Fie grimaced as she was forced to block Testa-Rossa with her gunblades. Shirley was as strong and quick as ever, but that wasn't going to stop Fie from emerging the victor in this fight. Besides the obvious desire to defeat the threat in front of her to bring this crisis to an end, Fie had personal reasons for wanting it.

Looking at Shirley Orlando was like looking into a dark mirror. In a reality where the Boss and the others didn't choose a better life for her, she knew without a doubt that she would have turned out just like Bloody Shirley, except hopefully a little less loud and annoying. This was a battle between the old Fie Claussell and the new and she was determined to show how much better the new Fie was.

"Hahaha! Do you really think you can beat me this time, Sylphid?" The Jaeger howled gleefully as she revved her chainsword after her opponent narrowly evaded her attack.

"I know I can." She replied with fierce determination. To accentuate her point she fired a barrage from her guns before darting in at maximum speed in an attack that Shirley barely managed to deflect.

"Tch." Shirley muttered in annoyance as Sylphid evaded another of her attacks and managed to score a glancing blow with her counterattack. "And what makes you so sure?" She asked curiously as they crossed blades again, smirking as she pushed the younger girl back.

"It's 'cause you're weak." Simple words, but the way the Sanguine Ogre staggered back in shock proved them to be as effective as any physical attack.

"W-What?" So flummoxed by her statement Shirley didn't even immediately move to attack.

"You heard me. You're weak! You haven't changed at all. All you know is the battlefield. Meanwhile I have grown up into something better!" She feigned a charge towards her opponent, but stopped when Testa-Rossa was swung at her. After the attack she closed in on the unbalanced Jaeger.

"Unlike you my family wanted a better future for me!" Shirley attempted to backpedal from the attack so she could use her weapon more effectively, but Fie used her superior speed to keep on her.

"I found someone who despite her many many flaws put me on a better path so I could avoid her mistakes!" Relentlessly she attacked, scoring hit after hit as the older woman struggled to keep up.

"I met my friends, who accepted me for what I was!" She easily dodged a desperate swing and retaliated by firing shots at point-blank range, forcing Shirley to a knee.

"And most importantly, I've met someone capable of loving a bloody monster like myself!" Shirley was prepared to guard against a strike from her gunblades, but was completely unprepared for Fie to instead kick her in the face. With a cry the older woman was sent flying before she hit the ground with a thud.

"So that's how it is..." With a growl the Jaeger dragged herself to her feet. Her earlier enjoyment at the battle was gone and now her face was trapped in a rictus of rage. "You've become soft, just like Rixia... Fine! After beating you I will go and gut your little Ashen lover. Maybe forcing you to watch as the life fades from his eyes will be enough to bring back the real Sylphid and not this lame excuse." With a snarl she pointed Testa-Rossa at Fie and activated the flamethrower, sending a large gout of flames towards her.

"That. Will. Never! Happen!" Determined, Fie prepared herself for the inferno racing towards her. While her initial instinct was to dodge, an idea came into her head that she didn't immediately discard. It was risky, dangerous, and would almost certainly end with Rean giving her a tongue-lashing for her recklessness, but it would allow her to end the fight in that moment.

As the flames approached she set herself, before vanishing in a blink as she charged directly into the attack. So focused was she on speed that she subconsciously channeled her energy the same way Rean did when he utilized the second form, enhancing her natural speed even further. Her vision was filled with flame and she wilted under the extreme heat, but didn't let that stop her.

After the longest and hottest millisecond of her life, the girl burst through the other side of the flames. Before Shirley could even process what had happened Fie was upon her. One slash to the hand disarmed the Jaeger while a painful thrust into the thigh crippled her ability to stand. Momentum from her charge caused her to crash into the Enforcer at full speed, sending both to the ground, with Shirley crying out in agony as her pain receptors finally caught up with what had happened.

Fie rose to her feet and looked down at her defeated opponent. Despite the injuries she had taken the Sanguine Ogre was still trying to force herself to her feet. Knowing that she could still prove a threat later on, Fie decided to take pity on the older woman and slammed her boot onto her head, knocking Shirley out cold. Perhaps that was less pity and more righteous vindictiveness, but it served the purpose nonetheless.

