planning to do? Was she just misinterpreting everything? Did he have a reason for the things he was doing? She didn't know, but she wanted to believe that he had.

But then, what were these women doing? They were obviously after Viper, she wouldn't be much use as a hostage if they were after anyone else. What would they do to him? Would they kill him?

One of the women had called herself an ex viper soldier. They had a score to settle with her father, Riddel guessed. She wasn't sure what she should feel right now. Of course she was worried…but there was also something else. A feeling that was alien to her. She couldn't quite name it, yet.

But she did know what she should do. She should get help, she didn't know what these women would do at the warehouse. They could have carried explosives or something alike. They could be a threat to her father, as much as she doubted, or was unwilling to believe that to be true.

However, she had come to the conclusion that she should get back to the mansion and tell the soldiers to leave for the warehouse. She hadn't been at the mansion since early morning when she had left for the city to go to the theatre, so she didn't know just how many of Viper's soldiers were left, but she hoped them to be enough.

But still, the problem of her being tied to a tree in the middle of a forest remained, and Riddel just started to regret her behaviour towards her kidnappers. Maybe if she had cried and begged and promised not to run, they would have tied the ropes a little more loosely. But then, she was such an unlikely drama queen, she couldn't possibly imagine herself to have done something like that.

Riddel looked down to the rope that bound her stomach and hip to the tree, frowning. If she would just get rid of that, she was sure she would be able to untie herself from the ropes around her wrists and ankles as well.

---

Her heart beat wildly, and her lungs hurt from forcing them to take shallow and even breaths despite the running and exhaustion. She squeezed herself close to a wall, trembling and tears of fear streaming down her cheeks. She gritted her teeth tightly to keep them from clattering, and her mouth from letting out the sobs that would most definitely come once she opened it.

She couldn't believe it. He looked like Jack, but he wasn't him. Or at least, he wasn't who he had used to be. She feared he would kill her once he found her.

And all she could do was hide. Because even if she wanted to, she couldn't kill him. He had been a good friend to her ever since she had first met him. She remembered him begging her to teach him to use the throwing-knives. The irony. Only a few minutes ago had it been exactly such a throwing-knife that had almost ended her life, if it hadn't been for her quick reflexes.

His skill hadn't just improved, it had excelled hers. There wasn't the slightest resemblance of his old technique anymore. The throws were fast and powerful, and he could do them without even looking. It scared her.

She had once been his teacher, and now was his prey. It was a nightmare.

Harle moved a few steps to the side, deeper into the shadows. She winced slightly as she felt the wound at her leg again, but could do nothing to cease the pain or even stop the bleeding. The light of the cure elements would reveal her hiding-place.

Just as she reached a relatively safe corner, she heard slow, self-confident steps. Steps that seemed to know exactly where they wanted to go. They came closer.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are.", the all too familiar voice sang out, while the steps continued to come closer.

"You know, Harle, this is so much fun. Just you and me.", Jack said and laughed. "We should have done this more often, without your annoying friend."

Harle's eyes widened and she had to fight hard to suppress a gasp. A thought occurred to her that hadn't crossed her mind before. Where was Kidd? And what would Jack do to Kidd once he finished with her?

The steps were only a few metres away, and Harle looked for any ways to escape, which was almost impossible considering she had reached a dead-end Jack was quickly approaching. Harle looked around, her vision blurry from the tears that still leaked out of her eyes out of sheer desperation. She felt so helpless. So alone. She had never been more afraid to die, not even of the dragons, for she had known that the dragon's would have known a thousand other ways to let her suffer instead of simply killing her. But Jack, with his shining tools in his hands, seemed more than ready to slit her throat, or worse.

Shining. Harle saw that the throwing-knives reflected the moonlight quite visibly, just like the mirror in Riddel's room had. She could make out most of the blades he was holding. He held at least two in his right hand, probably three in the other, and one was clenched between his teeth.

She had no other choice. Taking a few cards into her hands, she aimed them at his throwing-blades. The cards trembled in her hands, and pearls of sweat formed on her head.

Another step, and Jack came to a halt merely three or four metres in front of her. She could see him clearly, for the moonlight that came through a window behind him outlined his entire body. He stood exactly in the middle of the corridor, leaving about one metre on every side to slip through.

Harle couldn't guess if Jack saw her, or just assumed her to be where she was. Maybe he had seen the stain of blood on the wall to her right, which looked like a streak of dark purple in the moonlight. Maybe he had seen her walk this way, and knew there was no way to escape. Maybe he could see her, even in the dark.

Her tears had subsided, and Harle was grateful for it, it enabled her to see clearly again. However, just how much use this was to her, was yet to prove.

"I never really understood why you cared for her. You could have had anyone. You could have had me.", Jack said and snorted.

