Compass

Author's note: Hello everyone!

Again, thank you for the reviews and the favs ^^ I do my best to answer the reviewers quickly, but I know the best "thank you" I can give is the next chapter.

I had few spare time lately, and it is quite frustrating because I have a clear idea of what I want to write (for once XD). Anyway, here is the chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it !

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Xillia series!

CHAPTER 3

A soft tune echoed through the room, along with the clattering of running water, which ended a few minutes later.

Leia got out of the shower, still humming while draping herself in a towel, her hands drying her brown locks. She took her time to dress up and ended her morning routine with a look in the mirror.

She sighed, a hint of relief hiding in her breath. The long shower had a great effect on her puffy eyes, and the redness was almost unnoticeable. Yeah, last night had been hectic but the weight she carried in her chest for so long had been lifted. She knew that time what was she needed to get over all this, but the long crying session she had yesterday night after she entered the inn had done some good, at least for now.

Still humming, she headed to her bag, checking her stuff. She had to leave this afternoon, and planned to have lunch with Jude. Even if it will probably be an awkward lunch, she couldn't imagine a departure without a proper goodbye.

"Time to check out and go on a little shopping trip!" exclaimed the young woman, grabbing her bag and seizing the door knob, her humming coming to an end.

A loud knock stopped her motion, her hand falling down. She didn't expect anyone: Jude said he had some meetings this morning, and they planned to meet around one this afternoon.

Another knock followed, and she emerged from her trance, opening the door.

"Hey…"

Here stood Jude, with his usual doctor's outfit put on.

"Hey ! I thought you had tons of meetings today," Leia said with a light smirk.

"I know… I have an hour before they start, and…"

"Come in, I feel like what you have to say is going to take more than 5 minutes…"

He nodded and entered the room, noticing her bag on her back.

"You…You were already leaving?"

She smiled at his worried tone. He'll probably never change.

"Chill out silly, I was planning to go shopping before joining you. You really thought that I would leave without saying goodbye?"

Jude scratched his head, embarrassed. He hadn't planned to introduce the subject like this, but now he was trapped.

"It wouldn't be so strange, with all that happened last night."

She sighed loudly, irritation surging in her thoughts.

"How many times will I have to tell you that you don't have to worry about it? Nobody is guilty in this story, so don't act like that!"

"I know that, but am I not allowed to worry about our friendship? You're a part of my life too you know?" Jude snapped, unable to keep his calm.

"Yeah… But I do my best to let this go and start anew, and it's hard for me to see you dwell on it. You're not responsible for my feelings, and you are still my best friend, you'll always be."

"You think we'll get rid of this awkwardness between us?"

"We'll need time, and we need to grow up too. That's why I decided to go on this journey too," replied Leia with a light smile, scratching her nose.

"You know… I envy you terribly".

Jude exhaled slowly, his voice barely a whisper. Leia dropped her bag, and seized Jude by his shoulders, her hand shaking.

"I dare you to say another word, Jude. You are the one I envy. You have found your purpose in life, you have found someone to love who probably love you back, and you still have hope to build something with her."

She shook him slightly, her throat constricted by unshed tears. She really thought she had let everything out last night.

"I know all this, I KNOW IT! But it's hard to keep an iron will all the time, Leia. It's hard to see everyone moving on while I'm stuck with Milla's memories in my every thought. I only stand because of my conviction that spyrite are the key for the both worlds… the key that will make Milla come back when Maxwell's power won't be needed anymore."

Leia took his hand in hers, her tear falling silently down her cheeks.

"So you're not the holy saint anymore, huh? It's kind of comforting to see you have your doubts and a dark side too," said Leia while wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeves.

"I mean it when I say that I envy you. You have always been so hopeful and bright and strong-willed. I always felt that I had to be like you, until I found my own strength. And I find you so brave to go on that journey again. I am not able to do so, it would…"

"I know. We are different, and I think it's time that we accept that. I always wanted to stand beside you, to be like you. But I am Leia, and you are Jude."

He nodded, letting her hand go, looking her in the eyes for the first time this morning.

"Yeah, it's time to be me; or all this journey we made together would be a waste."

"And if you feel down, if you have doubts, you are not alone to do so, don't you ever forget that," she said with an admonishing tone, lifting her index finger in warning.

"Roger!" replied the young man with a little smile. "You are still up for lunch with me later?"

"You bet! I'll stuff myself with Yakisoba Fruit," cheered the brown haired girl, pumping her fist in the air.

Jude smiled: it surely would take time before their relationship gain a new balance, but at least there was a real hope that things went better, and with this conviction he took the path to the hospital.

A light wind ruffled her brown locks, making the exposed skin of her arm shiver. The sun was setting slowly, and if her plan was right, she was nearing Sharilton and will probably spend the night in a warm bed. After two nights under the stars, she craved for a warm place and a real shower.

She quickened her pace, hoping to gain time. Being on the road felt great, but her mind had the tendency to drift away too often, about subjects she dreaded to think about. She had made the first step by talking with Jude, and to be honest, she was quite proud of herself. For once, he was the one who seemed a bit lost, and she tried to cheer him up even if she wasn't in a better situation than him. She had learned a bit about herself: her selflessness was a part of her, but she knew now that voicing her thoughts, every one of them, was the best thing to do instead of bottling them in fear of hurting the others.

Now, she still had her issue with Alvin, and with her future to deal with. She couldn't wait to see Driselle and Elize, to spend time with them shopping and doing fun things. Maybe Driselle could help her with her "crisis", since she had to deal with a lot of things after her brother's death. She admired her friend for her strength, even if she knew how she suffered to reach her goal. With this impatience in her mind, she went on, her eyes focused on the horizon.

