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?

19. The paths they take

A/N: FINALLY! Damn, that took too long, but about the worst writer's block ever hit me, so I wasn't able to do much for three weeks. Sucks. Anyway, I'm done now, so I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter. Please leave a review if you do. Thanks for reading.

P.S.: Also, you might want to have your translation progs ready for this one. Just in case.

Epilogue – The paths they take

The warm sun shone onto her face, inviting her eyes to finally open and wake her from her deep slumber. They twitched irritably but eventually succumbed to the gentle request due to the lack of an excuse to do otherwise.

Her vision cleared, and she caught the ray of light which struggled from her window through the slim slit between the curtains and across the soft wooden floor until it finally reached her face. It had a pleasant warmth, and Luccia wondered if the temperatures outside were just as nice. She would find that out, later.

Turning her head to the side she frowned in unpleasant surprise as her eyes met nothingness. She reached out her arm and ran her fingers along the smooth and silky sheets. They were cold upon her touch, the warmth of the body that used to lie in this spot beside her having vanished long ago. She averted her eyes from the dismayingly empty spot and moved her head upward to look at the ceiling.

It was painted in a soft yellow tone, and Luccia found herself liking it more with each morning she awoke to see it. She had been opposed to this colour at first, but in the bright mornings, when she saw the rays of the early sun dance across the ceiling in an attempt to chase away the shadows of the curtains, she loved it. Loved how the yellow went bright when touched by the sun, but was beautifully unobtrusive and calming when the sun left it. A nice pairing of colours.

She saw the dance of the sun intensifying and shortly after felt a breeze on her cheeks. She turned to look at the window again, this time looking through the thin curtains to see the open window behind. Riddel had probably been the one to open it, possibly hoping it would wake her.

Luccia watched the sunrays for a few moments more, then decided to get up. As she did, her look fell onto the clock on the wall opposite of the large bed. She saw the black arms point upward in front of a light blue background and didn't need to be able to read the numbers to know it was almost noon. She had slept late again, a bad habit that grew harder with each day to get rid of. She had become lazy too, a fact that Riddel tried every day to talk her out of, telling her that it was fine for her not to do anything for a change.

For a change Riddel said, but the truth of her having done barely anything above sleeping and reading all these past days and weeks still got through to her. Vacations were vile things to make her feel so useless, especially self-set ones of undefined lengths. They nagged at her, telling her she was wasting her time dozing all day. But Riddel kept telling her she had earned it, and there was little arguing with someone as hard-headed as her. If only anyone beside Luccia would believe this.

The thought brought a smile to her face, one that she still found uncharacteristic and odd but Riddel insisted to be the most beautiful and irresistible smile in the whole wide world. They still heavily disagreed on this when it came up, which more often than not ended in fierce pillow fights and one of them being pinned down onto the bed defencelessly. Which happened to be Luccia most of the time, her dislike of hitting Riddel even with something as harmless as a pillow preventing her from a certain victory. Riddel didn't seem to have similar reservations, though.

Finally finding her glasses on the bedside table, which by now undoubtedly bore the spiteful prints of her searching fingers, she put them on, blinking at the sudden clearness. Her eyes searched for the clock once more, confirming her earlier suspicions. It really was almost noon.

'No wonder it's so quiet outside.', she mused, walking over to the window to take a look outside. Hardly anyone was to be seen, except of a pair of kids leaving the house two stories beneath her, laughing while passing a red and blue leather ball between their feet as they walked. She knew where they were heading, and it was a strangely relieving feeling. It was enough for her to know. She walked from the window through the doorframe of the bedroom which held no door. Riddel had said it was in the way. 'As in "in the way of watching her whenever she slept"', Luccia thought with a chuckle as she stepped into the living room, sitting down at a set table she knew to be Riddel's doing as well.

She also found a note under the little basket with a few slices of bread in it, as she knew she would. Luccia smiled as she took it and brought it closer to her eyes to read it.

'Today's guess is eleven-fifty. I know I'm right, so don't pretend it isn't so. There's a letter for you on your bedside table if you haven't noticed. If it's him again, just turn him down. That guy really doesn't know what he's asking of you. Get me at three. See ya.'

The note was short as always, but Luccia never failed to notice the emotions Riddel had put in it, in a fine layer underneath which only her trained eyes could see. They were hidden to unsuspecting eyes, but Luccia always saw them, cherishing their endless value. This playful language, with so much love and concern hidden in those few, simple words. It amazed her every morning anew, so much that she kept all those notes somewhere even Riddel didn't know to look. In case this dream of hers should ever shatter, she would always have these notes, and a few letters Riddel had written her on the rare occasions when they had been apart, over the last four years. Which hadn't happened especially often, due to the bond that had formed between them, which pulled them together like the force of gravity. But Luccia knew that the most beautiful things didn't last forever. As much as she liked them to, as much as she longed for it. She didn't like to think about it, today.

On her way back to the bedroom to look for the letter she had missed earlier, her hand brushed past the sheets on her desk. She always let her fingers slide across them as she passed, as if to confirm that they still existed, that they were still there, waiting for her. It calmed her to know this. The paper felt dry and slightly dusty, yearning for her touch. She had abandoned them for a while now, but she wasn't ready yet. She needed more time.

She passed the desk and re-entered the bedroom, only now realizing that she should probably bring the sheets in order. She had never exactly understood the concept of order when it concerned those small and insignificant things. She knew nobody would see the bed like this except of her and Riddel, and she couldn't grasp the advantage it brought if the sheets were smoothed out. But the lack of something better to do and her wish to please Riddel made her do it anyway. She shook the cover once, then folded it on top of the sheets carefully.

Remembering the letter, she sat down on the bed, being aware that it would destroy her meticulous work this instant. She didn't care, she had enough time.

The letter was thin and Luccia guessed there to be only one page in it. As usual. She was almost glad for it, it lessened the time she would unavoidably be wasting with it. The sender knew it too, Luccia confirmed as she glanced at the page after opening the letter without much fuss.

'Dear Luccia,

I hope you are well. I haven't heard of you in quite a while, and thought it necessary to confirm your well-being. I suggest a meeting in Termina in four day's time, if it isn't too much of a bother for you. I would like to discuss some of my thoughts regarding your work with you. I hope you are as kind as to give me an instant answer.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy'

The letter was as off-putting and awkwardly-worded as ever, struggling so hard to sound nice when all there was to it were simple orders, shouted from the mouth of an impatient man. She had never been particularly fond of him, but chose to work for him still. It was a small consolation that she hardly ever had to see him in person.

Her fingers moved to fold the letter again, but decided against it halfway and ripped it into halves instead. Standing up, she walked to the window to finish it. She tore the paper a few times more until all that was left were tiny shreds being carried away by a gust of wind that was so kind as to take this burden from her. She wouldn't answer him this time.

Now being freed of this task, she turned her back to the still open window and walked over to her wardrobe, thinking about the most suitable clothes to wear. She knew it was warm outside, but having a seemingly innate discomfort in short clothes, she chose a pair of white trousers which Riddel had bought her only a few days ago. It fit tight around her thighs, but was comfortable if a little too wide around her calves. It was kind of a compromise between Luccia's love for comfortable wide clothes and Riddel's strange fancy of seeing her in tight garments. She never knew where that came from, for she thought of herself as too skinny and she found her long legs to be more in the way than actually appealing.

Luccia searched through the drawers until she spotted the shirt which she believed to go best with the white trousers. It had a simple blue colour with the exception of having white long sleeves. She knew Riddel would scold her for not wearing something with short sleeves, but the fabric was thin and Luccia was sure it would be fine.

She took off the oversized shirt she had worn for the night and exchanged it with her newly laid out clothes swiftly. However, a look in a long and slim mirror beside the wardrobe confirmed her suspicions. It wasn't enough. Her long hair, which was untied and reached halfway down her back was ruffled and stood into all directions as if electrically charged. Her frowning and pale face also didn't look like she expected it to shortly after waking up.

She headed for the bathroom with a wry smile on her lips. Four years ago, she wouldn't have cared about such insignificant things, wouldn't have bothered trying to look good to please anyone but herself, if at all. But things had changed, and she regretted not a single second she spent fretting over what to wear and how to look for the person who mattered the most to her.

A cold splash of water into her face filled her pale cheeks with a rosy colour, and as she combed her hair, trying to smooth it out to the best of her abilities, she looked satisfied with herself. Life was good.

She left her hair the way it was, not tying it to a ponytail as usual if just for the fact to prove to Riddel that her suggestions reached her. Even though she knew that she had never needed to prove herself to Riddel, who had always been too kind and forgiving for her own good. In fact, trying to prove herself to her had been one of Luccia's worst decisions in her life. She didn't ponder on it however. A long time had passed and nothing of her old life had remained until now. She didn't like to think about it, nor was there any need to do so. She hoped it would stay like this.

She left the bathroom without another glance at the mirror. She walked through the living room and opened the glass door on the other side of the apartment that led to a small balcony. Recently she found herself spending almost all of her time when she wasn't with Riddel here, and as the sight of fresh and glittering roses met her eyes, she knew this time hadn't been wasted.

The balcony, despite offering a fairly beautiful view over the town, was used for these roses only, because the lighting conditions were the best here and Luccia hardly ever indulged in sights at the town anyway. There was only one person worth looking at for an extended amount of time, and it exceeded this view by far.

The balcony was divided into three sections. On the left there were red roses, which Luccia had tried hard to get into the shape and colour she wanted them to have. They had long stems and broad and supple buds of a unique red that was far lighter than the deep and waxen colour they usually possessed. Their thorns were thick and sharp, and Luccia knew they would hurt her the moment she touched them. But that was alright, they weren't to be touched yet. Luccia smiled slightly at the sight of them. They were doing well.

The bush next to it bore yellow roses and compared to the red ones, their buds were long and slim, and with their stem smooth and free of thorns they looked more like tulips than roses. They looked innocent yet strong and incredibly beautiful. She knew Riddel always said they grew so well because of her vast knowledge of plants, but it was a little secret between the plants and Luccia that in reality, it was Riddel's soothing and gentle voice which encouraged them to grow and shine. The way she watered them on Luccia's behalf, but treating them so with so much more caring and gentleness than Luccia ever could. Luccia sometimes wondered if Riddel ever knew just how much of an effect her beautiful voice had on practically every living being. She probably didn't, her modesty shielding herself from such thoughts. But that was all right, because Luccia would show her, over and over again, through these roses.

She took her time contemplating which one to take, and ultimately chose a fully blossomed yellow rose directly in front of her. It had the same colour as their bedroom ceiling when the rays of sun touched it. She carefully cut its stem to separate it from its bush, then turned to leave the balcony without paying attention to the third rose bush with its small and fragile variations of blue. She had tried to breed roses of a light blue for a long time, but so far had only managed to create a dark blue on roses which were too small and different for them to be anywhere perfection. But she didn't mind all that today. She simply left the balcony, the yellow rose in her left hand.

With that rose still in her grasp, she left their apartment. Upon setting her feet onto the wooden planks outside she took a deep breath. It was still fairly quiet, as Luccia preferred it to be. Most people were in their tents and houses by now, avoiding the strong midday sun even though it wasn't hot. This was what they were used to. Standing up early in the mornings to work hard until noon, then taking a long break and continue working in the afternoon. She used this time to her advantage, going on long walks while everything was still quiet and peaceful and hardly anyone around to disturb her.

She liked Guldove. Even though it barely resembled the village it had been in earlier years, it had kept its village spirit even as a growing town. It was a lot wider now, and most of the tents had been replaced by wooden houses, one of which Luccia and Riddel lived in. It was a lot more modern too, but Luccia had expected little else considering the example of the city closest to Guldove, Termina, set.

Four years ago, when the question of where to live had been raised, Luccia would have expected Riddel to suggest Termina, but to her surprise she had chosen Guldove instead. Luccia guessed Termina would have been too close to the mansion, a place neither Riddel nor her had ever been to since then. It was a place Riddel wanted to have nothing to do with, and even though Luccia knew she felt, as the original heir of the mansion, guilty for having left everyone there alone, she could perfectly understand her choice.

They didn't even know what had become of the mansion until now. They occasionally met the Devas on their rare visits to Termina, but even when they met, their conversations were awkward and shortened by the unspoken enmity between them. Luccia knew, because even though she considered herself as neutral to almost everything that didn't concern Riddel, she could see the glances she received from the Devas. They hated her, not Riddel. Hated her because she was the easy target to blame for everything that had happened. It was her who had betrayed Viper, and her to take Riddel from them, leaving them on their own. Luccia knew it was only natural that she would be blamed. And she accepted it.