Harle hardly heard the words he spoke, only watched his silhouette in the moonlight, waiting for the right moment. When Jack turned his face to the side, looking around, and Harle saw the outline of his face, she struck.

She leapt forward and threw three cards at his face and one at each hand. She dashed forward, not even looking for Jack's reaction, who simply grunted and used his knives to meet the cards in mid-air and pin them to the walls around him. Not one card hit its mark.

Harle didn't notice, however, as she ran past Jack's side, unconsciously avoiding the knives aimed at her thighs, and his outstretched arm that tried to halt her.

She simply ran as fast as she could, not minding where she ran, and never looking back. She didn't hear her ragged breathing as she ran, she didn't hear her loud steps echoing along the hallways, she only heard Jack, quickly approaching behind her, and the sound of knives whizzing by her ears.

She quickly scrambled up the stairs that led to the next floor, not knowing what would await her there. Reaching the top, she pressed her hands to her mouth to stop the gasped breathing for a moment and listen. She heard Jack downstairs, hoping he would take the other way, along the corridor and away from the stairs. But as she heard his heavy steps on the wooden boards, she ran again.

After the short pause, her wound at her leg hurt all the more, and Harle didn't know how much longer she could run. While running, she feebly tried to press her right hand to her thigh to stop the blood from dropping to the ground, and thus leaving an obvious trail for Jack to follow. She didn't know if she succeeded in doing that, but as she passed the next door on the way, she knew that she could run no longer. The adrenaline that had made her unconscious of the pain in her leg and the exhaustion of her body now began to loose its effect, and Harle started to feel weary and dizzy despite her fear. She had no sense of time whatsoever, but guessed that half an hour must have passed already. Half an hour since the hunt had begun. She feared it would come to an end soon. And in this long half hour, she hadn't had the time to think about her situation at all. Pure fear and desperation ruled her mind, blocking out any rational thoughts. Thoughts about why Jack had become like this, the person who could have done this to him. And most importantly, why and how he had become so incredibly strong and skilled.

Harle opened a door to her left and closed it behind her, hobbling as quickly as she could across the room, searching for a place to hide. Her eyes darted across the room wildly, and it took her a few moments to realize that she was in Riddel's room again. Only now did she remember running down a flight of stairs earlier.

Under different circumstances, she would have wondered about the lack of encounters with any soldiers. It almost seemed as if Jack and Harle were the only ones in the whole mansion. However, there was no space in her mind for any thoughts at all as she leaned down and hid under Riddel's white bed.

Laying down she allowed herself to take a few deep breaths until the familiar steps returned, impossibly slowly walking towards the door of the room she was hiding it. Again, she hoped that he would pass the room, but to no avail. It was hopeless. She simply couldn't escape from him.

The door opened with a low creak and Harle immediately ceased her breathing almost completely, for fear it would reveal her. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that threatened to flow again to leak out of her eyes. A few tears escaped however, leaving a long wet trail on Harle's cheeks.

With her eyes still closed, she listened to the slow treading of Jack's boots. She heard him move a few objects, maybe the mirror or the photo on the desk, she couldn't tell where he was. Suddenly a dim light came through her lids, and she opened her eyes slowly. She saw the floor around her illuminated in a soft, flickering light. The light of a candle, maybe more.

Harle squeezed her eyes shut again, shaking her head silently. It was over. She had lost. Maybe she should have fought him more seriously. Maybe she shouldn't have fought at all.

The pain in her leg had become a steady throbbing by now, and Harle had to suppress a wince. The light, the candles. She had lost. She had lost so badly.

Her eyes opened against her will as she heard the sound of even breathing to her right. A perfectly even breathing without the slightest hint of anticipation. The smell of his breath reached her nose. It smelled sour. Like an animal's.

But as she finally turned her head she saw no animal but Jack's wide eyes and a twisted grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Gotcha."

---

The short way to the office had been easy enough, the soldiers didn't seem very interested in them, only shooting them a glance as the passed, their shoulders straight and their faces lifted with a stern expression. It was almost too easy. Nobody had commented on their weapons either, though that may have been due to the rod and gun being covered in cloth and carried like a precious item. Eve felt silly, carrying the gun in both hands before her, as if she wanted the soldiers to take a look at it, but as Clair had told her, nobody cared for it. The plan worked well.

They now stood in front of a door that could be no other than the door to Viper's office.

"What if he's really in there?", Eve fretted, looking to the sides anxiously.

"I don't think he will. He could be dead for all we know. And if he's actually in there, we'll still have Riddel. Don't worry so much.", Clair said and tried to reassure her, but her voice sounded colder than she wanted it to.

Clair laid her hand onto the handle and with another look to Eve, pressed it down and opened it. She was prepared to see everything, no matter how surprising or odd it might be. And of course, she was also prepared to see Viper, which she did, sitting behind his desk without even looking up as they entered.

