Author's note: As always, thanks for waiting!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Back in the present...
Tristy would quickly go over to Maxi and Mi-Na, hoping to recount the memories she had of one of her fellow colleagues pining for the former. The latter, on the other hand, grinned, as she almost instantly recognized her.
"Hey, it's you again! You're the one that brought up that small crush I had on your husband when we were younger, right?"
"Uh, yes, I had." Tristy replied with an awkward chuckle.
Indeed, Mi-Na met Siegfried a few times, as well as inhabiting said crush on him. However, her heart would eventually belong to Huang Sung-kyung, who had been her rival for so long, and eventually the man she'd found love with.
"I actually came here to talk to one of your friends." Tristy told her.
"Really? What for?" Mi-Na asked.
Tristy then turned to Maxi and said, "I remember one of my friends had some sort of lingering affection towards you. Yet I get the feeling you weren't interested in her. Was that true?"
"Well, I always thought I was way too old for her." he replied.
"I agree." the brunette said with a nod. "I know she's kept her word and moved on with someone she really likes." she added, prompting both of them to smile.
"By the way, that fellow Patroklos would make a great hero; and so does your daughter and her friends." he said, and she nodded in agreement.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Finally, the two groups exited the castle, ready to say their goodbyes and return back to their respective locations. In Maxi and Mi-Na's case, they and the trio of Natsu, Leixia and Xiba had found shelter at a local inn.
"It was great getting to know you guys." Patroklos said.
"Same for us; after all, we did tell Sieg and Tristy that you guys got plenty of potential. But now, we must take off." Maxi replied.
The blond youth smiled and nodded, before briefly noticing Isuzu and Natsu.
"It was awesome to see you again, sis!" the younger half exclaimed as she hugged her.
"If we ever meet again, I'll be more than happy to give you a tour of Lasberg." the samurai said as they smiled.
"Maybe."
After their farewell, Mi-Na and Maxi's team took off.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Returning to the base, Patroklos was ready to get some sleep. But first, he had a visitor at his door to take care of, as she was eagerly standing outside his room.
When he allowed her in, he was quick to recognize Marie. "Hey, what's up?" he asked.
"I just wanted to drop by and ask if your parents and mine had any familiarity with Mi-Na and Maxi, and even their friends, too." she replied.
"Well, my mom did have a couple of encounters with Maxi, often accompanied by Kilik and Xianghua. As for Mi-Na, same for her, and she once referred to her a tomboy for her demeanor, and in a good way, I might add."
"Dad did tell me as to how Mi-Na had a crush on him, but was more romantically inclined towards someone named Hwang. Was that his name?" Marie asked.
"Yeah."
Marie then added, "I also learned a little bit about one of my mom's friends, too."
"And among other things..."
As he spoke, Patroklos looked out the window, to which Marie ran over to him. He then continued, "After we had some friendly matches, we took to having baths before dinner. And, uh..."
The moment he trailed off, she instantly noticed a small blush on his cheeks. "What else?"
Not wanting to give away Xiba's secret, Patroklos replied, "Xiba wanted me to peek on the girls."
"Oh, you're such a perv!" Marie exclaimed with a playful giggle.
"Not really, though Xiba wanted to see more of Helen and Isuzu. And maybe Natsu, too." he said.
Marie then asked, "Say, I've got a question for you: since you've got to meet Natsu, Leixia and Xiba, do you think Natsu or Leixia are cute? Or maybe me?"
"Cute?"
Patroklos blinked when he heard such an odd question from someone so usually curious, but he replied reassuringly, "I-I always did think you were the cuter one of the three, no offense to them."
"I see..." The MHN's leader usual smile soon gave way to a frown as she told him, "I've a feeling our paths will cross again."
"Whose paths, may I ask?"
"Ours and Pyrrha's. Chances are, Nightmare would want her to go after us." Marie replied.
Patroklos clenched his fists as he took a deep breath. He didn't want to kill his sister, after all...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"But I just want to kill them now!"
Pyrrha exclaimed as she pouted, prompting Nightmare to growl under his breath. "Pyrrha, if you are so insistent on taking out the Fated Heroes, then so be it." he finally said.
His voice turned deeper as he added, "But be forewarned: if you fail to do so, we will do away with you."
The Greek girl was surprised at first, but nodded. "Then...I'll do my very best! I won't let you down!"
Taking out Soul Edge and its shield, she eagerly smiled as she looked over at Tira. "We hope so." she said, crossing her eyes while in her 'not so jolly' mode.
As excited as Pyrrha was, she wasn't sure if Patroklos had any backup or not. Regardless, she would travel to Lasberg to begin her attack.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Next time, we get to the chapter that serves as foreshadowing for a chapter where a decision will be made that changes...something!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy