A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.

WARNING: OOC, SUGGESTIVE SITUATIONS, WAFF, FLUFF

Chapter 8: Dawn

Argilla awoke, fluttering her eyes slowly. She had had the most peaceful sleep. She stretched and there remembered her state of undress.

She quickly looked around and was glad that Serph wasn't around. She wouldn't want to change right in front of him…

She looked within the tent and saw that her clothes weren't there. She hastily crawled out of the sleeping bag, taking with her the fur-coat.

She made little but quick steps out of the tent and walked over to the sled. With her one hand holding the coat to her chest, the other rummaged through the sled.

She smiled as she saw her clothes. Well, it was just her jacket and her pants. Where were her black undergarments?

She looked around and saw them hanging up upon a beam over her head.

"There you guys are!" she said in relief as she tip-toed, her right hand reaching for the aforesaid garments.

She reached them and there held them to her chest. Well, with that done, she needed to get in her clothes.

She walked calmly towards the sled again and stopped.

She looked at her foot; it was fine.

She smiled, "Great. No more of that limping crap." she told herself.

She looked around again; Serph wasn't around. Good. She could dress up in peace. She looked at the door and saw it open. She frowned and walked over to it, and closed it.

"There."

She then walked up to her clothes once more and there let the coat fall on the floor.

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Serph descended the staircase as agile as a cat. He cursed as the light from the flashlight began to dim. He cursed inwardly. Not only that, but the com link earpiece seemed to have run out of power as well.

He needed to get back to Argilla as soon as he could. He walked along the familiar halls and found himself by the familiar door. He raised an eyebrow; it was closed.

Was Argilla awake…?

'Or was something else in there…?'

Putting the rod in his pocket, he grabbed the edges of the door and there quickly pulled them apart. He burst in the room and froze.

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets; he was fixated on the woman in front of him. He parted his lips to speak, but no words were formed…His mind had been completely scrambled.

Like the calm before the storm, all was quiet. All was still.

His eyes were on hers as hers were on his, mirroring his shocked ones.

Serph let his eyes meander over her features appreciatively. She stood right in front of him, her whole body revealed in front of him…as if displaying itself upon his hungry eyes. Her skin was fair…pearly white and spotless. Her long pink hair was loose and its long silky locks dangling by the swell of her breasts, reaching up to her elbows.

Her breasts were ample; round and were in perfect proportion, her nipples a shade of light pink…like her eyes.

Her waist was tiny…small…Her legs were long and smooth.

And like a glass shattering into a million pieces, the thin veil of peace in the air evaporated as a shrilling scream echoed in the room.

"Serph…!!" she screamed angrily, embarrassedly.

Serph's palms flew to his eyes as he realized his misconduct and turned around, spewing useless words of apology.

He turned around, "I'm sorry…" he said shakily as he felt his way out of the room, stumbling through the door clumsily.

Argilla, with her anger and embarrassment subsiding, gazed at Serph with amused eyes as she saw him stagger out of the room, walking carelessly along the walls, his palms covering his eyes.

'He looks so cute…' she told herself as she crossed her arms over her exposed chest.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

'He saw me naked!! That pervert!' she mentally screamed.

With her face still blushing furiously, she gathered her garments that she had accidentally dropped and hastily put them on.

A moment later, she was done.

"You can look now." she spoke gruffly.

Serph scratched his head sheepishly, blushing, "Erm…sorry about that…I thought that…aah…Never mind."

Argilla smirked at his antics.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. It's okay. It's just you anyway." She chuckled, "It could have been worse…!"

Serph's chest tightened at that, his breath ceasing for a moment.

It was just him huh…? It could have been worse…eh…?

It kept all of his willpower not to pout and not express any feelings of hurt and disappointment. He merely smiled, "Yeah…it could've been."

"It could've been…Heat…" he trailed off under his breath, scoffing.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." he replied, clearing his throat.

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"Where are we?" she asked, looking left and right curiously with her luminescent rod.

"An observatory." he replied curtly.

Argilla nodded, "Aah…People from the ancient world studied the stars…and the moon."

He nodded, "That's right."

"It's been abandoned…" she said knowingly.

"Aa…Well," he paused, "let's restore the power to this place. That is, if we can. Maybe if we're lucky, there's something here that will enable us to contact Muladhara." he told her firmly.

She nodded, "Right."

The two made their way to the basement. They were certain that the Power Room was located within.

A moment later, they were in.

Serph raised his arm and let the rod illuminate the room, however faintly. Well, it was better than nothing.

Yup. It was definitely the Power Room. He saw the main furnace and inspected it.

He looked back at Argilla, "It looks like it could still be used…But…it might not be as effective and efficient. I'll see what I can do about it."

She nodded, "Right. I'll check the fuses."

"Right. I want a status report in a quarter of an hour." he told her firmly.

"Affirmative."