"Go away, I have no time for you right now. Can't you manage one damn thing alone?", he grumbled, more to himself than to the soldiers, frowning over the papers in front of him as he continuously tipped his pen onto the sturdy surface of his desk.

Immediately Clair took the chance and drew her sword, pointing it towards his face. "I'm afraid we aren't your ordinary soldiers.", Clair said with a cocky smile.

Now Viper looked up slowly, and upon seeing the sword pointed at him, his eyes narrowed knowingly. "I see.", he simply said, and Clair was surprised by his calm tone.

"I'd like to make it short. You won't leave this office until you've told us what it is you plan to do. We know you're plotting something.", Clair said with a commanding voice, and Eve was once again surprised at how she handled the situation, despite having been surprised by Viper.

"Will you let me leave this office if I told you?", Viper asked, grinning.

"We…we'll see about that.", Clair answered, a little taken aback.

"I don't think so. If you knew what I am about to do, you would try to kill me on the spot, I suppose.", Viper said levelly.

"You are aware that we could do just that.", Clair said, still surprised at his behaviour. Judging from the look he had given Eve earlier he had recognized her. And for having lost in a fight against her, she couldn't believe he acted so self-confident still.

"No, you should be aware that my men are waiting outside this door to kill you if you even dare to attack me. Did you really think nobody had recognized you in these ridiculous uniforms, which are obviously too large for you?", Viper asked and laughed despite the sword still aimed at his face, quivering with anger, as if it was ready to lash out at him at any second. A loud and throaty laugh that seemed terribly out of place. Clair noticed the communicator that lay beside Viper's elbow on the desk. "Oh well, I still have a lot to do, if you'll excuse me."

By now, Eve had loaded her gun and pointed it at Viper. Clair nodded approvingly and turned to Viper again. "I don't think you're in any position to make fun of us. If you do, it will be at the expense of your dear daughter's well-being."

Now Viper stared at him and seemed to take a look at them seriously for the first time. His self-confident smile turned into an angry grimace. "What are you saying?"

Clair's smile grew considerably, as if to counter Viper's ugly grimace. "I am saying that you'd better do what we ask of you or your daughter won't live to see the next day."

At these words, Viper rose, already moving his hand as if to call his soldiers, when Clair interrupted him.

"I don't advise you to try to kill us, Viper. If we won't be back at the place where we keep her in two hours, someone will kill her.", Clair said, a pearl of sweat on her forehead. She was bluffing too hard, but she couldn't help it. Things had turned out worse than she had expected, and outside the door probably stood enough soldiers to finish them off in seconds. Riddel was everything they had left. "You'd be surprised of what kind of people you meet, and what they'll do for you for a little payment. Of course, you would know this best.", Clair added.

Viper was merely gaping by now and reluctantly sat back down.

"Now, dismiss your bodyguards.", Clair ordered and shook her head in direction of the door, where she presumed at least five soldiers to be.

"No, I can't do that.", Viper replied. Clair already wanted to snap at him when she saw his distressed and suddenly weak expression. "But I won't call them in, either."

His face was literally a white flag to them, but Clair was still sceptical. After all, he could be acting and bluffing as much as they did. She was determined not to fall for a trick she used herself.

"You know, I wonder why you are doing this. You are only two women and yet you try to go against a whole army. Even going so far as to involve people that have nothing to do with all this. What do you gain from this?", Viper asked, without a hint of superiority.

"Freedom.", Clair simply answered. "And the knowledge to have stopped someone who messes with other people's lives. You know, even if it turned out that you aren't storing anything suspicious here, even if it turned out that you don't have any mad plans that will cost countless people's lives, I would still stop you. As a revenge for Harle and Kidd. Attempting to kill them several times, just because they stole those stupid maps from you. I would still stop you, because you are mad."

Viper looked at them as if he was impressed, nodding gravely. "My, my, that girl really has a lot of admirers.", he said and chuckled to himself. "To think that she has killed so many people and just some time ago would have willingly eliminated every human on earth…despite all that, you treat her like a goddess." Viper eyed them expectantly, then laughed again. "Oh excuse me, I forgot. She is a goddess."

"Who are you talking about?", Clair snapped irritated. She didn't like being played with, and Viper was obviously trying just that. She felt like she already stepped into his trap, but refused to let her worries show. She quickly glanced over to Eve, who just stood and stared at Viper, seemingly frozen in place. She looked scared.

"Why, Harle of course. Don't tell me you didn't know? How she had mercilessly killed countless children with burning down an orphanage?" By now, Viper's sick smile was fully restored and Clair's, as its counterpart, had completely vanished. For the first time ever since Lynx had been defeated and their plans foiled, he was glad that Lynx had told her so much about his companion. Viper still remembered how content he had seemed whenever he talked of Harle's evil doings, like a teacher who is proud of his student's achievements. Even though Lynx usually hadn't talked much. And as for the dragon part, Kidd herself had told him that the dragons had once chased after Harle. Everyone who had been involved in the incidents that concerned Fate knew it, even though the topic had long lost its explosive nature. But Viper knew, that even old news was valuable to someone who had not heard it yet.