Riddel on the other hand had never been able to look at the Devas in the same way again, even though she had never asked the Devas about what they had known of Viper's doing or where they had been at the time all this had happened. So in the end, there was only one thing that made Riddel visit Termina every once in a while. It was his grave.

She still visited it at least once every month, to bring him some of the bellflowers he had loved so much. But recently Riddel even disliked visiting his grave, for fear that she would meet Glenn, as she had done more often recently. She couldn't bear the accusing glare she received from Glenn whenever they stood in front of his grave, side by side. A glare that demanded a good reason why someone like Riddel even had the right to show up at his brother's grave, after all she had done, and whom she had betrayed him with.

Luccia knew those things, even though she had never accompanied Riddel to his grave. She knew that every time Riddel returned from his grave with tears in her eyes, she had met him. But there was nothing she could do about it, except hoping that Riddel's love for her would always be stronger than their glares.

By the time Luccia looked up from where her eyes had followed the grain of the thick wooden planks beneath her feet, she had arrived at the entrance of the town. A walk that, with all the usual detours she had taken, had probably taken her almost two hours. Walking in silence was a pleasant way to simply idle her time away.

Luccia approached the building that despite of all the changes Guldove as a town had gone through, still looked almost exactly like it had a few years earlier. She doubted the owner would ever change it as long as it sufficed the way it was.

With still a little time to spare, Luccia leaned against the fabric-stringed wall next to the entrance, waiting. She turned the rose in her hand, regarding it from all sides. It was perfect now, but it would wilt all too soon. Still, it would serve for the day and fulfil its reason for living. It was almost cruel of her, Luccia realized. Even after spending what little talent she believed of having on such low biologics as plant breeding, it still resulted in cruelty and ignorance towards living beings. Her improvement wasn't that great after all. She still caused suffering, as if she had never done anything else.

The faint sound of people talking behind the wall she was leaning on distracted her from her thoughts, and she knew it was her. She heard a laugh, short and brisk and unmistakably belonging to Riddel. Under different circumstances, it would have made her jealous. And indeed, the rose in her hand turned a little faster as if to compensate for what she didn't dare to show. She smiled wryly.

A familiar humming came closer and as she heard the steps to her left, Luccia extended her left arm to stop her, the rose directly in front of her face.

"I've been waiting.", Luccia said and smiled at Riddel, who looked at her in mild surprise. She reached for the rose offered to her, but Luccia pulled it back and smiled.

"No greeting?", she asked and her smile widened, and for a moment she forgot how stupid she thought herself looking while grinning.

"A greeting?", Riddel asked and her lips curled upwards in comprehension. She shot a glance to the side and with no one to be seen, stepped closer to Luccia until their breaths mingled and their bodies touched. She moved her head forward but halted for a moment to tease Luccia before their lips met in a gentle kiss.

"Did you mean this greeting?", Riddel asked after they broke the kiss. "Or that other one?" She smiled as she saw Luccia's pleased face turn into a frown, which soon turned into surprise as Luccia felt Riddel's hands crawl under her shirt. Luccia blushed and quickly grabbed the roaming arms of a giggling Riddel. They kissed again, more passionate and hungrily than before.

When they parted, Luccia stroked Riddel's loose hair behind her left ear and placed the yellow rose behind it as well, adorning her almost complementary hair.

"Yellow, the colour of envy.", Riddel said with a playful smile, touching the rose affectionately.

"No.", Luccia said gently with a shake of the head, marvelling at the beauty before her. "The colour of maturity."

It was a compliment, but Riddel's face soon greeted her with a mock frown.

"Are you saying I'm old?", she asked, pressing her index finger onto Luccia's chest dangerously.

Luccia chuckled at the contact and pulled Riddel close to her, her arms fitting comfortably around the smaller woman's waist. "No, I'm saying you have the perfect age."

Riddel looked up to her with questioning eyes. "Perfect age for what?" But as soon as the question left her mouth a look of comprehension crossed her face and she gave Luccia a scandalized look. "Do I even want to know?"

She freed herself from Luccia's grasp and turned away as if to run from her, but Luccia quickly captured her again from behind.

"I don't know.", she breathed into Riddel's ear, causing her to shudder in her grasp. Riddel squirmed and struggled to free herself, all the while giggling at the sensation of Luccia's breath on her neck and simultaneously pleading for mercy, until they heard someone clear his throat next to them.

Riddel and Luccia turned around abruptly, but Luccia's arms remained around Riddel's waist, not about to let go anytime soon. As expected, it was Doc who stood in front of them, giving them a look that showed only half annoyance.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't keep away my patients.", he said and tried to look at Riddel sternly, but at the sight of her content and happy and almost girlish face couldn't keep from smiling.

Riddel put on her most innocent face as she had always done when scolded, and looked around questioningly until she spotted a young boy standing at a safe distance from them. He had tears in his eyes and as Riddel lowered her gaze she saw the cause of it. He had a scratched knee. Fortunately, the wound didn't seem to be too deep, for it only bled slightly.

"Oh, poor boy.", Riddel said in surprise. "Come here.", she called in her sweetest voice, motioning for the boy to come closer. He had obviously been wary of passing them, and with a look over Riddel's shoulder Luccia saw it was because of her, for the boy looked at her with what seemed like awe but was more probably fear. Following Riddel's voice he came closer, and Luccia had half a mind to scare him for staring at her so insolently. But she let it go, thinking it unfair to scare an injured boy, and watched him as he passed them and quickly hobbled into Doc's practice.

"See you tomorrow, then.", Doc said and nodded at Riddel, who had recently become a very reliable and much needed apprentice of his. Since Guldove had grown quite a bit over the last years, one doctor alone was hardly enough to cover the daily injuries especially the children incurred every day. Riddel was a great addition and the patients, old and young alike, completely adored her. As did Doc, who was both glad and proud to have someone like Riddel to his aid.

Riddel waved and, finally released from Luccia's cutely possessive grasp, they walked away hand in hand, trying to look as innocent and unsuspicious as possible.

"I wonder why the boy was so afraid to pass us.", Riddel chuckled, once out of Doc's earshot who had gone inside his practice again. "Do we really look that strange?" She leaned into Luccia as they walked, enjoying the feeling of her strong shoulder underneath her head, moving in the same rhythm she did.

"He was worried about you, but too scared to act.", Luccia answered as if it was perfectly obvious.

"Worried? Why should he be?", Riddel asked surprised, and Luccia had to suppress a giggle at her utter naïveté. Riddel looked up at Luccia, who for all the world looked omniscient and mightily pleased about that fact. Sometimes Riddel believed that she really knew everything.

"He thought I was hurting you.", Luccia said, a slightly evil smile on her lips, which was quickly copied by Riddel, despite her initial surprise at this revelation.

"A pretty sharp boy.", she said and laughed brightly. "If only he knew what you've done to me, corrupting a fair and utterly helpless maiden like me, robbing me of my blessed ignorance…", she whimpered, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead as if about to swoon. Now it was Luccia's turn to laugh as she gathered Riddel up in her arms and crossed a small bridge that led from Guldove, which was entirely built on water, to the isle next to it. After having crossed the bridge Luccia set her down again, both of them regarding the landscape in front of them as they walked.

The isle consisted mostly of volcanoes, which had become extinct long ago. The valleys and slopes in between lay fallow, nobody taking advantage of the fertile ground, which in turn lead to the growing of some of the strangest yet most beautiful flowers and trees Luccia had ever seen. Luccia loved this sight. This strange sight of seemingly dead ground dotted with rare and marvellous plants that left the observer speechless. Ever since seeing this land for the first time, she had made an unconscious connection with it. She knew that this scenery resembled her heart. It depicted exactly how her heart looked like inside. Most of it was dark and unused, but there were these few spots of beauty that she drew all her energy from. She knew that Riddel was the reason that things such as love, caring and the sheer joy of being alive could grow on this ground that was her heart, which had been so full of repressed emotions, trying hard to feign death.

Luccia's hold of Riddel's hand tightened unconsciously, and Riddel looked up from where she had observed the soft and hardly used path underneath their feet. Hardly anyone ever came here, mostly because there wasn't much to do except watching the scenery, which Riddel was sure the people from Guldove had long grown tired of, most of them being natives.

"What is it?", she asked, but received only a shake of the head as an answer. She let it go, knowing when Luccia didn't want to talk about things that concerned her. Which still happened aggravatingly often, unfortunately. Riddel tried a different approach.

"Did you read the letter?" This made Luccia look at her, her eyes now cleared from her previous thoughts.

"Yes, it was from Timothy.", Luccia replied, indecisive whether to laugh or to be depressed over that fact. "He probably wants me to hurry, as always."

"Honestly, that man…", Riddel huffed. "I'd like to see how he would do when being forced to write three books a year."

Luccia chuckled at Riddel's annoyance, glad that she wasn't the only one who felt that way. "He just wants money. He would copy my books himself if he had to."

"He's crazy, asking you to work so much. He just doesn't get it.", Riddel said, the annoyance still evident in her voice. She would give him a piece of her mind the next time she saw him.

Luccia felt the Riddel's tension in her hand, and leaned over to kiss her softly. "Let's not talk about work, today.", she whispered as she held Riddel's head between her hands.

However, before Riddel had the chance to respond, Luccia's hands had already grabbed hers, dragging her along as she ran down a path which lead to a secluded lagoon which was hardly visible for those who didn't know where to look. They had been there many times before, so even while running Riddel had no problems to keep her footing on the steep ground beneath her.

It didn't take them long to reach the small beach which was surrounded by mountains and volcanoes and only possessed a slim passage to the open ocean. It was the perfect place in every sense.

Panting for air, Riddel sat down onto the sand to take her light shoes off, the hem of her long and light green sundress fluttering in the warm breeze. Luccia lay down beside her, her hands behind her head.

"It's beautiful every time anew, isn't it?", Riddel asked softly, watching the tiny waves roll in and out in a steady rhythm.

"Not as beautiful as you.", Luccia answered promptly, not even wasting a glance at the ocean, instead focusing her attention on Riddel.

Riddel chuckled not without a hint of embarrassment. "Now you're lying.", she said, rolling over so that she came to sit on top of Luccia, who seemed unperturbed by the upcoming threat. "Admit it."

Luccia simply smiled and removed her hands from underneath her head to clasp them around Riddel's, pulling her down so that their lips could meet in a sweet and warm touch. It was this touching of lips that Luccia longed for, craved for with all her being, every single day of her life. It was magical, irresistible and utterly compelling, every time anew. She knew that the day she would find herself depraved of this sensation would be her last. If Riddel was ever to disappear, she could never bear it.

"Never", she breathed, her purple eyes fixating Riddel's slightly brighter ones. "Never…"

Riddel leaned in for another kiss, smiling as she did so. "You're irresistible do you know that?", she said gently, her index finger tracing the outline of Luccia's face. Luccia smiled at that and stroked Riddel's cheek, who pressed her cheek against Luccia's hand like a cat, inviting the caress.

"Promise me that we'll stay like this forever.", Luccia then said, with a shyness that was almost unusual for her. Together forever, such a hopelessly cliché thought.

Riddel simply chuckled, dipping her head to shower Luccia's face with kisses, mumbling "silly" with each gentle kiss. When she finished, she lay down on top of Luccia, listening to her slightly quickened heartbeat as well as her calming breathing. She was alive, they were alive. As long as this much was true, nothing would be able to tear them apart.

"Of course we will. There's no one else I would enjoy spending eternity with.", she whispered just loud enough for Luccia to hear. The words came easy, and if it had been anyone else Luccia would have thought that it wasn't spoken with the same sincerity the words implied. But these words had come from Riddel's mouth, and if she couldn't trust her, she couldn't trust anyone in the whole world and beyond.

"That's good.", Luccia breathed with obvious contentment, but couldn't suppress a small grin, which was invisible to Riddel who had tucked her head beneath Luccia's chin. "Because you would have a hard time getting rid of me."

"I'll better not try that, then.", Riddel answered with a small chuckle. She didn't look up to see Luccia's face, but knew she was smiling as well. "Being stalked by you would be scary."

"You don't even know how scary I can get.", Luccia spoke with a dark and superior voice. She tightened her grip around Riddel, who squealed in feigned fear.

