I don't know how good this chapter ended, but I had fun writing it. *grin*

Hope you enjoy!

~ When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars. ~

She woke up late the next day again. Roan was long gone from the looks of it and she sighed, pulling the blanket over her head. The stench made her gag; it needed a wash. Everything needed a wash! Herself included. Stretching her arms and legs, Vivian flung herself out of the cot. A portion of meat and some fruit waited for her by the fire pit. She stuffed her mouth with a bite of meat and went through her clothes. She owned a total of two pairs of black jeans and four shirts, two of which were in tatters. She sighed and discarded the worn out and bloodied one she was wearing. She had fallen asleep in it the previous night and she felt dirty beyond reason. So she picked a gray shirt and the other pair of pants and headed for a quick 'bath', scooping her blanket and Roan's in the process. It was sunny outside and it would be a shame to waste such a good day for hanging laundry.

Vivian looked for the man on her way, but there was no sight of him. She was wondering where he could have run off to when she exited the dense foliage on the river bank and froze in place. There he was in all his glory, washing himself. He was underwater from the waist down, but it was ridiculously low; she could see the upper part of his butt. But what caught her attention most were the scars on his back. It was a series of abrasions, expanding on his upper back like a web. She was some feet away, so she didn't get a good look, but they didn't look like an accident. She was startled when he splashed the water and took a step back, hiding behind a wall of leaves.

'I should go away, come back later.' She muttered to herself quietly, trying desperately to calm her heartbeat. When had it spiked so badly? She bit her lower lip and dared to push a leaf aside. Roan was still in the river, his head ducked underwater. When he pulled out, he shook his head to get some of the water off, making sparkling drops to cascade off of him. He dipped fully under and came back up after a few moments, trailing his hands over his body. Why was she still there watching? He changed clothes in the cave with her all the time, but she never actually stared at him. She never even noticed the scars and they were ridiculously elaborated. Was she some kind of a pervert? Was she ogling him because he was unaware of it? Would she like it if the roles were reversed? She didn't have time to answer that last question because Roan spun around to get out of the water and she almost yelped a she released the leaf to its place. Her heart was threatening to break free out of her chest.

Even so, after a while, she cautiously peaked back, deciding there was definitely something wrong with her, but what could she do? His front was bound to be even more impressive than his backside. And she wasn't hurting anyone, right? Well, except herself if Roan ever found out. Still, it was best to enjoy the small things in life, like the way his muscles flexed under his taunt skin, visible even from that distance as he dried himself up. Her eyes trailed down his body, from his wide shoulders to his muscular arms and well defined abs. She noted his manhood and felt the heat creeping up per cheeks and ears. She focused on his legs instead, and the only comparison were some ancient statues she once saw in a book. Scars and all, he was handsome. Or perhaps it was the scars that made him so alluring, his skin begging to be felt.

"Does the little shy girl like what she sees?" Busted! The leaf fell from her hand and she gulped nervously. "No use in hiding, I know you're there. Come on out." There was a playful tone to it, but she was not sure what to make of that. Still, what could she do? Run back to the cave and pretend she was never there? Even if he was bluffing and he hadn't indeed seen her, he could easily make out her tracks from and to the cave. There was no use denying it. So she stepped out of the bushed and tried to keep it cool. He made it easier as he was already buckling his pants. A clean pair from what she could see between her lashes.

"I was coming to wash these." She lifted the blankets as if to make a point and hopefully avert his eyes from her. "Thought it best to wash my wound too."

"And decided to stay for a little show?"

"N-no. I just kinda got here and-"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go for a little swim. I'll keep watch from over here." His tone took an abrupt change, becoming all grave and serious. His face too, eyes daring her to deny him, to say no to his order. His arms crossed and she took a moment to admire them, and then curse herself for it before she finally answered.

"…I can't swim." His brow rose and he starred her dead in the eye for what seemed like eternity.

"You'll never cease to amaze me, won't you? Anything else you're incapable of that I should be aware of?"

"Hey, that was mean! There was nowhere to lean on the Ark… It's not like we had a need to up there." She was sure that she couldn't blush more furiously than she already was. She was embarrassed at being found out, a little angry at his mean remark and most of all, there was a lingering image of him naked at the back of her head that refused to go away. "Look, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to. I was coming this way and you were already here."

"You sure like apologizing a lot." He shook her head and pulled his shirt over his head. Vivian mentally slapped herself for being a little sad there were no more abs calling out to her. She stood there patiently, eyes on the sand, as he picked up the rest of his clothes. "Just clean up and come back, I have something to show you. Oh, and wash these too while you're at it. You cut my time here short." He threw some of his clothes her way and she dropped her own in the poses of catching his. He let out a chuckle as he made his way off the shore. Oh, how he enjoyed toying with her from time to time. But moments like those were what made them closer, right? Friends bicker and tease. Chloe popped into her head and she had to swallow hard to stop the tears.

Vivian would have taken her time washing, still embarrassed from the whole ordeal, but he said he had 'something to show her'. They were making progress! And she was curious as to what the something might be. As much as she tried to stay calm, her mind was raging with possibilities, each one dismissed before faster than the other. Not even the cool water eased her curiosity, even though she did her best to wash everything well.

Roan smirked the entire way back to the cave. He had noticed her presence from the first time she stumbled onto the shore, but he would have never thought she actually stayed there. He saw the leafs rustle in the same spot when he got out of the water and he almost called her out immediately, but decided to see how bold she actually was. Pretty damn bold apparently! Her flustered face was all worth it. He didn't think he ever saw anyone blush so hard, much less be the cause of it. He'll have to tease her about it some time. He thought about staying behind and returning the favor, watch her for a while from the tree line. He would have done a better job at concealing his presence, too. In the end his legs just kept him walking away, though he would've lied if he said he hadn't regretted that he didn't take a small peak.