"You're lying. But you know what? I won't fall for it. Tell me everything you want, I won't believe a word!", Clair shouted at him, even though she felt like crying. It couldn't be true, could it? It just couldn't.

"Now, let me tell you something. Let me tell you what you know. You know nothing.", Viper said and his voice grew louder with each sentence. "People who don't know anything, can't understand anything either. You're merely clutching to one of two sides blindly, calling one side right, and one side wrong. You're so self-deluding, you don't even know what you are doing this for! Why are you risking your lives?", Viper asked even though it sounded more like a shout. He eyed Clair with a hard expression.

"Just look at your friend! Does someone who wants to fight look like that? Does someone who knows what to fight for look like that!", Viper yelled and Clair couldn't help but stumble a few steps backwards, staring at Eve. She looked so scared, so lost. Like a child who had been left alone in the rain. A child she had left alone. Clair didn't notice her sword dropping out of her hand.

"Now get out of my sight.", Viper said angrily, looking to the door. "Guards!" Within mere seconds, the door swung open and the room was filled with at least six more people. Clair was too dizzy and overwhelmed to count them. Eve looked to Clair, but saw that Clair was unable to do something right now.

"H…hold it!", Eve yelled, but her voice sounded too high and weak. She had to go on, however. "Did you forget about…your daughter?", she asked, then sighed. She had been awfully close to calling her "lady Riddel", which would have all but spoiled it.

"Stop bluffing, already. Do you really think I'll believe a single word of yours? Just take a look at yourselves! You weren't able to kill me, back on the ship. And you're not able to kill an innocent woman either! Pathetic traitors."

Eve couldn't respond to this. It was simply too much for her. Everything he had said…she didn't want to believe it, but it sounded so true. The thing about Harle…and their lack of knowledge too. It was true that she didn't know anything. She had suspected Viper solely because of what Kidd had told her. But in the end, she couldn't tell if she hadn't just been tricked by them. They could have told them lies, all along. How would she know?

Eve's train of thought was harshly interrupted as Viper called out to his guards, who by now had surrounded them with drawn swords and a few guns as well.

"Get rid of them, now! And after this, we're leaving. We'll just take the most necessary things. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!", the soldiers immediately called in unison.

Before Eve could do something, her arms were grabbed by strong hands, and twisted at a painful angle until they were pressed against her back. The soldiers did the same to Clair, who didn't resist in the least.

Together, they were swiftly carried along the corridors until they reached the outside. Here the soldiers seemed a little indecisive, for Eve felt being dragged to the right, then the left, but finally forward. She didn't bother to look where they were being carried to, it was no use anyway. She just hoped that they would take a clear shot at her head, instead of piercing her heart with their swords.

"What shall we do with them?", Eve heard one of the soldiers ask.

"Viper said to get rid of them, whatever that meant.", another replied and snorted.

"C'mon, they're just women. How much could they possibly do?", a third joked. Usually, Eve would have disembowelled him just for this remark, but it was no use to struggle in her situation. It would only make it worse.

"You're right. We'll just beat them up good and be gone before they wake up again. If they ever wake up again.", the first one said and laughed, and the others joined in.

"Having fun, are you?", Clair suddenly asked, and Eve looked up from where she was being held, seeing a strange smile on her lips. Her eyes were eerily glassy, and her smile held no emotion.

"Shut up, you bitch!", a soldier shouted and Eve watched in terror as he struck Clair across the face while another held her in place. "That'll teach you."

"I think you should give her another one, for being so cocky.", another soldier suggested and laughed.

"You're right, she really has a big mouth, considering her situation.", the first one said again and reached back to strike her again.

That was it. She had seen enough. She may have been silent this whole evening, and probably this whole mess was her fault, but and maybe just because of that she couldn't let them just hit Clair like that. Didn't they see her face? Couldn't they see those distant eyes?

"Take your bloody hands off her, you bastards!", Eve yelled before she knew what she was doing. Every soldier turned to her, watching her as if she was mad. "Do…do it to me if you have to, but leave her out of it.", Eve added, her voice slightly lower.

"You heard that?", a soldier asked and laughed, then walked to stand in front of Eve, who was still being held. "Maybe we should kill them after all, ungrateful people like that." After the sentence left his mouth, he raised his knee and rammed it directly into Eve's stomach. Eve gritted her teeth and didn't scream, but started to see things before her eyes and hung now limply in the other soldier's grasp, unable to stand with her own strength. More strikes and kicks followed, too fast for her to see from which direction they came, and too hard for her to try anything else than keeping her consciousness, which became harder with each blow. At one point she lost her vision for a moment, seeing nothing but blackness until she felt a new pain in her back. At first she thought it was the tip of a sword being pierced into her back, but after a few moments she realized that it had been someone's elbow.