"You know, you should use your accent. I bet it would be even scarier.", she said between laughs and received a snort from Luccia.

"Never.", Luccia said, entirely serious, prompting a curious glance from Riddel, who looked up at her.

"Why not? To be honest, I always thought you sound kind of sexy when you speak like that." Thus the real reason was revealed, and Luccia looked at her with a questioning frown.

"No.", she simply said.

"Oh please, do it for me.", Riddel pleaded, playing her trump card: Herself.

Luccia wavered ever so slightly, but quickly recovered her blank expression. "Not even for you." She saw Riddel pout, but remained determined. "I'm glad it's finally gone."

"Oh come on.", Riddel prodded Luccia, intent not to give up too soon. However, Luccia shook her head firmly.

Riddel sighed, giving in for now. She would have to try another time. She felt a tickle at her bare feet, and it took a few more moments for her to realize that it was water. She turned around, seeing the waves reach up to her feet. She hadn't expected the tide to come in so soon. She stood up and helped Luccia do so as well.

"Didn't think it would come so soon.", Riddel said and took a few steps into the water until it reached halfway up her calves, almost touching her dress. Luccia leaned down to fold up the legs of her trousers until they barely reached her knees, then followed Riddel.

"It's pretty warm, for the season.", Riddel said with a small smile as she turned around to see Luccia approaching.

"Yes.", Luccia agreed, enjoying the feeling of the tingling of warm water on her skin, and the wet sand beneath her feet. The water was almost as warm as the already pleasant air temperature. "The streams take the warm water of Marbule here."

Riddel nodded, satisfied with the explanation Luccia had given her, even though she didn't fully understand. "It's pretty warm now in Marbule, isn't it?"

"Probably.", Luccia agreed, looking up to the unclouded sun. It was still fine, but she knew that in a few weeks, it would get a lot warmer. She didn't think she could ever get used to raw heat, and neither could her skin, who still bore the same pale complexion as ever. But then, she had never stopped wearing long sleeves.

"Let's go there a little later then.", Riddel suggested what Luccia knew was out of consideration for her. She knew Riddel loved the summer, while Luccia could only ever appreciate spring and autumn. Winter was still within acceptable limits, for the temperatures never got uncomfortably low in all of El Nido. But the summers killed her every year again.

The fact that she stood in the ocean in spring, mentally whining about the upcoming and supposedly cruel summer like a child would over the prospect of having to meet the evil stepmother made her chuckle. She really shouldn't complain. By the time they went to Marbule, the temperatures there would have cooled down slightly. And if that wasn't the case, they could always hide out in the cave during the hot noons, enjoying the fresh water and comfortable shadow offered there. As well as Heilel's company.

They visited him a few times a year, each time staying for a couple of days. Most of the time passed in his company, and while Luccia had to admit that she also thought of their visits as a kind of redemption, it was Riddel who seemed to truly enjoy it. She would talk to him for hours, speaking enough for the both of them. She hardly ever stopped, even though she never got a response much more distinct than yes or no, which the dragon conveyed through his motions. Riddel didn't mind this at all, all the time saying how glad she was that he was mute instead of deaf, so he could at least listen to her and answer her, given easily answerable questions.

"We should bring him something nice, this time.", Luccia said, stepping closer to Riddel to wrap her arms around her from behind.

"Some souvenir.", Riddel agreed. She would really like to give him one, it was the least they could do. After all, Riddel still blamed herself sometimes, for the things Luccia had done. If she had realized certain things earlier, nothing of this would have happened. But then, Heilel didn't blame them, didn't hate them for what had happened to him. Riddel liked to think that maybe, despite everything, he was enjoying his second life. Now that he didn't have to feel pain anymore, but was also robbed of his ability to fly, he just might enjoy his life in Marbule, even if just a bit. The villagers certainly adored him, treating him like a god and sage. Maybe he really was one, always acting with so much dignity instead of being angry or aggravated like everyone else was at one point or the other.

Gazing at the small waves at her feet, Riddel wondered how long it would take them to cross the ocean and reach Marbule. It had taken them almost a week last time, mostly due to horrible weather. It was funny, how little humans were able to do, when in the end, it was still the nature reigning over them and not the other way around like so many were arrogantly thinking. In the end, the nature still decided where you went and what you did. She wondered what her father would think about this, he who had never really cared for nature at all and had always believed in the superiority of humans.

She wondered what he would think of her, now. Standing almost knee deep in the ocean, embraced by the person he would have never allowed her to be with, to be loved by. She had never had the chance to ask him, to see him reject or approve. He had been gone before she had been able to ask. Maybe, seeing them like this would simply make him laugh, due to the sheer irony of her life. She, who had been raised to be a fine lady, most probably to marry an equally rich suitor who happened to take her liking. Riddel knew that her father would have never thought her capable of leaving all of this behind, the money, the status, the special treatment, the needlessness to do anything. She knew her father would have never imagined her working like normal people, and even enjoying it. In the end, even though he probably had loved her, he hadn't known her. At all.

But then, she liked to think that he had wanted someone to stop him, for he hadn't been able to do it himself anymore. Maybe he even wanted her to do it, the daughter he loved. But wasn't it always like this, thinking better of dead people than one would if they were still alive? It was a kind of instinct mercy that made her wonder at times. She wondered where he was right now.

"Where do you think the others are, right now?", Riddel asked, breaking the long-stretching silence. Riddel sometimes thought that if it weren't for her talking all the time, Luccia could go without for days. It was strange, really.

"I think Kidd and Harle are still pirates.", Luccia answered, speaking that name without a hint of anger or resentment. She didn't want it anymore. Four years ago, she had gone and visited Lucca's grave again. She had apologized to her for breaking her promise, but had also told her about how happy Kidd seemed to be with Harle. She had hoped Lucca to be happy to hear that, to hear that at least Kidd was doing well, then one Lucca had cared about the most.

Luccia knew it had been pathetic, going to the place that wasn't a real grave, for nothing of her had remained there, and talking to her. How unscientific. But it hadn't mattered then, and it still didn't. She would have to visit her again, some time. "As for Clair and Eve, I have no idea. I don't know them well enough to make assumptions.", she continued, a spark of regret in her voice.

She really didn't know them, apart from being honest and brave people. They hadn't met, in all those years. Everyone had needed their time to themselves, trying to deal with what had happened without having to think about all the others. Luccia understood it perfectly.

"I hope they're having a good time. Like we all deserve to have.", Riddel said, laying her hands onto Luccia's encircling arms.

Luccia gave an affirmative grunt, and placed her head onto Riddel's shoulder, inhaling the scent of her hair. She kissed the nape of her neck affectionately, and felt Riddel shudder ever so slightly, enjoying the touch as Luccia knew she would.

"Say it.", Riddel breathed, trying to suppress a moan as Luccia's hand travelled over her body.

"Ich liebe dich."

---

"Eve…", Clair moaned, thrusting her right hand forward to get her stone dagger into the ever-unrelenting sturdy surface of the cliff. "It's too high, I…can't do it."

She was sweating and her hands were raw and almost numb with pain. Her legs quivered, both with weariness as well as trying hard not to slip on the sleek surface which hardly provided support even for her small feet. She wanted to disappear, right in that moment, and finally be done with this arduous task she knew would turn out to be utterly fruitless in the end. She genuinely hated mountain climbing, she knew this now.

"Just a little more.", Eve called down to her. Clair looked up and saw that they were at least ten metres apart. This fact frightened her more than she liked to admit, and she wished Eve were down here with her. But Eve wasn't, and this was solely a result of her not being able to keep up with her, as much as she liked to. Clair had to force herself not to look downward, into this abyss of swirling colours. They were already too high for her to properly define the outline of the shore. She couldn't say where it ended and where the wide ocean began. Not that it mattered. She brought herself to look upward. Eve was right, they were almost there, maybe fifty metres more to go. But still, the prospect of reaching the top did nothing to lessen the pain in her limbs. She would get Eve for this, definitely.

"I can't!", Clair shouted angrily, her energy to do so still very much unexpired. She needed help, and Eve was shrugging it off like it wouldn't cost her life if she were to let go out of sheer fatigue. She certainly wasn't about to let her off with a sad 'go on and leave me here, I'll manage somehow'.

She sighed in frustration. It had been an entirely stupid idea. Following a strange-looking treasure map that led them up a steep and uninviting mountain. She wondered about the existence of persons stupid enough to hide a treasure on top of one. It was impossible, and yet she had agreed with Eve, if just to please her eagerness. Clair still thought that they would have been better off taking the money from the queen.

She looked up again, and if she hadn't known better she would have thought the distance between her and Eve had grown. She was about to say something when Eve tossed one end of a rope down to her, the same kind she had currently bound around her stomach, which the other end tied to a stone dagger which was located within arm's reach above her.

"Forget about that other one and tie this around your waist.", Eve called, making Clair feel guilty through the unbelievable gentleness and patience in her voice. Eve always put up with her, no matter what.

Clair did as she was told, tying the new rope around her waist before loosening the other one which had steadied her so far. This steep cliff easily made her slip, and with any luck, the rope would hold her in case that happened. Clair had experienced this twice so far, and she had little desire to try her luck again. She honestly didn't have much confidence in security if it was installed by herself.

Eve watched Clair as she followed her instructions, nodding approvingly to herself. "Now, just try, okay?", she called down after Clair had finished. "I'll help, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Clair smiled at that, but as she looked up to Eve her look of gratefulness suddenly vanished. "Eve!", she yelled. "What's going to hold us now!"

Eve just laughed at Clair's worry, and to the latter's dismay loosened the grip on the cliff with her left hand to give her the victory sign. "Don't worry!", she shouted with a frighteningly cheery voice. "Just don't lose your footing now, it'll be difficult for me to hold both of us."

There she went again, laughingly pushing Clair into a bottomless hole of despair with almost obscene ease and insensitivity. She didn't even try to relieve her, instead frightening her to death. Eve was cruel like that. Clair couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll get you for that!", she yelled in between laughter, forgetting her aching limbs for a few blessed moments.

"Just try to get me.", Eve dared her with a grin before turning around to tackle the rest of the way. It wasn't that much of a climb after all.

Clair followed her example, trying to synchronize their steps to the best of her abilities and to her surprise, it really was easier than before, the rope around her waist tugging her upward.

Her relief was immense when she finally used the last bits of her strength to heave herself over the edge and lay down beside it, panting heavily.

"You're crazy.", she said, still catching her breath. Eve was kneeling beside her, and Clair clearly saw the drops of sweat trickling from her brows. Clair felt a tinge of guilt at the sight. She had been complaining all the time, when clearly Eve had had a hard time herself, even going so far as practically heaving her up here. But the feeling quickly vanished as Eve started to giggle, looking over to Clair with a proud grin.

"I didn't have a choice, did I? I couldn't have you dangling down there until the rope broke.", she said truthfully, and Clair smiled. "Besides, I would've hated to go all the way down again to pick you up once you fell."

The remark earned her a weak punch on the shoulder, but as she looked over to Clair, her eyes were closed.

"It was pretty hard getting up here, huh?", Eve asked and stood up again, looking down the cliff they had just climbed up. They had climbed a few hundred metres and Eve had the ugly premonition that her muscles would be terribly sore later. But that wasn't her biggest worry right now. They were here, finally.

"No kidding. I knew we should've taken the easy route.", Clair answered, somehow managing to sit up despite her body aching all over.

"The easy route you say. Said route would've taken us at least a whole day to get here, not counting the exhausting heat.", Eve answered, watching the ocean down below. It was dark and pretty when watched from high up. As she looked to the side she could clearly see Mt. Pyre and Fort Dragonia, the volcanoes surrounding it misting the sky with the steam that escaped their tops. "Just be glad we didn't have to climb up there.", she said as she took her heavy backpack off, enjoying the light feel of her shoulders.

Clair followed Eve's gaze and groaned. Climbing up an active volcano would have been even more crazy. The one they were on had become extinct long ago, but was still quite close to Mt. Pyre. That was the actual reason why they had decided to climb the volcano's steep side, which formed an for a volcano unlikely vertical cliff due to the lava having flowed directly into the ocean on this side, instead of choosing the theoretically easier route on the side which faced Mt. Pyre. But the heat close to it was incredible, and Clair would have constantly feared an eruption in which they would have no doubt having been caught up. She didn't like it, but she had to admit that Eve had been entirely right about their choice, even though it had been strenuous. Even though Clair didn't even want to think about moving any of her limbs at all within the next twelve hours or so.