She didn't see the fiend creeping behind her stealthily, adjusting his stance to jump and seize her neck between his sharp fangs. She didn't feel its gaze focused on her every move. She didn't hear the sound of its claw scraping the grass. The beast readied itself, his muscles tensing slightly and finally, launched himself on the girl.

The sound of a gunshot broke the silence of the plain, making Leia jumped of surprise, a scream escaping her mouth. She turned around to see the beast lying on the dust, blood tainting the grass.

"What the..."

"Hey Missy, try to watch your back next time!"

She didn't need to turn toward the man to know who he was. Guns weren't a common weapon here, and that voice, that cheeky tone...

She inhaled deeply, realizing the irony of it all. Her next issue was served on a plate, when she was thinking that she didn't know what to do about it. And his words...

She raised her head and searched for him. Here he was, standing beside a tree, his hand raised in his traditional salute, and he didn't seem to recognize her.

Anger and confusion rose in her, feelings she couldn't explain herself.

"'l'll keep that in mind, but my back is perfectly fine without you !"

She saw his hand dropping to his side, and quickly averted her gaze from him, pursuing her walk.

Few feet from her stood a flabbergasted Alvin, eyes narrowed and an ill feeling in his stomach.

"Leia... How could I have not recognized her?" murmured the brown haired man, putting his gun away.

He saw her turn back, and he decided to follow her from afar, since she clearly didn't want him near. Her words ringed in his ears, and he cursed himself from saying such a dumb thing.

You couldn't know it was her, no need to beat yourself for it... Anyway, I wonder why she's here... And why did she let her guard down like that ?

Still following her, he took the time to study her. She had changed her usual outfit for something simpler, and her hair had grown a little. Something was off, even he could tell : she seemed older, like she had taken years in these few months. And her green eyes weren't as brilliant as before.

He knew it was at fault, even if she had forgiven him, or so he thought. In fact, they never talked about all that, and that's was partially why he was in Rieze Maxia right now. He wanted to visit Leronde with the excuse of business to take the chance to see her.

He couldn't let her like this: she nearly got killed by this beast, not because she wasn't skilled, but because she was clearly bothered by something. And his curiosity was overwhelming.

He walked faster, shutting his over thinking mind: he wanted to be himself, especially with her. She deserved his honesty.

"Wait up, Leia!"

She kept her pace, not really sure of what to do. It was the perfect occasion to settle this, but in the other hand she clearly didn't know how to behave with him. The sky was no longer blue, but tainted with warm orange and red, and Sharilton was not in view yet. And she could have never reached the town if...

She turned around, realizing that she was alive thanks to him: she had stormed off so quickly that the fact that she could have been dead didn't hit her.

She waited for him, observing his coat following his step, and his pensive expression.

When he reached her, his chocolate orbs seemed thoughtful and cautious. She never saw such an expression on his face, and it pleased her. Maybe they would be able to be like before, or become closer.

"I… I…"

Leia smiled at the scene: Alvin stuttering and searching his words was a very rare sight after all! She decided to help him, because he obviously feared to hurt her again.

"Thank you for earlier. I'm sorry for leaving like that, but…"

He stopped her, raising his two hands in front of him.

"No, you had every reason to do so. It was kind of weird to say something like that… You know how I am, always wanting to impress the ladies…"

"So… you mean I'm not a lady?" she replied with a playful yet offended tone.

A hint of shock crossed Alvin's features, before realization hit him.

"Don't be too cheeky, miss, or I'll let the next beast eat you…"

She laughed softly at his change of mood.

"Anyway, thank you again. I had my head in the clouds back then."

"It seemed so, because you know how to deal with those monsters, don't you?" said Alvin with a wink and his usual grin.

"You bet! I have beaten quite a lot of them since the beginning of my journey, I know how to handle myself," retorted Leia with a proud smirk.

"It's quite a surprise to see you here; I thought you were staying at your parents' inn."

She shifted slightly before answering him, trying to have a casual tone in her voice.

"I wanted to visit Elize and Driselle, and things were kind of boring in Leronde, so…"

'"I see…I have some business to do in town too."

"Business… like in…"

Alvin forced a smile. There was still work to do to clear his reputation.

"Serious business. I'm working with Jurgen to create means of transport and commercial links between Elympios and Rieze Maxia," he replied with pride in his voice.

Leia nodded, taking in the information. Even Alvin had found a way to redeem himself and to go on… The thought depressed her a little, but she wasn't ready to openly talk about it with him. Their relationship wasn't as deep as the one she had with Jude…

"Well, that's quite a challenge! I'm glad to see you are doing fine," she said sincerley while looking at him. She really was happy to see that he had changed, that the wound she wore hadn't been in vain.

Alvin felt a warm feeling running through his body. Leia was too kind, too pure, too… She really thought what she had said, and it moved him to see that she cared about what was happening to him after what he had done to her. The least he could do was helping her in return.

"So… Do you allow me to go to Sharilton with you? I'll be your sword my lady!"

She rolled her eyes. Guess that this side of him would remain the same…

"Since you go there too, I accept your kind offer. It would remind us of the old days…"

"You talk like you're a grandma; it's kind of creepy…."

"You're the one being old fashioned with your…."

They went on with this banter for an hour, carefully letting their inner thoughts hidden from the other.

That will have to wait for a moment. For now, I just want to enjoy my stay in Sharilton, and this familiar feeling, until I know what to say.