"I pity you." She muttered as she stared at her defeated opponent. "Maybe one day you'll escape from the battlefield and find a family of your own." Deciding to help her along that path and release a little more pent up anger all at once, she pointed her gunblades towards Testa-Rossa and fired a fully charged slot, slagging the mechanical workings of the dangerous weapon, leaving it little more than a hunk of metal with a blade.

"Now to find Rean..."


In terms of raw skill Rean knew that Sigmund Orlando fell short of some enemies he fought in the past like Arianrhod and Aurelia and his raw power was not as great as McBurn...or Aurelia again, but the War Ogre had all of them beat when it came to ruthlessness and sheer bloodlust. Every strike was aimed to kill, every opening exploited without hesitation or mercy, his opponent treated every fight as if it was one to the death. He was a being who felt no pain and knew no fear. Against such a ruthless monster Rean wasn't sure if he could have held out on his own. Luckily for him...

"I'm here to help!" Proclaimed the leader of the SSS as he used his tonfas to block the Ogre's axes.

"Let's bash his face in!" This one came from Estelle as she forced him back with a mighty swing of her staff.

"Oh? So Randolph's partner and Cassius Bright's daughter both stand against me as well? Fine. That should make for better sport!" With a yell the giant of a man launched both his axes like they were boomerangs, causing the trio of heroes to scatter.

Rean tried to engage the unarmed man, but had to abort his charge to avoid a vicious haymaker sent his way. The berserker seemed unbothered by the counter swing that left a shallow, but should have been painful gash on the same arm. His senses warned him of an incoming threat and he managed to duck out of the way before one of the returning axes buried itself in the back of his skull.

Estelle and Lloyd moved to keep the pressure on while Rean recovered, engaging their opponent in a two verse one situation. Despite taking a couple solid whacks from their blunt weapons, he fended them off with a sweeping whirlwind attack. The trio regrouped while keeping wary eyes on their opponent.

"He doesn't seem bothered at all by his injuries..." Rean took the brief opening to scan the battlefield for Fie. He spotted her engaged in battle with Shirley. As much as he wanted to help her he knew he couldn't, instead placing his faith in her ability to prevail.

"Right. He lives up to his reputation as a berserker. When we fought him before he didn't stop until his body gave out from under him."

"So we just keep whacking him until he goes down?" A curt nod from the police officer answered the A-Rank Bracer. "That suits me just fine!" As she said that she fired a powerful gust of wind from her orbment, which barely fazed the now-charging enemy.

Lloyd, being the most stalwart of the three, took the charge head on while the other two swung around to the sides, seamlessly catching the Jaeger Boss in a triangle attack. Unimpressed, he kept his charge going, but Lloyd held fast and using the strength of his brother's tonfas was just able to hold his ground. This left Sigmund open and he paid dearly for it, taking hits from both Estelle and Rean, with the latter utilizing the might of a Helix to enhance his strike with flames.

Although it did significant damage, more than anything it just served to enrage the behemoth even further. "You call that fire? LET ME SHOW YOU FIRE!" Saying that, he gathered energy into himself with the familiar Jaeger War Cry, before focusing all that stored power into his axes, causing them to light into flames.

With a roar, he launched both axes at Rean. Seeing the peril, the Divine Blade adopted the seventh form, clearing his mind of all distractions and using Spirit Unification to draw upon his hidden strength. With clarity of mind and enhanced speed he weaved through the axes as they flew at him from different angles.

At last the axes, seemingly with a mind of their own, returned to an airborne Sigmund. With a final shout of rage the man turned himself into a meteor and came crashing down upon Rean's guard, creating an explosion of fire.

"Rean!" Lloyd shouted with concern. He knew just how deadly Randy's Uncle could be with his Crimson Fall super attack and prayed that his friend was fine.

"Alright! my turn now!" Estelle hissed. Gathering speed, the girl of the group launched herself towards their opponent while building up in a spin that was reminiscent of the first form of the Eight Leaves school, which made sense considering who she learned this from. As her momentum built up the flames around her adopted the form of a Phoenix, before the entire construct slammed into the recovering Ogre, creating yet another explosion.

Seeing the opening, Lloyd also proceeded to use his strongest attack. Gathering energy into his legs he launched himself higher than any human had the right to jump. At the apex of his leap he turned himself into a ball and came down upon Sigmund like he had just done to Rean. Yet another meteor, yet another explosion.