"Hey, stand up and look!", Eve's cheery voice disrupted her pleasantness-yearning thoughts, and Clair lazily took Eve's hand to get up. When she turned to see what Eve was pointing at her breath stopped for a moment. She had expected a deep crater, maybe a hundred metres deep, but there was nothing like that. Instead, they faced a vast pool of water which Clair would have confused with an ordinary lake if it weren't for the fact of them being on top of a volcano and the extraordinary colour of the water.

"You've got to be kidding me. A lake? Here?", Clair said, completely stunned.

"Seems like the rain filled up the volcano.", Eve simply answered, just as surprised as Clair.

"Yeah, but…", Clair breathed, taking a few steps towards the lake, "look at this colour." She leaned down and gingerly touched the surface of the water, half expecting it to burn on her skin. But it was almost warm and soft, making her fingers feel funny when she rubbed them together under the surface.

"It's…intense.", Eve whispered, and also stepped closer. The water was blue but it seemed impossibly dense, so much that Eve could hardly see two metres beneath the surface. The water hardly reflected the bright sunlight and it seemed almost eerie.

"Don't tell me this is the spot.", Clair said doubtfully, remembering their goal.

Eve shook her head in surprise, remembering it as well. She turned to her backpack on the ground, and fumbled with a buckle to open it to take out a map from within.

"Um…", she started. Unsure about what to say, she looked from the map to the lake and back, nodding gravely. "I think it is. At least somewhere around here."

Clair turned abruptly to her, a look of anger on her face, untouched by her tiredness. "So you're saying that someone dragged a treasure chest with whatever efforts up here, and drowned it in this lake, where it cannot possibly be retrieved? Don't tell me you're really serious." The thought of having gone through all these pains, for nothing, made her feel sick.

"W-well…", Eve said, scratching the back of her head. "Don't worry, we'll find something for sure!", she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Clair hung her head at Eve's hopefulness. She stared into the water, but her face didn't reflect on its surface. "Forget it.", she said, pointing to the lake directly in front of her. "If there's something in there, its way too deep down. What a waste."

She turned around to Eve to complain, but something hit her back and she lost her balance, falling face first into the water of the lake. She gasped, but quickly closed her mouth again as the water dreaded to flow in. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings underwater and reach the surface again. But when she did Eve was laughing hysterically, holding both of her arms in front of her stomach as if to keep it from bursting.

"What was that for?", Clair spouted, parting her hair like a curtain before her face. She swam over to the edge and extended her arm towards a still laughing Eve. "At least help me out."

Eve grinned and took her hand, but as she was about to pull her out of the water, Clair pushed her feet against the wall, causing Eve to fall into the water as well. Clair was glad Eve had taken off her backpack, or otherwise she would have drowned in an instant.

Clair climbed out of the water before Eve was able to react, laughingly standing at the edge and waiting for her to reappear. Eve only deserved it. With a smirk she held her breath, curious to see how long it would take Eve to get out. However, she watched with increasing worry as the air in her lungs slowly ran out without any sign of Eve whatsoever. The surface of the water was almost perfectly calm again, and after waiting ten more seconds after having started to breathe again, Clair jumped into the water.

She didn't like the idea of opening her eyes in this mineral-heavy water, but did it nonetheless in search for Eve. Her sight was close to zero though, even with her eyes wide open. She couldn't see her anywhere, although her ears soon felt a pressure as though she was at least ten metres under water. Against her will she had to dive back up, taking in the air in big gasps as soon as she reached the surface.

Eve had to be somewhere. Without thinking about any possibilities, she took a deep breath and prepared to dive again when she felt warm arms circling around her.

"Gotcha.", Eve breathed from behind her, and Clair immediately turned around, her face flushed with both excitement and surprise.

"You scared me, you know.", Clair whispered, her voice trembling unwillingly.

Eve chuckled at that, and swam with Clair, who clung to her, over to the edge of the lake. "You're the one who pulled me into the lake in the first place."

Clair felt the relaxing wall of stone behind her, knowing that she could get out of the lake at any moment. Swimming in the middle of the lake had made her uneasy. She didn't trust her tired limbs enough.

"Well, you're the one who pushed me in first for no reason at all.", Clair retorted, but couldn't resist a smile at the sight of Eve directly in front of her. She steadied herself with her hands on the edge beneath Clair, her grin even visible through the wet blonde tresses that hung all over her face. Clair thought she'd look a little like a drowned kitten, if it weren't for that impossible smile.

"Touché.", Eve said and chuckled. "But you have to admit that the water feels kind of nice." She touched the wet strands on her face and felt their soapy texture. Their legs occasionally touched under water as they tried to keep their owners afloat, which wasn't too hard since the water seemed to carry them almost effortlessly.

"It would be kind of nice if our clothes weren't completely soaked. It would have been better to take them off, but you just had to push me in without warning.", Clair said in fake seriousness as she looked down at herself, noticing that her thin light blue shirt had almost become transparent, while Eve's crimson one hadn't.

"Well, if you so insist…", Eve said with a suddenly daring voice and Clair felt the presence of Eve's hands on her hips, slowly moving upwards while tugging the hem of her shirt with them.

"W-well…", Clair said quickly, grabbing Eve's impertinent hands. Eve just smiled knowingly at Clair's defensiveness. "It's too late now, they are already wet…"

While Clair was still forming an excuse, Eve's hands quickly struggled free from Clair's limitations and removed the shirt with one swift movement. She threw the wet bundle in her hand about two metres away from them where it met the dry ground with a smack.

Clair immediately opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by Eve's finger on her lips.

"Don't worry. It'll be dry by the time I'm finished with you." With that, Eve removed her finger with a smirk only to replace it with her lips which met Clair's with passion.

Clair was taken aback at first, but soon melted into Eve, snaking her arms around her back. She still wasn't used to it, being like this with Eve so openly and naturally. It had taken them so long to realize the true depth of their feelings for each other, even after all that had happened. It had taken so long, but Clair didn't mourn one single day she had spent making teasing remarks to Eve that had caused her to blush ever so often. She didn't regret one single day that had passed with her subtle advances, trying so hard to let her know, but at the same time wanting to have her realize herself.

She had been patient, maybe because she had known that Eve would get it someday, and maybe because she had known that they had all the time in the world. For nothing was ever able to part them. But she had wanted one thing above all: For Eve to kiss her, like this, because she wanted to with all her heart. As long as Clair had those lips all for herself, she didn't need anything else.

Except of those hands maybe, which touched her so gently, so lovingly, trailing her skin in the warm water as softly and carefully as a painter would, stroking the canvas with lush colours and admiration of what he was about to create.

Admiration. It was the secret feeling she wanted to receive, and which Eve never failed to present her with. It was the ecstatic feeling of Eve's admiring hands on her bare skin, her legs, her arms, her face, touching it not because of its beauty, but because it was real. It was the way how Eve's eyes trembled faintly whenever the realization hit her that everything they did was real, and not just a dream that chose to vanish once the light of day intruded to chase it away.

It was this realization Clair wanted to see, over and over again.

'I hope you're never finished with me.', was Clair's sole thought as she completely succumbed to Eve and her loving caresses.

They forgot about the treasure and the entirety of their other worries completely until they found themselves lying on the ground beside the lake, hoping for the last rays of sun to dry their clothes, which they both knew wouldn't happen. But it was warm, and they had gotten used to the clingy feeling on their skin.

"It'll never dry like this.", Clair remarked nonetheless, the fingers of her left hand tugging meekly at Eve's wet shirt which made a funny sound as it disengaged itself from where it had been glued to Eve's stomach. They were lying closely together, and Clair had her head on Eve's shoulder.

"Neither will this.", Eve answered lazily. She lay on her back and looked upwards to the slowly darkening sky. She pointed into the direction where she knew lay Clair's shirt, probably every bit as wet as before due to its bundled-up state. Neither of them cared.

"We'll freeze up here then, once the night comes and the temperatures fall.", Clair said jokingly and watched Eve turn her head to her. "Oh well. I guess dying is still better than having to live through the torture of climbing down again.", she huffed, seeing Eve's expression darken for a short moment until she felt the other woman's hand on her waist, tickling her. Clair tried to ignore it, but all too soon burst into laughter, mixed with squeals.

"Now pull yourself together.", Eve said in between her attacks. "You're a knight, aren't you?"

Clair laughed only harder at this question. "You know I only accepted that title because of you." She looked at Eve as though it was perfectly obvious.

"So you would have declined if I had?", Eve asked with a knowing smirk, which soon vanished as she saw Clair thinking about that question.

"Well...I guess I would still have taken it because it sounds cool.", Clair responded and shrugged, but quickly broke into giggles as Eve's hands returned to their previous task.

"Betraying me like this…", Eve whispered dangerously as she intensified her tickling. "I guess this punishment is hardly enough for what you have done."

Clair tried to stop her laughing to concentrate on Eve's roaming hands, and finally got a hold of them.

"Oh come on, it's not like we're actually doing what knights are supposed to do.", Clair said earnestly, but couldn't keep her lips from tugging upwards at the sight of Eve's pouting face.

"But we're treasure hunters!", Eve exclaimed as though it was the same as being a knight.

"Yeah, just pretend that it isn't a kid's version of pirates.", Clair said sarcastically and gave Eve a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. She went over to the backpack Eve had carried with her, and retrieved a blanket from it which she slung around her bare shoulders. Then she took her still soaked shirt from the ground and shook it a few times before spreading it out.

By the time she had finished, Eve had also stood up and walked closer to the edge. She looked down onto the ocean and pointed at it. "Speaking of which…", she started and glanced over to Clair to see if she was listening, then continued. "Isn't that them?"

Clair came as close to edge as she dared to, then shook her head. "No, I think their ship is a bit smaller. The flag does seem similar though.", she commented with a hint of disappointment. It would have been good to see them again, if only from this high up.

On the contrary to what she had said, she was actually glad not to be a pirate. It would have been nice to be with Kidd and Harle still, but in the end, she preferred to follow her own orders, or at least those imposed on her by Eve after long discussions. Never being sure of what was behind the orders given to them, Clair wouldn't have been able to stand it anymore. And also, she was glad that being a treasure hunter hardly ever included fighting. In fact, they hardly ever used took their weapons with them, leaving them at the several inns and hotels they frequently used. As treasure hunters, they didn't exactly compete with others, didn't steal from anyone but those who were long dead and left behind treasures they had been sure no one would ever find.

Eve liked to think of it as the easiest way to make money, but in reality, Clair knew that Eve put a lot of efforts in it, continuously tracking down a variety of maps, letters or legends which in some way or the other dealt with treasures. It was hard, but Clair had to admit that they hadn't especially been unsuccessful so far in finding about anything varying from ordinary treasure chests filled with gold to valuable accessories and strange relics they didn't really know the purpose of, but managed to sell to collectors nonetheless. They weren't exactly poor despite their utterly simplistic lifestyle, as Clair tended to call it. But the sad truth was that even after four years, they hadn't been able to accumulate enough money to finally buy this cursed house at the beach they had been aiming for ever since.

Of course Eve, being unfeasibly optimistic in every way imaginable, always spoke of them being close to their goal, but to Clair, it seemed like a couple of light-years away still. Which wasn't so bad in retrospect, for she didn't want to think of a life that consisted of doing nothing at the sole expense of the house they wanted. At least not yet. So, despite whining all the time over the hopeless situations they seemed to get in, she was glad. Glad that she could still enjoy this, with Eve.

"It must be nice being down there…", Clair sighed, still depressed at the thought of climbing all the way down again after the sun rose the next day. It felt as if they had come up here for the sole purpose of taking a dip, even though she did admit that the water had felt kind of nice. "Do you suppose I would survive it if I just leapt down and dove into the water?"

Eve chuckled at that, prodding Clair with her elbow. "I guess it depends on whether you can survive with a broken neck and various other shattered bones."

"I'm really tough, you know.", Clair answered with a superior voice and crossed her arms in front of her face with a proud smile.

"Well, see you tomorrow, then.", Eve said with a grin as she patted Clair's shoulder and walked away from the cliff. "Just try to land somewhere near the shore, I'd hate to swim far out into the ocean to get you."

"Now you're being mean. I'm trying to find solutions here.", Clair replied with a fake pout.