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Argilla blushed as she stole a glance at Serph from the corner of her eyes. Yes; she had been staring at him for the last five minutes.

She recalled all too clearly what had transpired between she and he only a few minutes past. Not only that…but the other instances as well…

Including the "weird" feeling that she had had when she had assisted him in shaving…Not only that but when he had kissed her chastely as a means to comfort her…

She blushed harder.

Why was he doing that?

Why was he doing the things that made her feel so uncomfortable? Was he aware that he was making her uncomfortable…? Did he know it?

Was he doing it on purpose so that she would be uncomfortable?

"If he was…I'd strangle him…!' she internally snarled.

Her pondering was cut short as she felt a sharp pain in her finger.

"Ow…!!" she whimpered as she felt a sensation akin to an electric shock surge within her veins.

Serph's head shot up, "What's wrong!?" he asked, alarmed.

Argilla sweat-dropped; she had been so distracted that she had touched the fuse accidentally, causing friction, letting her scratch her finger.

'Damn!'

"It's nothing!" she called back.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Just carelessness. Forget about it."

A quarter of an hour later, the two had rendezvoused.

"Report."

"The fuses are cool sir. They haven't been tampered with. They've not been worn out either. It would seem that the cool air and the airtight room had sealed it and had sustained it. It's ready to go."

He nodded.

"Well, there's still plenty of oil here. The furnace is fine. The main power-line is busted though. We can have heat but…no power." He cleared his throat, "That is, we can have heat because the furnace is fine…But…that is only if we find any source for power since furnaces run on electricity."

Argilla raised her arm and looked behind Serph, "Well, maybe we can fix it." she said, pointing to the busted main power-line.

He shook his head, "No. It's been damaged. We're lucky that the fuses were unharmed."

She nodded, "What about backup reserves? A generator maybe?"

"Bingo."

Smirking at one another, the two looked to their right and looked at the equipment that "resembled" a generator.

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The two sat side by side. They had been working at the generator for over an hour. And now, after catching their breaths, they looked at one another once more, "Well, let's try it." she suggested cheerfully.

He nodded, "Let's."

She pulled the power lever down and there twiddled her thumbs.

A moment later, there had been light.

"And God said, 'Let there be light!'!" she exclaimed happily as she saw the power restored.

Serph chuckled, "And there was light." he responded.

Argilla laughed, "Great."

He nodded, "Right. Now, let's see if we can use anything there at the top floor. We don't know how long this generator would hold out…At least, it should hold for a few days…It needs plenty of juice to operate. So, let's make this quick. We need to take advantage of it while it's running efficiently."

She nodded in congruence, "Right."

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Serph looked at the control platform before him. He blinked; it looked so complicated…He narrowed his eyes as he scanned through it.

'No…this is for the shutters…This is…for the telescope…'

"Serph! I think I got it!" a voice said, rousing him from his concentration.

"What did you find?"

"A mike." she said, chuckling.

He raised an eyebrow. A mike?

He walked over to her and there saw that she wasn't kidding. It was a mike alright; attached to headphones.

She sweat-dropped, "I don't think it works though…"

He sighed, "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"…"

Argilla looked at him; he was thinking…hard.

He looked at her again, "Let me see it."

"Be my guest." she said, moving aside and letting him at the control panel.

Serph looked at it and saw that it, indeed, did not work. He frowned; but it could be because of other reasons. He got on his knees and there removed the metallic framework of the panel, peering within.

Yup.

He blinked, "It's busted alright. But it's because of pests…The wires are all chewed out. We'll need to replace them."

Argilla smiled within. She felt…proud of him. He didn't do much…but, perhaps, she really was smothering him…treating him like a child a bit too much…

He retreated his head back from within the panel and looked at her, "Our ship was connected to Muladhara. The signal was transmitted over to Muladhara…Every step of that expedition from the moment we departed to the minute we sunk had been recorded by Muladhara. That means that Gale and the others might have already dispatched a Search and Rescue team."

He saw the flash of hope within her eyes even if her face was as stoic as before.

"While I try to get us online, why don't you try to get some rest? You need it." he said firmly.

She blinked; yes, she was a bit tired…but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle.

She smiled tightly at him, "I'm fine Serph. It's nothing. I've been through worse. Besides, I want to help. There's gotta be something for me to do while you do your…thing."

Serph chuckled, "Why don't you try to send an SOS Morse code transmission through the transmitter?" he suggested.

She nodded, "Right…But, we need a long range for that…"

He chuckled, "Well lieutenant, you've got your work cut out for you then."

She smiled back, "Right."

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She walked out of the main chamber, thinking. There had got to be a way for them to transmit an SOS Morse code…

'But the only way is…Aa…!' she thought excitedly.

A satellite dish.

'There's got to be one. This is an observatory after all! She immediately rushed back to their sled and tent. When she reached there, she grabbed her goggles and donned on her arctic attire once more.