"Well that was a bit much..." Rean muttered as he emerged from the smoke, to the delight of his friends. He was battered and bruised from tanking the Ogre's final assault, but otherwise fine. They could only chuckle sheepishly at his comment as they had in fact done more damage to the area than an entire barrage of orbal artillery could have.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Shocked, they watched as Sigmund emerged from the carnage. Despite the uproarious laughter it was clear he was on his last legs as he was bleeding profusely from a dozen injuries and looked to be sporting some broken bones. Despite that, he seemed unbothered and almost looked ready to reengage them, but stopped himself at the last minute as he appeared to spot something.

The colossal man sighed. "As fun as it is to fight such worthy opponents, I'm afraid this battle is at it's end." Curious, they looked back and saw CGF soldiers pouring in and overwhelming the few remaining Jaegers.

"It's over. You're under arrest. Surrender now." Lloyd demanded of the man.

"Well I could, but Ouroboros was kind enough to give us a contingency plan in case something like this happened." With a vicious smirk the man said something into a communication device.

With a flash of light the skies above them distorted with the telltale signs of a stealth field being turned off. What appeared to them...

"The Glorious..." Estelle whispered in horror.

"How can something that big have a cloaking field?"

Sigmund laughed at their collective shock. "Even I think it's a bit insane that such a big ship can do that now, but for now it works in my favor. So go ahead, claim your victory and wipe out the Red Constellation. Just know that Crossbell City will pay for your victory. Or you stand aside and let us go. Our mission here is complete so at the very least I can promise you won't be seeing us in this state until the next contract.

"Fine. Take your troops and leave." Despite having zero authority in the matter it was Rean who answered, knowing it was the only viable choice. Letting them go left a sour taste in his mouth, but his bad mood was alleviated when his beloved partner reappeared and moved to his side.

"I knew you would see it my way." Aidios did they want punch the smug off his face. Still, they did nothing as the Glorious sent patrol airships down to the surface to pick up the Jaegers, including those that had been injured or taken prisoner. Once finished it appeared the Jaegers held true to their word as the Glorious turned and departed towards the east into Calvard.

"And yet again the baddies get away." Fie observed, annoyed as yet again another foe eludes their just punishment.

"I know, but at least we beat them pretty badly." Rean tried to put a positive spin on it, but even he sounded very unsatisfied by the result. Still, his words weren't inaccurate, as the Constellation had lost most of their monsters, their state of the art airship, and a lot of their heavy equipment.

"Yeah, but the society will just give them new stuff."

"Even they have their limits... I hope." Yet again the mysteriousness of Ouroboros reared its ugly head at them.

Although neither of them were happy with the end result, they could at least take solace in the fact that the crisis was over. The next few days promised to be chaotic, but it was nothing they haven't already faced. As ever, they would have to be prepared for the next time the snakes in the shadows lashed out.

"How come you're covered in burns and soot?" Rean asked curiously as they rejoined their friends, causing her to wince.

It appeared that that tongue-lashing was coming sooner than expected.


As expected, chaos reigned in the wake of the battle. People were ecstatic that the forces of Order had prevailed, especially with it coming with minimal loss of life. The CGF had acquitted itself well after the previous debacle against the Jaegers, and Crossbell was yet again reminded of the heroes it possessed in the Bracer Guild and Special Support Section.

That being said, it was impossible to hide the presence of a 280-arge battleship that threatened to destroy the city. The fear of that gave way to anger and led to public demand for Crossbell to expand the militarization of it's armed forces.

Currently though, none of that mattered to Rean Schwarzer as he was currently engaged in the most intense duel of his life. It wasn't a fight he ever expected to have, but one he was unwilling to back down from. Friends had become enemies, but he stoically accepted this betrayal and vowed to crush them all.

It had all started when Cerdan, the manager of the Crossbell Branch of the Fisherman's Guild discovered that Estelle was in the city, but would only be so for a couple more days. This meant that for the first time in recorded memory that three Divine Anglers were present in the same location. One thing led to another and the next thing anyone knew, there was a three-way fishing duel to determine the greatest fisherman in western Zemuria.