"Solutions?", Eve asked with a raised eyebrow. "I would think you're trying to tell me in a not-so-subtle way that this is all my fault."

Clair laughed brightly at this accusation. "You just look right through me, don't you?", she asked teasingly, not even trying to defend herself. She received a mock glare from Eve, but just shrugged and sat down, watching the sun slowly disappear over the horizon. It was a nice view, even though the sky was clouded and some clouds looked rather uninviting. Eve came to sit down beside her, a blanket around her shoulders.

"You think there'll be a storm?", she asked. The hairs on her arms stood up and she could feel the electricity in the air. She liked this feeling, the tingling on her skin. It was as if the air charged her.

"Looks like it. You know it would be just our luck if it happened to rain and thunder tomorrow.", Clair said, not giving up her pessimistic view on things so easily.

"You're looking for excuses again.", Eve countered, but smiled shortly after. "How about we just make a flag of these blankets and have Randal and the others come save us? I know they're waiting for this." It was a joke, but Clair's face nevertheless lit up at the suggestion.

"They have a good reason to worry about us.", Clair answered, causing Eve to huff. "They look after us like little kids.", Eve remarked.

"See? I told you.", Clair said and laughed. She wondered where Randal and his men were right now, she knew they weren't far. They were always somewhere close. Clair had started to think of them as protectors, but they seemed more like stalkers now that she really thought about it. They had made jokes about "incidentally" meeting up every so often, which Randal still swore was the case. But Clair knew that the chances of meeting them all the time, whether they were in Guardia, Porre or on some deserted isle of El Nido were slim. It wasn't that she minded, it was just funny to think that they didn't seem to have anything else to do aside from following them around.

But then, she was glad to see him so often, and even though she knew the ugly scar on the left side of Randal's face was her doing, her guilt became smaller and smaller each time they met, each time they joked as if nothing had happened at all. Maybe she hadn't liked him before, but he had become a dear friend to both of them over time. She wouldn't want to miss him.

Sometimes she still wondered how he and most of the other Viper soldiers had managed to escape the sinking ship and actually managed to stay afloat with twenty men on life boats designed for ten, but them living was the only proof of its viability she needed. It was a good feeling to be forgiven.

"Let's stay here.", Clair said, watching the dark clouds condense before her, forming one thick wall of grey.

"There you go again.", Eve sighed but smiled nonetheless. "Just because we didn't find anything doesn't mean the whole trip was a waste. We gained a lot."

Clair tore her eyes from the clouds and looked at Eve with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What did we gain?"

Eve chuckled at Clair's usual scepticism. "Well…", she started, pointing her finger backwards. "We gained a pool with beautiful water just for the both of us with no one to disturb us." Her finger moved forward again. "We're sitting in the first row to watch the upcoming storm." Her hand touched Clair's leg and traced it down to her calves. "We gained strength, endurance, and experience which will come in handy in the future. Do you still call this trip a waste?" She looked over to Clair, who had her eyes closed as if in thought. She looked serious, but the faint smile on her lips was a dead give-away.

"This still won't buy us a house, though.", Clair said, prepared for the shove in her side she received shortly afterward.

"The grandest things you can't buy with money.", Eve said sternly as if lecturing the woman next to her.

"Which are?", Clair asked, giving in to the grin that spread over her face. She turned her head away as if bored.

"Me, for example.", Eve replied, poking Clair's back to have her look at her again. "Isn't that enough to ask for?"

"True, but I have you already. So there's nothing important left which money can't buy. Which means this trip was a waste after all, because I'm sure I can do without the experience of mountain climbing or strong legs like an amazon.", Clair said, giggling as she saw Eve covering her face with her hands.

"Oh I give up!", Eve shouted and broke into laughter. "You're impossible." She leaned back and lay down, eyeing Clair.

"Took you long enough to realize.", Clair replied with a laugh.

"Alright, I lost. What do I owe you?", Eve asked as if bored, but her face soon lit up at the variety of possibilities.

"Oh no, nothing like that.", Clair giggled as she saw Eve's lewd expression. Eve really was hopeless, sometimes.

"I guess I could do with a nice massage, though." She dangled her legs before her, enjoying the thought of having them massaged. "Without it, I guess my sore muscles will make it impossible for me to climb down tomorrow."

"Well, if my humble skills will be sufficient, I shall aid you to prevent this from happening.", Eve said in the voice of a gentleman, and crawled on top of Clair who had turned to lie on her stomach.

"Where to start, miss?", she asked and rubbed her hands together.

"Hm…", Clair purred, thinking. "Where would you like to start?"

Eve considered this invitation for a few moments, her eyes glittering momentarily. Her right index finger trailed teasingly down Clair's spine, causing the body beneath her to shudder. Eve smiled at this achievement and intended to save this memory for later occasions, then started with Clair's shoulders.

As she touched both of Clair's shoulders, the skin under her hands twitched and as she began to move them, it felt hard and stiff beneath her grasp, but also strengthened. Maybe it had been a little too hard, after all. Eve knew, that despite of her superior battling skills, Clair's constitution was a good deal weaker than hers and Eve hadn't expected her to climb this volcano with the same ease as she had. Maybe they should have chosen the other way, because even though Eve didn't like to think of the excruciating heat there, she was almost sure that Clair wouldn't mind the heat as much as long as the overall strain on her arms and legs was lessened. She needed to think about this alternative.

Finally Clair's stiff and sore muscles on her shoulders succumbed to Eve's hands and relaxed, and Eve's temporary feelings of guilt vanished along with it, softly being kneaded away by her own hands. To finish with this part, Eve leaned down to plant two kisses on each side, feeling the skin contracting shortly before relaxing even more than before.

"Feeling any better already?", she breathed into Clair's ear while her head was still dipped down. It was a rhetorical question and Clair simply purred in response, not wanting to spoil the moment with unnecessary words. Her mind settled back on Eve's hands, which by now were occupied with her lower back.

To her surprise, Eve actually enjoyed doing this, feeling the skin beneath her hands relax because of her doing. It wasn't that she felt completely useless, but it was a reassuring thought to be able to do this to Clair. To at least remove the strain she herself had put onto her. And for Clair to enjoy it, making up for her earlier pleas to be freed from the heavy task of mountain climbing. It was a pleasant feeling to know that she could do at least this much.

She quit her work on Clair's back as she felt the skin soft and warm beneath her fingertips, relaxed to the point of not even reacting to the kiss she placed on the centre of Clair's lower back.

With one last approving gaze at Clair's backside, Eve turned around to face her bare legs. As she touched them she felt them tremble. They were more sensitive than her back, and Eve took care to massage them gently.

They were just as stiff as her back, and as she traced her fingers along them she could feel the hard and overworked muscles beneath her skin tense. It had really been difficult for her, and all of a sudden Clair's continuous complaints seemed more than justified in comparison. Eve idly wondered what her own muscles felt like. They didn't hurt, but she could feel they were tired. She hoped they wouldn't hurt too much the next day.

Eve shrugged these thoughts off as she continued to massage Clair's legs. She found them wet, and looked up to the sky too see that the thick and dark clouds were now right above them. It had started raining, but instead of running down her legs, the raindrops seemed to get sucked into her skin like a drop of water into desert sand. A small movement of Clair's legs brought Eve out of her sudden fascination, and she quickly and efficiently eased the tension in her legs and turned back around to face Clair.

"You can turn around now.", she said and got up slightly to allow Clair to turn to lie on her back.

"It's raining.", Clair noted, as if she hadn't noticed before.

"Your skin doesn't seem to mind.", Eve said with a smile as she caught a raindrop on her fingertip and let it drop onto Clair's cheek. It tried to escape downward, but only made it one or two inches before it seeped into the skin.

"I never mind the rain.", Clair answered, licking her newly-dampened lips to taste the rain which threatened to come down harder with each drop. "It brings back memories."

Eve eyed her curiously, thinking for a few moments until Clair could see a small sparkle in the other woman's eyes. "Do you mean…that time?", Eve asked. Instead of answering, Clair just nodded.

"Something's different, though.", Eve remarked with a grin. "I'm on top now."

"Don't get too used to it.", Clair countered. "But I'm glad that at least the ground isn't muddy."

They both chuckled at that, until Eve interrupted with a gentle kiss, silencing them both. When she drew back, she could see Clair's damp eyes, and for a moment thought she was about to cry.

"Did you know that I wanted to kiss you so badly, back then?", Clair asked, her voice slightly wavering.

"Why didn't you?", Eve questioned, leaning in for another quick kiss.

To her surprise, Clair simply laughed at the question. "What would you have done?"

Eve was slightly taken aback by the question, because really, she didn't know. Clair immediately recognized Eve's confused look. "I think you would've flushed beet red and tried to get me off you with any means available. Isn't that right?" A knowing smirk spread over Clair's lips as she watched Eve in her feeble attempt to think of an answer.

"I wouldn't have done something like that!", Eve said firmly, but wavered. "Would I?"

"Well, at the very least you would have been too shocked to appreciate it.", Clair answered and moved her right hand upward to stroke Eve's cheek. "You were so innocent, you didn't think of such things back then, didn't you?"

"I guess.", Eve complied with a sigh, but then dipped her head so that their lips were almost touching. "To make up for what I missed back then, kiss me like you wanted to, right in that moment.", she breathed and parted her lips slightly. Before she knew what was happening though, her head was in the firm grasp of Clair's hands, tugged downward to meet Clair's hot red lips in a kiss that took her breath away with its intensity.

The next day, they felt horrible due to a night spend in the rain, but were sure the hot course along Mt. Pyre would burn away whatever traces of flu were forming in their bodies. Even when they collapsed in front of Randal and the others, who had indeed been waiting for them, a silly smile was still plastered onto their faces. Randal wondered how these two would ever get money being reckless like that. He didn't know a thing. For through everything they did, they gained so much more than money could ever buy.

---

She had been waiting for two hours already, standing in the same place, the tapping of her foot having gained considerable force with every passing minute. It simply wasn't her day. Under different circumstances, she wouldn't have minded the wait and found something to occupy herself with. Not today.

The rain was coming down hard, and even though she didn't particularly mind the wetness, she did mind the coldness that came with it. They should have never left El Nido and its warm embrace. She missed it a little.

She felt a sudden shove and a "sorry!" which followed directly afterward, and turned to see one more figure trying to fit under the entrance roof of Porre's biggest clothing shop, which was painfully slim compared to the actual size of the building. She should just go inside, but this wasn't only the biggest one of its kind, it was also the most expensive one. And Harle wasn't in the mood of wasting money for overpriced and, compared to her own albeit soaked ones, plain clothes. She wasn't in the mood for much at all, she knew. The day had been tiring, and utterly wasted. It hadn't even been fun.

She left the cover of the roof in search of a spot that wasn't as crowded and noisy, but was only able to locate a thin alley between two high buildings just across the street. It was well enough, she would still be able to see the shop from there.

Upon reaching the narrow alley, she leaned against the wall. She didn't like this city. It was crowded, noisy, dirty and overall unpleasant. It had been a silly idea to settle down here. For the first time that day, Harle was glad that she hadn't found a suitable apartment today. She doubted she had the will to continue the search the next day. They should leave Porre. It was nice for visiting, but being in the rain here was no fun at all. She didn't want to live here.

"Hey, miss.", a voice disturbed her thoughts, and as Harle turned around, the nauseating smell of too much alcohol and not barely enough mouth care greeted her. She instinctively stepped backward, then scanned the foreign figure in front of her. It seemed like an old man, but Harle wasn't sure if the thin hair and stubbly beard were any indication. The more obvious fact was that he was drunk, and if his clothes were anything to go by, poor also.

"What's a lady…like ya doin' 'ere?", he asked with obvious difficulty. Talking seemed to be almost too hard for him in his state. It was appalling.

"Zat'z none of your concern, monsieur.", Harle replied with as much gentleness as she could muster in her already annoyed state, which was dreadfully few.

"Oh, that's harsh.", the man said as if hurt, but Harle just frowned. He couldn't be serious. "I was jus' gonna ask ya fer some money ta spare…", he continued in a slurred sentence which seemed to fuse the words together in a way that made Harle strain to understand them.

"Moi iz sorry, but wasting money on people such az yourself is not one of mon most favourite pasttimez.", Harle answered with a bored expression, trying out the rude way to get rid of annoying people. She was sure that in his state, he would fail to catch any amount of subtlety.