She rushed for the staircase and headed for the rooftop. She shivered lightly as she was met by the chilly air.

She had grown accustomed to the heat within the observatory that she had momentarily forgotten about the cold air outside!

Well, that was that.

She looked around. To her left, was the dome; the dome of the observatory. The whole facility consisted of two buildings that were connected by a bridge. Serph was within the dome while she was on the rooftop of the personnel's living quarters. But seeing that three-quarters of the facility was already buried deep within thick ice, the bridges were unnecessary. Heck, she could even jump from the rooftop since it was just a few feet high from ground-level.

There was snow everywhere…Everything was covered in ice. She frowned; she was going to need tools for this. She was lucky that she had brought the ice-picks and the saws.

She trudged through the deep snow and saw a room of some sort that resembled a garage. She raised an eyebrow and made her way to the small "garage". The metallic doors were frozen stiff and she had smashed it open with the ice-pick.

And there, within, covered by a thick cloth, laid her dish.

'Bingo.'

'Now…this is just the manner of making this work too.' She inspected it and saw that it could only be operated from a control panel within the building.

So, she made her way down again and looked for the aforesaid control panel…

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Serph smiled as he had completed the repairs that were needed. Well, it was time to check on Argilla.

He pressed the button on his earpiece, "Argilla. Report."

"Serph. I've found a satellite dish that seems to be in good condition. I've looked for its control panel. I'm working on it right now. I should be done in fifteen more minutes…"

He smiled, "Good work." he said firmly, "The sun is beginning to set. We can work on that tomorrow. I've managed to repair the wires for the transmitter. It should be fine now. So, get over here ASAP."

"Roger that."

He had just sent a transmission. He had sent numerous transmissions. He had just hope that Gale had issued a Search and Rescue operation.

'I have complete faith in him.' he told himself surely.

He looked at the telescope before him. Too bad he couldn't activate it. The generator wasn't powerful enough to power it. Oh well.

Serph then looked at the huge observation windows and saw that they were covered by thick metallic shutters. He didn't even notice them. But now that he did, it made him frown. This was an observatory right? So, in his logic, he wanted to see the view of where he was. He walked over to the control panel for the shutters.

There, he released the lock and a moment later, the metallic shutters began to rise.

He smiled, his eyes sparkling in awe…He had…

'I've…never seen anything…like it…' he thought in utter and stupefied amazement.

"Serph…?"

At hearing her voice, he immediately shut the shutters once more.

Argilla looked at him with a curious expression on her face; what was he looking at? She walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulders, "Serph?"

He looked back at her. He smiled and held her hands…This was a special event, he reckoned. And because it was, he knew that…it was something that he'd want to share with her…

She looked at him confusedly, "Huh?"

He shook his head, "Come on." he said tugging at her hands.

He took her to the center of the room, "Stay here. Don't move."

Argilla said nothing and moved not. What was he up to?

Her questions died as the ceiling above her began to move. She looked up and there…she saw what he had been looking at…Her eyes widened…her lips parted, "Serph…This is…"

There…on the sky danced the different hues of the Northern Lights…The Aurora Borealis…Argilla's heart skipped a beat as she bore witness to such ethereal and surreal beauty…

The colors above danced rhythmically…as if accompanied by the most soothing of music. The colors flowed gently and swirled playfully, entrancing all those who saw…

The otherwise dim sky…engulfed in nothing but cruel yet alluring twilight was pulled into a world…no, a universe of pure emotion…

Yes…the colors…the different hues in front of her swayed playfully…seductively before her eyes…just as elusive and beautiful as human emotions…just as intense and immense…

They were as varied and as deep as human emotions…

It was as if the Earth had decided to speak and had borne her soul, her eternal life and love to the eyes of mere mortals; mortals who were filthy…and unworthy.

Yes…they were unworthy to marvel at such a visage…

But it was that knowledge that made the two of them swell in overwhelming bliss…They had been unworthy, yes…but there they were…their eyes gazing upon such majestic and magnanimous beauty.

Serph walked over to her and smiled happily, contentedly as he saw her smiling in sheer happiness and glee…

At seeing her though…made him ache with desire…He wanted so much to share in her happiness. He wanted to know…to hear it from her lips that it was he who had brought on such a feeling of mirth within her. He wanted to derive utter satisfaction that it had been him who had brought about such a smile from her…

And most of all, he wanted her to know…that it had been she who had brought on the feeling of mirth in him…It had been she who had brought about the smile that he had on his lips…

His soul screamed at him as he continued to appraise her…

How he wanted to tell her that she made him happy. He wanted her to know…that…he loved her.

She tore her gaze from the sky and there looked at Serph who stood beside her, "Serph…Thank you…" she told him in a meek choke, her eyes brimming with tears of appreciation.

This time though, there was no longer any feeling of foolish shyness or doubt. There was only want…and love.

"You're welcome."

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