To his left stood Lloyd Bannings. The detective had the advantage that this was his home turf and he understood the area better than his foes. To his right was Estelle Bright. The most experienced angler of the group and it almost seemed as if her bright and sunny personality actually drew fish to her. Both formidable foes.

This wasn't to say that he was without his own advantages, of course. The training of the Eight Leaves One Blade applied to more than just swordsmanship and Rean put all of his experience to good use. By clearing his mind he freed himself from distraction and with his keen senses he was able to feel the fish in the water. Plus Fie was there to support him, so he couldn't lose.

"This is stupid." Fie wasn't feeling very supportive as she stood next to Joshua and the rest of the SSS as they observed the 'battle' taking place in front of them.

"This might never end..." Joshua worried as he watched Estelle reel in another fish. For some reason the battle had no time limit, only ending when one person caught a fish so large that the others were forced to concede.

"I mean I like fishing and all, but come on..." Juna's comment drew a supporting nod from the original Class VII member.

"Why are we even here?" Tio asked with disgust as yet another slimy scaly fish was captured. Off to the side the members of the Fisherman's Guild whooped and cheered as each of the contestants expertly reeled in fish after fish.

"Oh wow, this one's huge!" Estelle drew all attention as she visibly struggled with whatever had attached itself to her line.

"You too?" Lloyd asked as he had to brace himself from being pulled into the water.

"Wait... You don't think...?" It was Rean who first put together the dots and realized that it was one giant creature that had caught all three lines.

The crowd watched with growing interest as the trio of anglers battled as one against whatever it was they were facing. It was an epic fight and more than once did it look like they might be dragged into the water, but still they fought. After a long and grueling battle...

"I think it's giving up!"

"Whew, I'm beat."

"Wait, it's not giving up it's coming after us! Watch out!" Rean's observation was proven true as out from the water emerged a giant sea serpent, easily the size of a small house. It was clearly agitated as it promptly spewed an acidic liquid towards the anglers, which they deftly avoided.

"Those idiots caught a giant monster..." Tio muttered in disbelief.

"Should we help them?" A worried Elie asked.

Fie just sighed. "Nah, they brought this upon themselves." She of course would help if it proved dangerous, but a cryptid-sized snake that shot acid? Nah, Rean can handle that himself.

"We probably should evacuate them, though." Joshua, ever the professional Bracer, noted as he pointed to the fishermen, who in their excitement at the mother of all catches failed to realize the peril they were in.

After a long and frankly silly battle, the trio of anglers stood proudly over their defeated catch. After taking a minute to bask in the glory of their shared success the three realized they never crowned a winner and were all ready to start the battle again, but were denied as their companions forcefully separated them.

"Aww, c'mon Fie. You never let me have any fun." Rean sulked as his lover dragged him away. To the side a similar situation was happening with the other two, but Estelle managed to free herself from Joshua's grasp and run towards them.

"Fie! Rean!" She called out as she arrived. "So when are you two coming to Liberl?" She asked as Joshua arrived behind her.

The idea was tempting, but... "Maybe once Erebonia has calmed down a bit. We were only able to come here cause they had temporary replacements for us." Rean admitted. The idea of visiting Liberl was tempting, however.

Estelle just grinned with an 'I know something and you don't' look on her face. "Luckily for you Schera is finally moving to Erebonia to be with Olivert, so you're covered on that front. Just let me know before your stint here ends and I can use my A-Rank authority to make it happen."

Joshua, having arrived shortly after Estelle did, offered his own two mira. "While I won't push you like Estelle is, I would love for you guys to visit. We can even make it a shorter stay if that works better for you. I am sure Tita and Agate would love to see you again."

The two Erebonians shared a look. "We'll think about it." Fie finally stated, as it wasn't something they were ready to decide so early into their Crossbell stay. Satisfied, the two Liberlian Bracers left to prepare for their departure.


Things eventually returned to relative normalcy in Crossbell, and the weeks started to pass by. There had been no signs of the Red Constellation or Ouroboros since their retreat and the Brights had returned home. There was still an underlying sense of tension in the city, but for the most part things were back to usual.

As was the case most days, our two heroes had spent the day doing mundane Bracer tasks. Traversing abandoned Geofront passages, fixing orbal lamps, and fighting giant death worms capable of creating earthquakes that could level entire city blocks. Just normal Bracer Stuff.