Aside from a few grunts and laughs, nobody talked anymore, and in the few seconds where she wasn't being hit or kicked, she could even hear the sounds of an owl. She didn't hear Clair's voice at all, didn't even know if she was still there.

Just when Eve thought she could take no more, she received one more kick into her already bruised stomach and they finally let go of her, leaving her to stumble to the ground, coughing and panting.

"You asked for it, so you better not complain.", a voice came again, chuckling at Eve's form on the ground, weak and miserable.

"As for you.", he said and Eve thought that his voice had gotten a little quieter, as if he had turned his head. He probably had, she couldn't see. "I wish we had a little more time to play, but Viper wants us back so we'll end this quickly."

Eve could only hear a gasped cry, the soldier probably having punched her in the stomach. She wanted to say something, but her lips quivered too much to bring out a word.

She didn't hear much after this, aside from Clair falling to the ground and the steps the soldiers took as they walked away from them.

"Hey, do you really think we should leave them like that? What if they-", Eve could hear one of them ask before he was interrupted by another.

"Then we'll have some fun with them again." At that, all of them laughed, and Eve listened, until she couldn't hear them anymore.

After they were gone, Eve tried to move again and roll around so she could face Clair, who had to be lying somewhere behind her. It took her a while to do so but eventually she succeeded and turned to see her friend lying on her back, her eyes looking up to the sky.

"Hey Clair…you alright?", Eve asked and was surprised how weak and hoarse her voice sounded.

Just seconds after she had asked this, tears started to roll down Clair's cheeks, the moonlight highlighting them, making them look like they were made of silver.

"…Clair?", Eve asked again, but received no reply. She gave up for the moment, she was just glad that Clair was conscious. That would make it easier to heal her. With her less bruised left arm, she rummaged in her pockets, hoping to find at least one Cure or Heal element. After a while, she did, and pulled the Cure element out. She held it in both of her hands, concentrating. After a while, it started to glow, and Eve looked up to Clair.

"Stop that.", Clair suddenly said in a hushed whisper and the glow immediately faded. Eve looked at her with a puzzled expression, not quite understanding.

"Your condition is worse than mine. Heal yourself first.", Clair answered to the unasked question, still looking up to the stars.

Eve looked at Clair worriedly, but in the end healed herself, for she didn't know how much longer she would have enough stamina to cast an element at all. As she did, she felt as if her body became lighter, and the worst pain in her stomach subsided, along with a few bruises. But as a result, she was so tired she could hardly move anymore, and just settled with laying on her back, like Clair did.

They didn't speak for quite a while. Clair still cried silently, and Eve tried to stretch her arm to wipe the tears away, but her arm was too short and tired and fell limply to the ground halfway.

"We really messed up this time, huh?", Eve said and chuckled lightly. Laughing would have hurt too much.

"I'm sorry.", came the quiet reply. Eve turned her head to the side, smiling.

"It's not your fault. They were just too many for us, and this whole mission too much for us to handle. We simply shouldn't have gone in there at all.", Eve said and coughed. Her throat was terribly dry and it hurt to speak. Not that she let that stop her.

"Probably. But now Viper knows about us and will escape.", Clair spoke, her voice laden with guilt.

"I bet he will.", Eve said simply, as if it was her smallest worry. "We'll get him next time."

"Do you really want to continue this?", Clair asked in disbelief. "After they've done this…" At that she trailed off, and new tears came forth. "I'm so sorry.", she repeated. "You shouldn't have told them to hit you instead of me."

"You just shouldn't have started to get cocky on them.", Eve said and laughed unintentionally, but soon stopped as her lungs and stomach began to hurt.

"It's nothing too serious. I'll just have to lay down for a while.", Eve said in the most reassuring voice she could muster. She was getting cold, but at the same time thought that laying in the cold for a few hours couldn't be half as bad as actually trying to stand up.

"We'll get him next time, for sure. Viper seems to have enough problems on his own, it didn't seem like everything was going smoothly for him.", Eve spoke, but wasn't really sure why she said it. Maybe she just wanted to cheer Clair up a little. She didn't succeed in the least.

"What do we do about Riddel?", Clair asked, not bothering to add the honorific. It didn't matter anymore. "Viper didn't believe us, what do you think he will do?"

Eve looked surprised, as if she hadn't thought about Riddel at all. "I don't know, I guess he'll send some of his men to look for her. He can't be as conceited as to not look for her." 'He had just wanted to intimidate us with talking as if he didn't care', Eve wanted to add, but decided not to. After all, she had wholly fallen into his trap. For a moment she had really thought that what he said was true. She knew better now, but it was too late. She just had to admit that she had been too scared and confused to do anything. She just had to live with that, now. But she would make up for this, definitely.