To her mild surprise, the man laughed, or at least Harle hoped it was laughter, for it sounded more like an alarming fit of coughs and chokes. Not that she cared.

"I like girls like ya, knowing what they want.", he then said, and his voice sounded strangely clear all of a sudden. "But I fear I can't let ya go just like that."

Even though Harle hadn't seen it coming, she was prepared for potential attacks and stepped back swiftly as the man reached for her wrist, as a result missing it by a hair's width.

Harle groaned inwardly at the situation she had gotten herself into. Now there didn't seem any other way to end this without one of them unconscious, and Harle had, without being overly self-confident, a fairly good idea who that one would turn out to be. Thus it didn't faze her as the now quite sober man unsheathed a dagger which he had taken out of his dirty coat which spotted various burned spots and cuts.

"And here I thought I would find a nice young lady willing to donate a few G to a poor man. But it seems the people nowadays know no mercy. I think I have no choice but to follow that unfortunate example." Now that he spoke so clearly, Harle could hear that he was actually quite young, the creases on his face and the thin hair being only a result of his poor living conditions which caused him to look way beyond his years. The self-confident smile he wore lit up his face and gave away the enthusiasm and self-righteousness often found in younger people. Harle kept her calm expression, only moving to show a knowing smile. She didn't take out her cards, she was sure to end this without them.

"Moi doez have mercy on ze pauvre, mais not on ze stupide.", she said and saw with amusement how his grin fell and was promptly replaced by a look of scorn. He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on her.

"You're pretty cocky, lady.", he said with as much of a threatening voice he could muster, seeing how he was about to attack her with a cheap dagger which wasn't much more than a rusty kitchen knife to Harle. "That's why I hate rich people."

He charged her weakly, obviously being new to the art of fighting. Harle simply sidestepped, giving him a firm shove in the back that sent him stumbling forward. "Et moi hatez insolent guyz who don't know how to ask a mademoiselle pour un faveur."

Again, the man just laughed, and Harle wondered if he had taken note of obviously being the weaker one. He charged her again, in exactly the same fashion as before. "You'd be surprised how often the 'I'm a drunkard, give me some money to get rid of me'-route actually works. Hardly anyone has enough morals left to care about an ordinary homeless man. They aren't annoying, so there's no need to pay them to get rid of them. That's how you people think, isn't it?" He was shouting by now, but Harle knew that his voice was entirely drowned by the surrounding sounds of countless people on the streets just a few metres away from the narrow alley they were standing in. She was probably the only one to hear him.

"Isn't it?", he asked again upon receiving no answer from Harle. She had to admit that he had a point, but it was especially people like him who got on her nerves the most. They didn't get it. They didn't understand that there was a life beyond mere money. Harle had lived the biggest part of her life without money, and yet, she had always gotten what she had needed. Money alone couldn't help people.

"No, it iz not. Moi simply haz no sympathy pour t'ose who give up easily.", Harle responded truthfully. She knew that neither lies nor the truth would get her out of this argument any sooner, so she might as well stick with the truth.

Men like him were really pathetic. Thinking begging and robbing is the only way left for a healthy and relatively strong man, who by all means should be more than capable to take care of himself. But stealing without even the slightest hint of style, it was annoying. Harle knew there were a thousand ways of stealing which were far more effective and didn't cause any victims. After all, aren't they after the money? So why should they take the owner's health, as well? They had no use for it, obviously.

"Just you wait.", the man growled dangerously, but just as he was about to attack again, he felt a tapping on his shoulders, accompanied by a female voice.

"Oi, s'cuse me-", she said and for a moment the man was so startled that he lost the grip on his dagger. Nevertheless he instantly turned around, and even without so much as looking at the cause of the disturbance, he flung his right fist at the unfamiliar face, intending to get rid of it without delay.

Harle smiled, but the smile quickly turned into a grimace as she saw the man's fist crashing into Kidd's stunned face. Kidd hadn't seen it coming so instantly. Harle clenched her fist to suppress the sudden urge to beat the man in front of her senseless. He obviously didn't suspect whom he was dealing with. It had started out as fun, but Harle should have known that fun just didn't seem to be available for her today.

She was about to attack when she saw Kidd's grinning face. Despite the force of the impact, she hadn't stumbled backward, and still stood in the same place, the only change being the thin line of blood dripping from her bottom lip and the quickly reddening spot on her cheek.

"And here I thought I couldn't hit ya without an excuse.", she said and lifted her left hand to touch the newly added bruise. It hardly hurt. Her face didn't change in the least when her right fist shot forward and punched squarely into the man's face without him being able to react. He fell backward, instantly clutching his profusely bleeding nose. "But I guess this counts as self-defence.", Kidd added, looking down at him.

The man didn't stir, staring at Kidd as if frozen. Only when Kidd stepped closer and attempted to kick him did he get up and run away, passing Harle without another glance at her.

After the echoing of his rapid footsteps grew dimmer, Harle let out a sigh.

"What did he want?", Kidd asked, looking around for any traces of what might have happened.

"He wanted money.", Harle replied offhandedly, worrying more about the bruise the man had inflicted on her. She stepped closer to Kidd and softly traced the outline of her jaw.

"Doez it hurt?", she asked, kissing the spot tenderly. She should have just knocked this ugly man out at the beginning, instead of playing with him. This bruise was partly her fault.

"Not anymore.", Kidd answered truthfully and smiled. It hadn't particularly hurt in the first place, but Harle's kisses tended to make everything better, even if it concerned such small wounds. "So he wanted money, huh? I take it ya didn't give him any?", she asked, changing the topic back to the man she had chased away a few moments ago.

"Of courze moi didn't.", Harle replied with an annoyed look. "He could have at leazt have ze décence to steal it wit'out moi noticing." She honestly didn't care all that much about money, but she did care about how other people treated her. And the one thing she hated was to be taken for a fool.

"True.", Kidd said and smirked. "The thugs nowadays have a lot ta learn."

"Not from you, I hope.", Harle said with a mock frown which caused Kidd to chuckle. They made their way out of the alley and onto the main street again, not minding the still ongoing rain.

"Nah.", she replied and waved it off. "It's been fun while it lasted, but I'd better stop now before I start ta develop a bad conscience. I'm gettin' bloody soft lately." She laughed while saying it, but was actually a little worried. Was she really getting too old for this? I didn't matter all that much, for they still had enough money to last them another couple of years if they didn't waste it. There was no necessity to steal anything.

"Which izn't such un bad t'ing entièrement.", Harle laughed and pressed Kidd's hand affectionately.

"I guess not. But still, it's kinda sad ta know I've grown outta my bratty old self. Guess Lucca was right after all. Except of the 'beautiful young lady' thing.", Kidd said, smiling as she remembered the letter Luccia had given her back when she had still followed Serge around. She still treasured this last letter of her, and kept it hidden from anyone's eyes but her own. Even Harle hadn't seen it. But it was a silent understanding between Harle and her that it was something for Kidd alone, something too personal to share. And if Kidd was honest with herself, she doubted that Harle had any desire to see it. Both of them didn't like to think about this aspect of their past. "But I know someone who makes up for that.", she added and kissed Harle's cheek, taking her mind off such unpleasant thoughts. At the sight of Harle's face, she knew that the day had already been hard enough.

"How was yer day, by the way?", she asked as she lead them across the street, into a direction Harle didn't know, but didn't raise any questions either way.

"Complètement terrible.", Harle sighed in response, her voice both tired and annoyed at the thought of all the time she had wasted today. "Porre iz no good."

"Thought so.", Kidd agreed, not surprised that Harle felt the same. Porre sure had its charms, but there were just so many things that didn't agree with her. It was loud and noisy, expensive, and upon closer look, pretty dirty. It was a beautiful city all right, but this wasn't what Kidd and Harle were looking for in a city they were about to live in. There were just too many things missing. "Honestly, those apartments I looked at today…even our bloody ship looked better.", Kidd told Harle, who just nodded in understanding.

The various apartments and houses Harle had visited today had been less than appealing on top of being expensive to the degree of being downright exorbitant. Harle hadn't guessed how much of a change they would have to face after quitting the pirate business. She was glad they had, but even though she didn't like to admit it, it was hard to get accustomed to this new and suddenly complicated lifestyle so different from the life of pirate's. After four years, it was hard not to miss the 'freedom' they had enjoyed.

Even though they had chased only after one goal in all those four years, they had retained a certain level of freedom to quit and do whatever they liked to. Even though they had searched every corner of El Nido for the third relic they still knew so little about, they had known that the choice of continuing or quitting was solely their own. They had ultimately quit and given up on being pirates. They had just wanted to do this favour for the captain, to find the third relic and dispose of it, if just to let him sleep more peacefully, but it wasn't to be.

They had never hated or even questioned him, even if, in the end, it had been his request to steal the Blazing Heart which had brought them into the mess with Viper in the first place. It had been his selfish request to find it for him, just so that he could drown it in the ocean, to fulfil a promise he had made to an old friend. Kidd still didn't know if she could actually believe that story, but she had stopped to care. The Blazing Heart was gone at any rate, and to her it didn't matter through which means it had disappeared. The ominous third relic worried her more, and she didn't like to think of it in the wrong hands. With no clues on it however it had been impossible to locate, and they had been forced to give up on their quest to find it.

Kidd sighed. They had left all this behind now. They weren't pirates anymore, so such things didn't concern them. At least Kidd had to tell herself this, while Harle seemed to have no such problem to simply forget about it. It was a simple matter of priorities, and Kidd knew Harle cherished their relatively normal life from now on far more than any old relic they knew nothing about. Maybe she simply relied on the others to find it, if by intent or accident. Harle herself had enough other things on her mind, Kidd could see.

"Oh well, let's just go somewhere else tomorrow. No need hangin' 'round here any longer than necessary. Just wastin' money.", Kidd suggested, but was greeted with an unexpectedly strange look from Harle.

"Exzactly where are we going, mon amour?", she asked, doubting that Kidd would come up with a satisfying answer.

And indeed, Kidd just looked at her with a blank expression, unable to find an instant answer. "Anywhere ya like ta go, I guess.", she finally answered, knowing full well that it was little more than an excuse. Harle sighed, not bothering to reprimand her. She would have to think about that over the night. Decent hotel rooms eating away their money with frightening ease and speed had to give some sort of inspiration. Maybe she should have simply enjoyed these three days in Porre a little more, instead of thinking non-stop about where to live.

"Oi, stop broodin' already. I'll think of somethin', alright? Don't ya worry.", Kidd said suddenly cheery, clapping Harle's back for further emphasis. Harle just shrugged, and it wasn't lost on Kidd that Harle talked less than usual.

"Just…don't think 'bout it now.", she tried again, lifting Harle's chin with her index finger before leaning down to the smaller woman to kiss her softly. She wouldn't have Harle in a bad mood all evening, when they haven't seen each other all day. Searching separately had been a pretty useless idea in the first place, now that she thought about it. "Let's just enjoy dinner."

Harle frowned at her, but the prospect of dinner did tug at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast that morning. "Where?", she asked, noting how they must have walked quite far away from the restaurant Harle remembered from the previous night.

"Right here.", Kidd said and smiled as she took hold of Harle's shoulders to turn her around. Obviously Harle had been brooding too much to realize they were standing right in front of one.

The restaurant was quite plain, lacking the air of expensiveness and elite that was so predominant throughout the whole town while at the same time not looking too cheap and shabby. It was the kind of restaurant where you could simply enjoy eating without being annoyed by misbehaving customers around you but at the same time not earning accusing glares when you came in with casual clothes. Which was an aspect that Kidd held in high regard.

"Oh, zis one.", Harle said. She wouldn't have thought to ever see this restaurant again. But here she was, and the events of this place still left a bad taste. She had gone a little far, back then. A little too far to not regret it now, but it couldn't be helped. She would have to try to laugh about it. Monique, huh? Such a silly name it had been, too.

"Ya know it?", Kidd asked curiously, snapping her fingers. "And here I thought I could surprise ya."

"You did. Moi didn't expect zis restaurant.", Harle reassured her with a smile. "Let'z go inside."

Kidd was a little stunned, but followed Harle inside. And indeed, the interior looked quite appealing without any unnecessary décor. Kidd had always wondered what the problem with blank walls was, that everyone felt they had to hide it with sappy pictures. If painted with the right colour, it could look fine on its own, couldn't it? Which had led Kidd to think that the wall hidden under layers of pictures had to look horrible.