"You know that would have gone a lot easier if you didn't manage to piss off every Abyss Worm at once?" A frazzled Rean groused to his equally frazzled partner as they rode down Mainz road on his bike.

"Look, the enemy attacks me. I dodge. I shoot them in the face. That's how it always is and that's how it always will be. You can't just change perfection you know."

"We're lucky they didn't bring the entire mountain down on us, you know..." Rean trailed off as he noticed a familiar side road. "Hmm, it's been a couple weeks, think we should visit again?"

"Sure, let's do it. Worst thing that can happen is he refuses to talk to us."

"Or he chases us away with killer robots." Despite the valid reason for worry, Rean didn't hesitate to turn onto the mountain path. The monsters were smart enough to not attack them so they made quick time and arrived at the Doll Studio in just a few minutes. Warily they approached the gate and Rean announced their presence.

"I've been expecting you. Wait there." Came the voice of the Meister from the speaker. They did so, and a few minutes later the gate opened on it's own and they noticed a small doll standing in front of them. "Follow the little one, but do not stray from the path. Your safety will not be guaranteed if you do."

The two followed the strange doll through a labyrinth of corridors in the workshop. They observed their surroundings as they progressed through the Ouroboros factory, but didn't see anything of note.

"Fie, no. Killer Robots." Rean reminded her as he could see the gleam in her eye. She pouted at that. She really wasn't going to slip away and explore the place on her own... probably.

Eventually the two reached their destination, which was a large and highly advanced room. They could see different tables with all kinds of tools and half-built machines on them. Off to the side they noticed an advanced orbal terminal. And most ominously of all they saw a hangar bay easily large enough to house an Aion. In the middle waited Meister Jeorg.

"It took the two of you long enough. I expect you weeks ago." The older man grumbled as they arrived.

Rean quickly replied before Fie could say something snarky and get them kicked out. "Forgive us, but you never really gave us a hard date for this meeting."

"Very well. I did promise to share information with you, and now I am even more willing after finding out that they were operating in the state without informing me." The man practically growled that last bit out as he expressed his disdain for the recent actions of his employer.

"As you are aware, the second phase of Ouroboros's great plan, the Phantasmal Blaze, was completed during the Great Twilight. The third and final plan, the Eternal Recurrence Plan, will begin in a year or so. The details of the plan I do not know, and the overall goals of the society are not something I am willing to share with you, but I can tell you a bit.

"The main focus of the plan is in Calvard as they seek the Sept-Terrion located there, but as they can no longer rely on anonymity after the previous plans they are instead seeking to cover their tracks by creating chaos across the continent. Things like armies of archaisms, legions of Jaegers, and increased recruitment of Anguis and Enforcers, all for the sole purpose of plunging Zemuria into such anarchy that their enemies can't coordinate against them."

The two Bracers exchanged wary glances. The situation seemed unpleasant to say the least. While they had no way of confirming the information for certain, it definitely fit the modus operandi of Ouroboros. It was something to inform the Guild about, to be certain.

After that the old Meister went into length detailing what he could about some of the new recruits, Jaegers, and archaisms that Ouroboros was utilizing. Most of it was similar to the stuff they had already been using, but if nothing else he did confirm that Prince Cedric had become an Enforcer. Eventually the pair were escorted out and found themselves back outside the gates.

"Well that sucks." Fie said at last.

"Yeah... Nothing we didn't already suspect, but it all seems a lot worse than we expected."

"Oh well. Nothing we can do about it for now. We'll just need to be ready to deal with them once it happens."

"A mysterious organization with a secretive objective, highly advanced tech, nearly unlimited resources, and a group of super powered individuals and you think we can just 'deal with it'?" Rean asked with the tiniest hint of amusement, causing Fie to shrug.

"So we might need a little bit of help. Not much though. But yes, we can deal with it."

"Fair enough." After everything they had been through together it was kinda scary to think she might not actually be wrong. "Still, let's make sure we report what we have heard so we do have that little bit of help ready when the time comes."

"Boring~."