"I guess they'll find her soon enough, we didn't hide her very well.", Clair said, sounding as if she was almost regretting that fact. She turned her head a bit, for the first time interested where they really were. She could see the warehouse, but it was pretty far away. She hadn't thought the soldiers had carried them this far. She couldn't see much except a row of figures leaving the building, but she guessed they couldn't see them from there. They walked into the opposite direction as well. Clair frowned.

"Why are you looking like this, Clair?", Eve asked, her voice gentle. "This whole day, you've been so distant and sad. Why is that?" Eve frowned, not really liking the way her question sounded.

Clair didn't answer, nor did she look at Eve. For a moment Eve thought she had heard a quiet sob.

"I mean, we're alright now, aren't we? We'll just rest a bit and get back to the ship, then try to find out where Viper is. Why were you so sad all these last days? It's not…like you.", Eve said tentatively, doubting that she would get an answer this time.

"You wouldn't understand.", came the short reply.

"Why don't you try it?", Eve asked softly, and stretched her arm again, this time succeeding in touching Clair's hand. She felt Clair flinch, but she didn't pull it away.

"I can't.", Clair said, and it was true. How could she tell Eve everything she felt? All this guilt, all those unrequited feelings. She just couldn't bear it.

"Is it about the battle on the ship still?", Eve asked, having no intention to give up this easily. "Or is it…about me?" Eve could feel a faint blush creep onto her cheeks, and she felt almost stupid for asking such a question.

To her surprise, Clair chuckled. "How presumptuous."

"I bet you think I'm terribly insensitive.", Eve said and grinned, looking at Clair. Finally Clair turned her head to meet Eve's gaze on her. She smiled. And Eve saw a small spark of hope in those eyes.

It was only mere minutes afterward that the warehouse exploded in a sea of flames.

---

Now, after what felt like more than one hour of searching, she finally admitted that it had been stupid to look for anything useful in the basement of the mansion. She felt as if she had looked into at least a hundred rooms, and everyone had looked the same. And every one of them had been empty, and almost devoid of any kind of furniture. Kidd couldn't get rid of the thought that these rooms seemed like cells, only more noble ones. But then, the doors didn't have any special lock, so it was hardly possible to imprison a person in one of these without having him ram the door out of its angle or pick the lock in no time.

But still, there weren't that many doors left, so Kidd might as well check the few ones left too before she went upstairs again. She wondered what Harle was doing right now, and chuckled. Surely not wasting her time like she did. Maybe she had already tied Viper up in his office, and now searched through his papers. But more probably, she had encountered as much resistance as she had, that was, none at all. Not a single soldier had shown himself, nothing at all that tried to stop them.

She had heard a few hollow noises from upstairs earlier, but now she thought it must have been her imagination. The whole mansion seemed dead, or just terribly cooperative. It seemed too suspicious, and Kidd had reminded herself over and over not to let her guard down, even though it was tempting.

With careful steps she approached the last door of the corridor. She knew there was one more corridor where she hadn't looked yet, she would go there after this. But first she had to try this door, behind which she suspected just another plain and empty room, even though the door looked slightly different from the other ones. It was taller and broader, and as she came closer, she saw the handle had the shape of a viper's head. Kidd almost gasped at the unsuspected sight, but then smiled confidently, chiding herself for having thought this a useless search. It seemed Viper cared about his things after all, so he wisely chose an unlikely place for his bureau. He hadn't expected Kidd's genius though.

With a grin on her face she opened the door, but was still wary and held her dagger in front of her. The room was large and tall, unlike the small and stuffy office she had expected, and Kidd had trouble to see just how far it reached in the darkness. Kidd walked a few steps and sniffed. The room smelled strange. It wasn't a pleasant smell and Kidd thought about where she knew this smell from when she suddenly heard a myriad of shrieks and cries that made her stumble backwards and cry out in shock. She fell down onto the floor but quickly scrambled up again to defend herself against whatever it was that wanted to attack her, but soon enough, the shrieks ceased and diminished to a low mumbling.

Kidd stood defensively for a few moments, but then relaxed and looked around more calmly. She spotted a candle on a table nearby and lit it without much thinking. She wouldn't be able to find anything useful in this darkness, after all.

However, what she saw as she lit the candle made her cry out once again, staring at her surroundings.

There were cages, lining the walls of the entire room, three rows of them. Where the light reached beyond the bars of the cages, Kidd could see eyes staring at her. Eerie eyes, some yellow, some red. They were all watching her. Kidd's hand trembled slightly, causing the light of the candle to flicker stronger, bathing the room in an even scarier light.