The clearing of Harle's throat broke her train of thought and caused her to avert her eyes from the wall and sit down at a small table for two people, opposite of Harle.

As expected by Harle, Kidd immediately took the menu to browse through it, while Harle had a pretty good idea of what she would be taking. She remembered that she didn't get to order anything the last time she was here. She had been gone even before finishing the cocktail.

Kidd was still studying the menu when the waitress appeared at their table. Harle, seeing how Kidd needed a little more time, ordered first. She granted herself the luxury of ordering a big salad, something she had heavily missed those last years. Being a pirate didn't involve salads. In fact, it didn't involve many nutrient foods aside from ordinary apples, which Harle had soon grown sick of. A salad was the biggest luxury she could think of right now.

The waitress didn't notice Harle's enjoyment and wrote the order on her notepad before turning to Kidd, who still struggled between two equally meat-heavy dishes and ended up taking the worse of both, in Harle's opinion.

Kidd's eyes followed the waitress until she got out of sight, before turning to Harle. "So…", she said, leaning closer as if telling her a secret. "What about Truce?"

The question came out of the blue, and Harle was surprised that it was actually Kidd who suggested it. She had thought that Kidd, of all people, would just hate to live in a small, and probably altogether uneventful village.

"Are you sure you want to live zere?", Harle asked dubiously, not quite believing it yet.

"Why not? Weren't you the one tellin' me how nice the people there are? I think it'll be nice to live there again. I loved it back when I was a kid. And if it gets too boring, we can always go somewhere else.", Kidd said eagerly, enjoying the thought of Truce more than she had expected to only a few moments ago. It did seem like the perfect choice, at least for now.

Harle took some minutes to think about it. It wasn't that Truce had entirely slipped her mind until now, but she had tried not to think about it too much. Kidd said they could simply go elsewhere, but Harle knew they wouldn't be able to once they settled down there. Not after what Harle had planned, and thought about for so long. But was she really ready for this? It meant giving up so much.

"Let'z t'ink about it.", was the only answer Harle could give just now, and was grateful for the distraction when the waitress came back with their dishes.

"Alright, but no more of that frown, now.", Kidd said and smirked, causing Harle to do the same in response.

"D'accord.", she said, then regarded the plate in front of her with newfound enthusiasm. Maybe she really shouldn't think so much. The day had been stressful enough, she should do her best to enjoy the evening.

"But, ya know…", Kidd said with a full mouth, barely managing to chew. "ya alright just eatin' salad?" The look she gave Harle's plate was sceptical. She knew she didn't mind going without meat once in a while, but just vegetables…it didn't seem enough in various ways.

"Mais oui.", Harle answered without hesitation. "It'z healt'y, and keepz you jeune." With her fork she picked up a leaf which was almost drenched with vinegar, but she carefully placed it in her mouth without any of it spilling. At the sight of Harle's eating manners, Kidd remembered to close her mouth. She wiped her hand over it in case she had some crumbs on her face, but the amused smile Harle was giving her left her restless. She didn't put it past Harle to not tell her. She had to make sure.

"Excuse me for a moment.", she said with an obviously faked polite smile, for Harle still thought Kidd unable to genuinely call forth the muscles necessary for that. Harle loved the fact that she could always see whether Kidd's smiles were real or not, even though the one she was presenting her with right now was especially obvious and intended.

When Harle realized Kidd was still in front of her, awaiting some kind of response, Harle nodded and saw her walking to the restrooms. With a short glance at Kidd's already dreadfully empty plate, Harle resumed her meal without waiting for Kidd. She wondered if Kidd would detect the windows right away.

Kidd didn't. Instead, she was surprised to see the restroom quite crowded. A whole row of women were standing in front of the mirror, leaving little place, and little desire for Kidd to get between them simply to look if there was something on her face. Instead, after having had someone bump into her for the third time, she turned to leave again. She could put up with being smiled at the whole evening.

Just as she was about to open the door to step outside she felt another person pushing against her, and turned around, slightly annoyed. Her hand washed another time over her mouth unconsciously, and she was about to say something when she realized there was a small girl standing in front of her, maybe seven years old. Her hair was curly and Kidd guessed it to be a bright blonde under a layer of what seemed to be dirt or soot. Or both. Her clothes underlined that suspicion, but as she looked into the shy and frightened face of the young girl, Kidd forgot about her annoyance completely.

"S-sorry!", she sputtered with wide eyes, and Kidd wondered just how scary she looked.

"No problem.", she answered quickly and patted the girl on her left shoulder. The girl bowed for another excuse and then left her hurriedly. In the back of her mind, Kidd wondered what a girl like her wanted in a restaurant like this, and the ugly part of her told her that it might be just for the free water.

But then again, she really shouldn't judge other people by their clothes. It wasn't as if she looked as though she had 34000G in her pockets. A smile crept on her lips. It was good to have the queen for an aunt.

She exited the restroom and went back to Harle, who was by now finished with her salad and calmly sipping a cocktail she had ordered. There was also one on Kidd's side, even though Kidd rarely drank alcohol. She didn't like how it affected her senses, and she couldn't bring herself to like it as much as to actually drink it just for the pleasure of it, like Harle seemed to do. Still, as she sat down, her hand wandered over to the glass.

"Is it any good?", she asked with a smirk, knowing full well that Harle never picked anything that wasn't good. And the drink before her certainly looked expensive enough not to be bad.

"Parfait.", Harle answered and brought the brim of the glass to her lips in unison with Kidd. The slight twitch of the corners of Kidd's mouth gave her away, and Harle had to try hard not to laugh. She managed to stay calm and finished her drink slowly while Kidd gave her a 'now or never' look and drained it at once.

"Do I want ta know how expensive that one was?", Kidd asked jokingly. Not that she really cared about it.

"Je ne sais pas.", Harle answered smilingly. "Moi juzt knowz zat you are going to pay."

Kidd chuckled and reached into her pockets. "Thought so. Ya know, maybe ya should take the money from now on, somehow I don't feel well carryin' so much money with me all the time."

Harle smiled at Kidd's uneasiness and shrugged. "Fine wit' moi." She extended her hand to her, showing no signs whatsoever of having a problem with exchanging 34000G with someone with countless people nearby. "Iz it because you still have a few crumbz next to your mout'?", she asked teasingly and Kidd's hand immediately shot up to wipe away whatever remnants of food still resided on her face. She found nothing, however. Not on her face, and not in her pockets. Both realizations hit her almost simultaneously, so she didn't even have the time to laugh. Or to cry.

"H-hey, Harle…", Kidd stuttered, her face suddenly pale, pearls of sweat already forming on her forehead without her noticing. "I…completely forgot I gave it ta ya already."

Sometimes, when you say something and really believe in it, it becomes true. Or so they said. Kidd didn't know, she had never tried. She was trying really hard now. But Harle's uncanny ability to destroy the hopes of the foolish wasn't perturbed in the least. She watched Kidd with a raised eyebrow, still utterly unsuspecting.

"Certainement non.", she said, but checked her pockets anyway. As expected she only found a few coins, probably less than 100G. She was a little confused at Kidd's behaviour, but as she withdrew her hand from where it had reached across the table, Kidd could see the dreadful flicker of comprehension in her eyes. She was done for.

"Ya know…well, how ta explain…", Kidd started, but soon stumbled over her words. How to explain indeed. "Ya see…it's gone."

"How so?", Harle asked, her voice eerily calm despite what was happening.

"I dunno!", Kidd answered louder than intended, and upon receiving questioning looks from the other customers, reduced her voice to a whisper. "The bloody money's just gone!" Kidd winced at the last word. How could she, a professional thief, lose money without even noticing?

Harle's face was blank as her eyes wandered around while thinking. Gone. It couldn't be. It was ridiculous.

Her look fell upon the cocktail glass in front of her. She hadn't studied the menu as carefully as to know the exact price of those, but she didn't think she was far off in guessing that 100G and one evening of dishwashing wouldn't be enough to make up for it.

Kidd still stared at Harle, fully expecting her to be more than a little mad at her. When Harle suddenly gripped her hand, Kidd lost all hope.

"Rapide.", Harle ordered, tugging at Kidd's hand. She stood up from the table and walked over to the restrooms with Kidd closely following her. Not that she had much choice in the matter.

They entered the restroom and Kidd was surprised to see it almost empty. At least in comparison to how crowded it had been just a few minutes ago. There were only four women to be seen in front of the mirrors, but their presence became utterly uninteresting as Harle pulled out her cards.

"Whaddaya doin' with those?", Kidd gasped, but Harle didn't answer her, instead walking over to the row of women in front of the mirrors. She casually leaned against the wall next to them, tapping the cards in her right hand on the washbasin underneath the mirror. They made a disgusting sound on the smooth surface.

"Would you excuse uz for a few momentz, Mesdemoiselles?", she asked politely, a farce completely shattered by the threatening cards she now held before the first woman's throat.

A whimper of her and gasps from the others were all she received as an answer, but to Harle's relief they were intelligent enough to find the exit in a relatively short amount of time.

When Harle turned around to Kidd, the taller girl still faced her with a sceptical look.

"Was that really necessary?", she asked, but smiled, for a moment forgetting about their situation.

"Oui.", Harle simply answered and went over to the windows to open them. They weren't exactly big, but Harle had fit through it before. Kidd had an equal build and was just a little taller than her, so she should be fine as well. "Hurry.", Harle said urgently, pointing at the window.

Kidd nodded and crawled through the frame, fining herself in a back alley afterward. Turning around she extended her hand towards Harle to help her get out as well. They closed the window as tightly as they could from outside, then distanced themselves from the entire restaurant in a quick yet unsuspicious manner.

"So…what now?", Kidd asked, not sure if just escaping from the restaurant was the right thing to do. But she also knew that she was getting way too soft. "How did you even know we could go through a window in the restroom? Have ya been here before?"

The question was innocent enough but Harle felt as if being accused. "It'z…un secret." She still didn't like what had happened here a few years ago, but back then, she had thought it was fun. Maybe she had just felt challenging, back then. And too frustrated to admit it. She hadn't exactly been the happiest person in the world, back then. As opposed to now. A smug smile crept onto her lips but she quickly diminished it, trying to concentrate onto the matter at hand. Even though she couldn't help but not to care at all.

"We're going to get ze money back.", she chose to reply, already looking around in search of the best direction to take from here. "It'z obvious someone stole it from you while you were in ze restroom."

Kidd nodded, understanding the conclusion Harle had come to. Still, who could have stolen money from her pocket without her noticing? It seemed impossible. But then, as if mocking her stupidity, the picture of the small girl came to mind, and Kidd slapped her forehead in anger.

Kidd usually didn't think of herself as particularly stupid or slow. She knew she wasn't dumb, but she certainly felt that way right now. She had been fooled by a kid.

Without another thought, Kidd dashed out onto the main street, leaving Harle to run after her. Only a few minutes had passed. They still had a chance.

Kidd fought her way through the crowds on the streets, almost running several people over in the process. Harle managed to slip through the masses with slightly more elegance, but still couldn't avoid occasionally bumping into a passer-by. She had no idea where Kidd was heading.

She also had no idea that Kidd didn't know, either. Kidd tried her best to scan the masses around her for any small kids. There couldn't be that many, ordinary children would be in their beds already. Only thieves were still awake.

But still, it was almost impossible to spot her with so many people around. And yet, Kidd was almost sure that the girl was still somewhere further along the main road.

She imagined herself as a small girl. Stealing had been a game for her, back then, but she had executed it every time as professionally as though her life had depended on it. She had always used packed streets like this when the possibility had been given, knowing full well that being around crowds of unsuspecting adults could protect her in case she got caught, but also shield her small form from searching eyes. Adults may choose the first dark alley they encountered, but children thought differently. Back then, even Kidd had been afraid of the dark, thus avoiding empty alleys until she was at a safe distance from everything. Right now, Kidd hoped she hadn't been an odd kid in that regard.

She counted three junctions, then crossed the street while still running and searched the alley between two rather large multistorey buildings. It was as good a place to search as any. Before vanishing in the dim light of the alley, she extended her arm to point to her left, for Harle to see. Harle immediately understood and continued along the road instead of following Kidd.

She had little hope to find whoever stole the money. She had no idea how the person looked like, aside from being female. Kidd hadn't exactly told her anything, probably thinking Harle would get mad if she knew how easy it must have been to steal the money. Harle smirked at the thought. The thief should be proud of herself.