Weeks passed and April gave way to May, with the pair entering the home stretch of their time in Crossbell City. Their stay had been fruitful but they were already looking forward to the next leg of their journey. Today they were enjoying a peaceful day off, but surprisingly they weren't together. Rean didn't know why, but Fie had merely stated that she had something important to do, and that she would meet him at their apartment in the evening. With nothing better to do Rean passed the day fishing peacefully.

Returning to his apartment he could tell from the unlocked door and sounds within that Fie was already there. He didn't think much of it and entered normally, but stopped at the shocking sight within.

"Hi Rean!" Fie cheerfully greeted as he entered. She gave a catlike grin at his first reaction of freezing up as he entered.

"...What are you doing." He finally inquired in a weak voice.

"I'm cooking dinner, what does it look like?" And that was true. Despite the limited kitchen space in their shared apartment it was clear she had been busy as the pleasant smell of multiple prepared dishes filled the apartment. This was quite a surprise as Fie normally only made simple dishes, relying on Rean or take-out for the bigger meals. But despite it being a surprise, it wasn't what caught Rean's attention...

"Why are you wearing an apron?" He finally asked as he stared at his lover.

"Cause I'm cooking dinner? Duh." Okay, he could admit that was a stupid question, but his brain wasn't currently operating at maximum capacity.

"Let me rephrase. Why are you only wearing an apron?"

She performed a spirited twirl to confirm Rean's observation. "I thought I'd look cute in one. What do you think?"

"Fie..." Rean warned, trying to sound stern while ignoring his rising libido.

"I just wanted to do something special for you today." She giggled as he stared at her blankly. "You totally forgot, didn't you? Happy birthday, Rean!"

He blinked as realization dawned on him. It truly had slipped his mind and it wasn't because he was unbelievably horny. "I guess it is. These days have flown by so much that I didn't notice." He finally admitted with some wonderment. "So you decided to celebrate by cooking and that?"

"Uh huh. I found someone willing to teach me. It was a bit annoying learning from someone much younger but much more capable than me, but she knows her stuff." Ah, so she must have spent the day with KeA Bannings. Her earlier confidence seemed to vanish as she looked away shyly. "Of course I know I'm not good at cooking, so if you just want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert I would understand..."

While a part of Rean really wanted to agree to that suggestion, his answer was obvious. "Not a chance in hell. You spent the entire day working on this and that's made me so happy." As cliché as it was, having the girl he loves go out of her way to cook a big meal for him as a romantic gesture was a critical hit on him. "And plus, it smells really good so I'm already getting hungry."

Fie beamed as he sat at the table, clearly pleased by his answer. She could feel his eyes glued to her as she finished preparing the food and setting the table and reminded herself to thank Vivi for the brilliant idea the next time she met the prankster. Once she finished she took the seat next to him and stared expectantly as Rean looked over the meal.

The main dish she had prepared was a spicy curry served over rice. Alongside that was a fish chowder that she managed to make from fish she herself caught. To finish it off was a simple salad. Not wanting to wait any longer Rean quickly took a bite of the curry.

"It's really good." He praised effusively after savoring the bite. To prove his point he immediately shoveled another heaping into his mouth.

"Rean..." Fie frowned, clearly not willing to believe him. He could only roll his eyes at that. Despite how confident she normally carried herself, once removed from her comfort zone she became surprisingly meek. It was always adorable, but it occasionally made things a pain.

"I'm serious. Look, just try it for yourself." He held his fork for her and reluctantly she took a bite. While she thought it could use a bit more of a kick, mentally she agreed that it wasn't bad. Reading her thoughts, Rean gave the girl a brilliant smile. "See? You did great. I love it." She couldn't help but get slightly red under such genuine praise.

Dinner passed quietly, with the two of them enjoying the fruits of Fie's labor. After a few minutes a stuffed Rean set his fork down and asked the question that had been on his mind. "So why do this? I know you said it was my birthday, but still. Cooking has never been your thing."

"I know that, but..." She paused as she considered her words. "These last few months have been the happiest of my life. Living with you and fighting with you... Even Ouroboros and the Red Constellation can't ruin this feeling for me. I just wanted to do something to show how much I appreciate you, I guess..."

"Fie..." Rean was struck by such a heartfelt proclamation, but one point stuck out to him. "You dummy." If the moment wasn't so heavy he might have laughed at the confused look she sent him at that remark. "You don't need to do anything special for me. Do you really think you're the only one who feels that way? I love you, and I love spending my days with you. The only thing I want is to spend the rest of my days with you."