"It's all right Kidd, they're in bloody cages, they can't come out and kill ya. Probably.", Kidd whispered to calm herself but failed miserably, for her hands still shook as much as before. But after a few moments she gathered up enough courage and tentatively approached one of the cages near her. There was an animal behind it, though Kidd couldn't quite figure out which one it was. Upon the first look, it seemed like an Alphabat, but it had legs and arms in addition to its wings. It seemed most strange.

Kidd shrugged and turned her eyes off the strange being and looked into the other cages. There was a Bulb, but instead of being yellow it was green. Kidd frowned at it, wondering what use this change of colour had for the being. But as it began to squeak under Kidd's scrutinizing gaze, she turned away and walked towards a cupboard with rows of unknown objects. Transparent bottles and cups filled with strange fluids stood among them, and oddly shaped knives and other tools scary enough for Kidd not to touch them.

With another look around, Kidd finally concluded: She was in a lab. And she only knew one person whom it could belong to. The thought made her shiver, and she turned around, intent to leave the room. She wouldn't find much here. 'Except creepy living things.', she thought grimly as she passed a rather large glass tube with what seemed like an embryo with wings.

"Do you have any business here?", a stern voice asked suddenly, and Kidd flinched and turned to the door. A tall woman with glasses stood there, with drawn cards in her hands. Her hair was a deep purple and a few loose strands hung into her face, while the rest was neatly combed behind her ears. She wore white clothes which seemed more like a lab coat than anything ordinary.

"Luccia!", Kidd yelled after her first perplexity left her. "Whaddaya want from me?"

Luccia, who stood in the doorway, with her hip at the frame and her arms crossed, simply laughed. "I am the one who should ask that." The words came out slow but strong and Kidd held her dagger defensively in front of her head. "You should not be here." She walked closer to Kidd, the cards in her hands relaxed. She had no real interest in fighting, but if it came to it, she would be prepared. She doubted Kidd would surrender herself without a fight. "But I know what you want."

Kidd laughed at that. "Oh, really? Then ya should know that I'll stop ya right here and then find out what Viper's plottin'. Don't think ya get away with what you're doin'!"

Luccia simply shrugged, unimpressed by Kidd's words. "You don't even know what we are doing. You cannot stop me, and you cannot stop him."

Kidd had enough. She wouldn't waste her time with talking, she was better with fighting anyway. She threw the candle she was holding onto the floor charged Luccia with her dagger in both hands, and Luccia could do little other than throwing the cards she was holding at Kidd, aiming at her face. Kidd's dagger tore through the cards effortlessly, but once she had fend off all of them, Luccia was nowhere to be seen.

"Come out and show yerself!", she yelled while looking around wildly. Now with her candle out, it was too dark to be able to see every corner. She had to be cautious.

"Too scared, eh?", she asked and laughed while walking across the room in an attempt to find her. No answer came forth and when her look fell onto the open door, she smacked her head and ran out of the lab.

Outside, a dozen sharp-edged throwing cards came rushing towards her and Kidd did a dive to the side to avoid being hit. While still in mid-air, she heard Luccia run away and quickly landed on her feet to dash after her. No way was she going to let her escape!

She ran as quickly as she could but the sounds of Luccia's footsteps were all she could follow in the dim corridors of the basement, and it made avoiding the occasional throwing cards quite difficult.

Kidd barely escaped being blinded by a card which was aimed at her right eye when she reached the stairs that lead upwards. She could hear Luccia above her and dashed after her, taking two steps at once. She knew where these stairs lead, they were the same she had used on the way down, they would lead her to a hallway that would end in the entrance hall. She couldn't let her reach the entrance hall, it would give Luccia too many chances to attack her from all sides.

Kidd cursed to herself. She couldn't say who the hunter was and who the prey. She also cursed herself for having such a disadvantage against wide-range weapons like throwing cards with her dagger. She had often thought about carrying two weapons, but up until now, it hadn't been necessary. She would need to rethink this.

But for now, her sole weapon was a Prism Dagger, and the entrance hall came nearer with every step.

"Now stop runnin' ya bloody old hag!", Kidd shouted after her, even though she knew that Luccia was far too clever to do that, she knew the advantages that the entrance hall would give her. But Kidd refused to be outsmarted by a mad scientist just yet.

Kidd's dagger tore through four more cards until she reached the entrance hall at last, just as she had feared she would. Without even looking which direction Luccia took, she immediately ran to the side and took cover behind a tall statue which hid her body from view, even though she doubted Luccia would be able to see her in the dark, even if she stood exposed. However, Kidd guessed that she would randomly throw card at the places where she suspected Kidd to be, and upon movement immediately knew where she was. It wasn't the most effective strategy, but Luccia would be on the safe side, while Kidd didn't know where the cards would come from.