Harle entered the next alley, cautiously stepping into the darkness. She took out a few cards, remembering the recent events. Just in case another rude and persistent beggar came along. She wasn't about to waste any time, again.

There was little more to be found than garbage, piled next to an already overflowing dumpster. She didn't like this city.

Harle continued despite her knowing better. As she reached the dead-end, where the only way of continual was an iron ladder, she stopped, listening for any sounds. The street noise aside, there was nothing to be heard.

She made her way back onto the main street, intending to meet up with Kidd, who had most probably been as unsuccessful as herself. They should give up. Both she and Kidd knew how easy it was to steal and get away without being caught. Their shared knowledge of thievery didn't help them any to actually locate a thief or try to predict his actions. There were just too many possibilities.

Harle looked around in search for the familiar ruffled mop of reddish blonde hair. It was usually easy to find among the more common colours like brown or black. And if that didn't help, Harle could always look out for someone with a fiery red outfit, which she was sure didn't apply to many people around here.

However, she found none of these characteristics and couldn't suppress a small tinge of worry.

She broke into a run, not sure which one of her flood of irrational thoughts was responsible for that. She dashed along the street until she reached the alley she had seen Kidd vanishing in.

She stopped unwillingly as she heard a high-pitched cry, and her heartbeat accelerated instantly before her brain realized that it wasn't Kidd's voice.

Still, her heartbeat didn't slow down as she forced her feet to move forward.

"Kidd?", she called out, but in the same instant saw the faint outline of her body. She was pressing something against a wall, and as she got closer, she saw it was a child. A girl. She was crying.

"Let me go!", the girl cried, feebly kicking her feet, but only succeeding to hit the air.

"Who do ya think I am? No way I'm gonna let ya go.", Kidd snorted, lifting the girl even higher. She was light as a feather and Kidd had hardly problems of lifting her single-handedly. The cloth at her collar was of a different opinion however, it started to tear.

"Kidd!", Harle shouted, quickly walking over to them. She took the girl into her arms and slapped Kidd's arm away with more force than intended. Kidd withdrew it as if stung, and watched Harle with wide eyes as she set the small girl onto the ground, gently holding her shoulders as she knelt before her.

"Are you alright, ma petite?", Harle asked with a strangely gentle voice that Kidd found both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"I-I didn't…I didn't want to steal so much!", the girl sobbed, to Kidd's surprise not trying to free herself from Harle's grasp and run away. The girl looked to the ground, rubbing her eyes with her palms. "I didn't know it was so much! I just…", she trailed off, clutching her face with her hands. Harle cradled the girl in her arms, and pulled her closer to herself. The girl didn't resist, instead weeping even more onto Harle's shoulder. Kidd simply stared at them, wondering what had happened while a wave of guilt washed over her. The girl was crying because of her. But was it so wrong, to want stolen money back?

"Hush now, no need to cry.", Harle said and stroked the girl's back. "Let moi see your face."

The girl reluctantly drew away, but didn't dare to look up. She didn't want anyone to see her, she didn't want to see anyone. She shouldn't have stolen. She had never done it had she known how much money it actually was. She had really wanted to give it back, but she had been afraid. She still was.

She tensed as she felt Harle's hands before her face, moving her long strands of dirty blonde hair out of the way to see her face. Her hands were warm and softer than she had ever known a hand to be. She felt like an angel, and when her eyes moved upwards she expected to see soft blue eyes. However, as she looked into Harle's face she gave a start. Harle was staring at her, her hands frozen in midair and her wide crimson eyes incredulous.

At the sight of Harle's eerie eyes the girl wanted to run. But what she saw in them made her halt. She saw recognition.

"T…Trisha?", Harle stuttered, unable to tear her eyes from the girl opposite her. It had to be her. Those green eyes and this innocent face…there was no doubt. She still looked the same. So much time had passed, but she was right here, in front of her. Harle couldn't stop the tears that suddenly leaked from her eyes, leaving a hot trail on her cheeks.

The girl nodded hesitantly, thinking hard. She knew those eyes, she knew she had been afraid of them before. She knew this person wasn't bad. But as hard as she tried, her mind refused to come up with a name for this woman. She looked helpless.

Harle watched her, smiling sadly. Of course she wouldn't remember her. She had only been four years, back then. Their meeting had been brief, so there really was no way she would recognize her. But it still hurt. But what had she expected? She hadn't done much, back then. She probably hadn't helped her at all. Wasn't it like the beggar from before had said? People give them money to get rid of them. Because they're annoying, not because one really wanted to help them. Had Harle really been like that? She knew she had been selfish, knew she had pitied herself. She should have never let that girl alone.

"You're…Harle, right?", Trisha then asked, wincing inwardly. She hoped she had gotten the name right. But when Harle looked at her, there were even more tears streaming from her eyes. Trisha opened her mouth to apologize, but shut it again as Harle once again embraced her, her arms circling around her back.

"Moi iz…sorry.", Harle said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She was so thin. She had to be hungry. Harle should have never let her alone.

"No, I'm sorry!", Trisha said quickly, shaking her head. She dared to look past Harle at Kidd for a second, seeing her face mixed with curiosity and amazement. All of a sudden, she didn't seem dangerous anymore. "I really didn't want to steal so much money…" She trailed off again, trying to find more words to prove her point. She really was sorry, but she wasn't used to apologizing. In fact, she wasn't used to talking at all. She couldn't remember to have talked to anyone in the last few months. It seemed like a miracle to her that she hadn't already forgotten how to do it altogether.

Trisha's eyes darted to Kidd when she heard her snort. "Quit cryin' already. Just what kinda thief are ya?"

Trisha winced at Kidd's words, and looked at Harle for help, who in turn eyed Kidd dangerously. Her eyes softened however as she saw the smile on Kidd's face. She had already forgiven Trisha for stealing the money. This was just her way of saying it.

"She doezn't mean it like zat. She likez you.", Harle whispered into Trisha's ear, who didn't look quite convinced.

"You sure?", she whispered back, and both of them turned to inspect Kidd, who eyed them warily.

"Oui, quite sure.", Harle said with a smile and gave Trisha a quick kiss on the cheek. It tasted salty, but the tears had stopped by now. As had Harle's. Trisha blushed, utterly unaccustomed to any kind of affection. She wondered how much time had passed since the last time someone had touched her in such an affectionate manner. She looked at Harle in wonder.

"So, I guess I'm the bad guy now.", Kidd interrupted their moment of intimacy, shrugging.

"Vraiment.", Harle said, standing up from where she had knelt in front of Trisha. "Until you apologize, zat iz.", she said and pointed on Trisha.

"Just a minute, there.", Kidd said, both hands on her hips. "Why do I have ta apologize when I just tried ta get our bloody money back? Ya should praise me!"

Harle simply smiled and tugged at Trisha's arm to have her stand in front of her, then wrapped her arms protectively around the girl. "You scared mon amie. For zat, moi t'inkz une apology iz in order." Harle smiled while saying that, but Kidd could see she was dead serious. No use arguing now.

"Alright, alright.", Kidd gave in, scratching the back of her head as she walked towards the strange duo. Kidd wondered how these two came to know each other, but she guessed they would tell her soon enough.

She stopped right in front of Trisha, her face a mixture of scepticism but also genuine approval. That girl certainly wasn't bad, in many regards. Harle seemed to like her quite a bit, which meant Kidd would end up liking her as well.

Kidd extended her arm to Trisha, but was stopped when Harle cleared her throat audibly.

"On your kneez.", she said quietly, looking away to avoid the scandalized look she was sure Kidd was giving her. But to her surprise, Kidd complied without another word.

"Very well.", Kidd sighed and went down to one knee in front of the now wide-eyed girl. "I, Kidd, hereby apologize for the ills I have caused you. Please…accept my deepest apologies.", she said with a serious face, but wavered near the end. She could hardly suppress her laughter.

"Very knight-like.", Harle approved.

Trisha for her part just stared at Kidd, who looked back at her, obviously awaiting an answer. Trisha had no idea what was going on with those people around her. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

For as long as she lived, she had learned not to trust people. She had learned through many hard lessons on the streets. To not trust anyone, to not rely on anyone. To not love anyone.

But she couldn't help but feel safe now, among those two people who were little more than complete strangers to her. One fiery and strong, the other calm and mysterious. Trisha knew her heart was racing, though she didn't know why. She didn't know what was happening to her, at all.

"What do you say? Do you forgive her?" It was her voice again, its warm tone sneaking itself into her ears, accompanied by the soft pressure of her arms around her. Had Harle been that kind before? Trisha didn't remember. She had changed, but to which extends, Trisha couldn't say.

"Mm-Mm.", Trisha answered with a nod, causing a look of relief on Kidd's face as she stood up again.

"Thanks, gal.", Kidd said and ruffled Trisha's hair playfully, for the first time favouring her with a genuinely gentle smile. She looked at Harle, who stood behind Trisha with an expression so serene, and so content that Kidd wondered what she was thinking about right now. She saw Harle absent-mindedly playing with a loose strand of Trisha's hair, twirling it around her finger, completely lost in thought.

Maybe it was so surprising because Kidd had never seen her with any children. And she didn't use to imagine her around them. But maybe it was just because Kidd had never thought about Harle as particularly fond of children.

When Harle finally noticed she had been lost in thought, her eyes were unfocused for a few short moments before she gathered where she was, and identified the girl she was holding. She noticed her grip was rather tight, so despite having received no protest whatsoever from Trisha, she let go of her, her eyes searching for Kidd. As she found them they were gleaming with an amazement Harle didn't realize was aimed at her.

"Well, shall we get goin'? I'm freezin'!", Kidd said cheerfully, her eyes still locked onto Harle's now slightly confused ones.

Kidd took Harle's hand in hers. It felt cold, as if the warmth of them had left her grasp along with Trisha. They walked towards the main road again, Harle walking more slowly than Kidd, as if trying to protest but being unable to go through with it. The lights of the street touched their faces but left Harle's face unlit. It only served to highlight the lone tear that trailed over her cheek.

That was when Kidd turned around to look at the small girl, who still stood almost invisibly in the darkness of the alley.

"Hey, ya comin' or what? We ain't got all night!", she called, looking at Trisha who lifted her head in surprise. She looked around, seeing that Harle was directly beside Kidd, with a strange look on her face. Trisha wasn't sure whom the call had been aimed at until Kidd shouted again.

"Hey Trish, would ya mind gettin' yer butt inta gear? I'm cold!" Kidd was laughing as she called, unable to suppress it any longer. She had an idea that this girl would be a hell of a lot of fun to tease.

As would be Harle, apparently, who still looked at her incredulously which caused Kidd to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't tell me ya wanted ta leave her here?", she asked, knowing full well this wasn't the case. Instead of a direct answer Harle flung her arms around Kidd's neck, showering her face with kisses. Kidd accepted them while laughing, smirking at Trisha who had come to a halt a few metres away from them, unsure of what to do.

When Harle finally noticed her she let go of Kidd, extending her hand to the small girl, motioning for her to come closer.

Kidd watched her contently. She hadn't been able to name it before, but she knew it now. Harle looked like a mother. When Trisha finally took Harle's hand here eyes were ablaze, if from the streetlights or something else Kidd couldn't say. She had a fairly good idea, however. She saw Harle lean down to Trisha, whispering something into her ear before receiving an eager nod and a tight hug as a reply.

Shortly afterward the three of them crossed the broad street, no one paying any more attention to them than before. Which was fine by them, for they didn't pay any attention to anyone beside themselves, either.

As the way continued Trisha sneaked her other hand into Kidd's. It felt warmer than she had thought it would.

"Oi Trish, what's the first thing ya wanna do tomorrow?", Kidd asked, and as a result two pairs of eyes were fixed onto Trisha.

She didn't need to think to come up with the answer.

"Cut my hair."

She already had a person in mind whom she would ask for this favour.

THE END

A/N#2: Phew, that was LONG. But I felt the Epilogue just had to be long like that. Well, I hoped you liked it, I certainly liked writing it. I wonder how many people expected to see Trisha at the end...isn't it the perfect intro for another sequel, though? XD

...what? It isn't? Oh well. If anyone wants to see one, just say so, I certainly wouldn't mind writing one. I mean, who wouldn't want to see more of Harle and her happy family? Ok I'll stop now. Thanks to everyone who read this far!