"Rean..." Her eyes shined as she tried to find a way to respond to his words. It was almost criminal how easily he could keep stealing her heart with simple words. But words weren't her thing. Instead she responded with action, sliding herself onto his lap before pouring all of her feelings into a kiss.

One he eagerly reciprocated as he grabbed onto the girl straddling him. It took a few seconds, but eventually he realized he was holding onto bare flesh and he was reminded of the girls' choice of attire. Not that such a discovery stopped him, but it did cause his body to respond in a certain way. Which Fie of course noticed.

"Someone wants that dessert." Her face was flush and her eyes still shone with unshed tears, but she was wearing that seductive smile that only Rean got to see and one that he always loved. She pulled him into another kiss, but where the first one had been filled with love this one was pure passion and promised an exciting night to come.

May gave way to June and the date of their departure from Crossbell had arrived. Their trip had been both fun and productive, but they were ready to return home and see their friends. Except...

"I can't believe we agreed to Estelle's idea." They weren't going home. Not yet.

"It might not have been our best decision." Rean admitted. "Still, you're just as curious about Liberl as I am and don't try and deny it." Fie just chuckled nervously as he wasn't wrong. She wasn't exactly subtle in her desire to accept the proposal, even if she was already kinda regretting it now.

"At least it's only for two weeks this time." She consoled herself with that fact. Of course this meant that they would be stuck in inns of questionable quality for the duration of their stay and had already made arrangements to have their stuff shipped back to Ymir until they returned.

The two arrived at the Crossbell airport to find their fellow Bracers and the SSS waiting for them. They were surprised, but in hindsight they should have expected their newest friends to see them off, as they would have done the same for them.

"Aww, please don't go! I won't be able to go on without my precious Fie time!" This was Aeolia, of course. The woman looked like she wanted to charge forward and kidnap the target of her obsession, but was only held back thanks to her partner keeping a firm grip on her. After a second the girl seemed to perk up. "At least I still have my precious Tio!"

"...Please take me with you." Said precious Tio all but pleaded to the two Bracers with a tired tone. Fie couldn't quite hide a grin. While she would consider all of these people to be her friends now, she definitely felt the most affinity towards the former cult victim.

Meanwhile, Rean was forced to deal with a different annoyance. "I can't believe my little bro is leaving me again!" Randy mock cried as he subjected Rean to demeaning head pats.

"Seriously? I thought Lloyd was your little brother." He grumbled in annoyance. He thought it was humiliating when Crow gave him head pats, but this is way worse. Why were all the girls so happy to receive them?

"I have many little bros!"

"Haha! It's funny seeing Rean as the one being treated like a child for a change." Juna remarked happily. Now this wasn't something Rean could let pass so easily. He might not be able to deal with Randy's boisterous attitude, but he knew how to put Juna in her place.

He turned his focus towards the detective of the group. "Thanks for taking care of Juna. I was worried when she graduated from Thors, but it seems you guys can handle her... unique personality well enough."

"Of course. She's a handful, but after taking care of KeA all these years we knew how to handle it." Lloyd played along well, eliciting an offended cry from their victim.

"Liberl is home to many skilled bracers and practitioners of the Eight Leaves, so I'm sure your stay there will be very productive." Arios informed his junior disciple. "I look forward to the next time we cross blades."

"As do I. It's been an honor to fight alongside you." If Rean was going to say anything further the airport announcement that the flight to Liberl was ready to board prevented that. "Well, I guess that's our cue."

Instead of adding more words to this goodbye meeting, the leader of the SSS instead opted to hold his fist out, which the leader of Class VII happily bumped. With that, the two Erebonians turned around as one and began the trip to the airship that would take them to their next destination.

"BYE GUYS!" The loud cheer of KeA Bannings was the final thing they heard before their Crossbell trip officially ended.


Updates have been a bit slower lately, but it isn't cause I am losing interest or anything. I may have started a second project and you should be seeing the fruits of that labor in about a week. It would already be released except I am a weirdo who likes to keep a couple chapters in my back pocket. Of course it's more ReanXFie focused... And LauraXFie? And ReanXLaura? Oh my...