Kidd took a deep breath, thinking about a possibility to turn the fight into a short-ranged one. She didn't come up with an idea and sighed when Luccia suddenly lit a big candle holder in the centre of the hall. The hall was illuminated in a soft glow, and Kidd turned her head to look at the candle holder. Luccia was nowhere near it. She wondered what use it was to her to have the room lit.

"Come out already.", Kidd whispered to herself, wiping the sweat off her brow. Maybe Luccia was gone already, calling soldiers. Kidd wouldn't know, even though Luccia didn't strike her as the kind of person who would rely on all kinds of cheap tricks. She was a proud woman, even though she was mad.

Kidd took out a fireball element, ready to strike the second she saw a glimpse of the other woman. But it was no use, as long as both of them hid, waiting for the other to come out first. If she wanted things to go her way, she had to take the initiative.

With a quick glance around, she cast her Fireball element on a random spot in the hall and upon hearing the noise of the impact, she darted along the wall to reach another statue about a few metres away from her. However, something struck her leg halfway, and she tumbled to the ground, losing the dagger out of her grasp.

Kidd quickly tried to stand up again, but groaned at the pain in her leg and fell down. She looked down at the wound and saw that one of Luccia's cards stuck into her thigh halfway, and the wound bled profusely onto the floor. The backside of the card faced her, it was all black except of a small white snake in its centre. Kidd moved her hand to remove the card when she noticed Luccia standing next to her, a single card in her hand. The ace of spades.

"You shouldn't struggle, it will only intensify the pain.", Luccia said calmly, and the corners of her mouth moved upwards to form a slight grin. "The pain of this card cutting deep into your throat, for example."

"Whaddaya gonna do now, huh? Kill me? Just go ahead if ya dare.", Kidd spat at her, trying to keep her cool while fumbling in her pocket to find a useful element without Luccia noticing.

"Killing you will give me no satisfaction.", Luccia stated simply, regarding Kidd. She had different plans with her. It would be too much of a waste for this strong and enduring body to simply die. "But what about…her?" Luccia's grin grew as she said this and Kidd stared at her before looking around, trying to find out what she meant.

"Come closer…Jack.", Luccia ordered calmly, still looking at Kidd.

Kidd's eyes widened at Luccia's words, and as soon as she heard steps from behind Luccia, she gasped. Jack was standing there, holding an unconscious and scarred Harle in his arms.

"Wha…what does this mean? Jack! Whaddaya doin'!", Kidd cried, her look darting between Luccia and Jack.

"Bring her over here, Jack.", came the next order from Luccia. Jack followed it silently and brought Harle closer.

"Let her go right now!", Kidd shouted furiously and attempted to stand up, but the sharp card pressed to her throat halted her.

"You better stop now, or I will kill you, after all.", Luccia spoke, her voice even aside from the slight exhilarated undertone.

Kidd gritted her teeth and watched Harle desperately.

"Now you know that you should not have messed with us."

Kidd was at a loss. She couldn't stand up without risking her throat to be slit, and even if she succeeded in doing so, Harle was still in Jack's control. Kidd eyed Jack and frowned. She had no trouble to imagine who had made him the way he was now, even though she wasn't sure if Jack was completely innocent. The way he was now, it was too hard to think of him nicely.

"You won't get away with this.", Kidd said dangerously, gazing at Luccia.

"I believe I-", Luccia said before a voice stopped her.

"Luccia!" It was Riddel, standing in the door and gasping for air. Her hair was tousled and her face sweaty, and the jacket she wore was too big for her slim form. "What are you doing? Luccia!" Her voice was desperate and incredulous at the same time. Tears were already forming in her eyes as she moved her eyes from Luccia, to Kidd, and to Jack with Harle in his arms.

Luccia was unable to respond. She hadn't realized that the card she had been holding so close to Kidd's throat now lay on the floor. Her fingers trembled and her head away from the door. She couldn't bear seeing her. Not when she was like this.

"Geh weg!", she shouted, only to shake her head in aggravation. "Just…go away.", she whispered, her voice suddenly faint.

"Luccia!", Riddel shouted again, her voice heartbreaking. "Luccia…"

A/N#2: Sooo, for all those who didn't already guess who this "mysterious woman" was, you know now. And before you go "But she had such a thick accent in the game!", I know that and the (almost complete) lack thereof is intended ; ) In case anyone is wondering, she has a German accent. I always thought it sounded more Russian, but the official strategy guide says it's German, so I'll have to do that. German is easier for me anyway, because I only know two Russian words lol. The translator I mentioned above also translates German, so you shouldn't have any problems with her accent, even though I'll try to make it understandable so you won't need to look up every word.

Oh well, I hope you liked this chapter and will look forward to the next one, "Of love and envy", which will be quite different from the ones before. Some people will want to kill me for it, I know it XD

Anyway, happy holidays to everyone who reads this!