Back in his temporary home, he picked up a small bow and a quiver and waited for the sky girl to return, sitting on a log just outside the cave. It was about time he'd show her some basics and see how well she manages. There had to be something she was good at, other than getting herself in trouble. He checked if the glove he'd bought for her was still in the quiver's small side pocket and pulled it out. He hoped it fitted her hand as being too loose or too tight would make handing the arrows hared.

He was expecting her to take longer, but soon enough she emerged from the tree line and made her way closer to the cave. Like a little herbivore, she eyed him cautiously as she placed the washed items to dry off, hanging them on some branches. Roan watched with amusement as her eyes widened considerably when they landed on the weapon he was holding. She made a short leap, obviously excited, but kept a steady pace and a straight face the rest of the way to him. She cleared her throat when in front of him and failed to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"You said you wanted to show me something?"

"Congratulations. You're learning your first weapon today." He got to his feet and shoved the bow in her face, then hung the quiver on her shoulder.

"But… I didn't catch the animal yesterday…"

"No, you sure didn't. But it's not like you can train much for a while with that wound. And the bow won't put too big a strain on you." She eyed him suspiciously for a while and he sighed, making his way to the small practice targets he made for her. Nothing fancy, just tree bark in random shapes that he tied to some other trees. He heard a small yelp before the girl joined him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She spoke the words so fast it took him a second to register the meaning. Spying her from the corner of his eye he reached a conclusion: he really didn't understand the girl. What was so exciting in learning how to shoot an arrow? Their warriors learn the skill from a tender age. Perhaps it was a novelty to the sky girl, but even so, shooting arrows wasn't exactly exciting, now was it easy.

"You hold the bow like this with your left hand." Roan stepped besides her and stretched her arm forward. "Arrow in your right hand."

"Why not the other way around?" He gave her a worn leather glove. She gleamed with joy as it fit perfectly on her hand. He must have brought it for her at the trading post he talked about.

"You need strength to pull the sting. Feet a little further apart. Face the target like this and pull your hand back." He went round her and straightened her back, pushed her legs and showed her the motions. "Now, try aiming, eyes on the target. Both open, like when you shoot your little gun."

Vivian struggled a little with the string. Damn thing was way tighter than she imagined. The first arrow bounced to the right, between her and the closest tree. Roan nodded to her to try again. This was going to be fun. The next few arrows went a little closer, but she was far from reaching any target anytime soon. She sighed, feeling slightly discouraged.

Roan buzzed around her, pointing out several mistakes she was doing: her shoulders were too high, her muscles too tense, her back not straight enough. He patiently explained again and again the steps she had to follow, but however she did them, arrow refused to fly true. She was becoming a bit exasperated. Shooting the gun hadn't been a piece of cake, but it had been significantly easier; you just pointed the gun. With the bow, it was different, a lot more things mattered, the strength in her arms, the way she inclined the arrow, how far she pulled the sting – which was not very far – and even her posture. It was exhausting and annoying and she didn't know how Roan had so much patience. Not once had he snapped at her for missing the target by far, nor had he anything bad to comment. It was a change from his usual grumpy demeanor. It almost looked like he enjoyed teaching her.

"I'm really bad at this…"

"No one hit the mark from the first try."

"Nor from the hundredth?"

"Didn't know you for a quitter, sky girl." He folded his arms over his chest, looking at her with those piercing eyes of his. Vivian's attention suddenly shifted to his muscular arms, trailing them up and down. She had the urge to have a little feel at them, but managed to snap out of her momentary trance. Hopefully he hadn't noticed, though she somehow doubted that. Lifting her eyes back to his face, she returned to their conversation.

"Why did you decide to teach me how to use this? You could have started with the stick…"

"The bow suits you."

"Because I'm weak and should try to kill the enemy from afar?"

"Because, just like an arrow needs to be pulled back to shoot forward, when life beat you down you stubbornly went ahead, with even more conviction." Vivian was baffled for a moment. Was that… a compliment? Even if it wasn't, it was still a really nice thing to say. And, in some ways, she felt the resemblance and she liked it. She felt the heat creeping up her neck all the way to the tip of her ears. Roan had thought of that particular comparison, he thought of her. Her eyes feel on the dirt beneath her feet and she bit her lip in a nervous habit before she spoke in a weak voice.

"Ah, thank you?"

"Just focus and keep aiming." He came closer and lifted her chin up to look at the target again. "It takes practice until you get accustomed to the weight of the bow, how much you have to pull the string, how far the arrow is going to be sent flying. These things you'll have to understand on your own, as you get familiar with the weapon."

"What if I'm just not cut for it?" She exhaled loudly, aiming the arrow and puling harder on the string, but not setting it free. Roan chuckled a little, the low noise sending a shiver down her spine.

"I trained worst than you, so there's still hope. Don't give up yet."

The arrow sprang loose from between her fingers. It didn't hit the mark, but flew past the tree. A smile spread on Vivian's lips. She could do this! She wanted to. For herself and for Roan, because she was convinced he actually liked teaching her. He 'trained worst' people, probably his people. As the day progressed, Roan giving her different tips and demonstrating a few more times, Vivian was dying with questions about his past. Had he been some kind of fighting instructor? A war general? That would explain his vast knowledge in weaponry and his desire to help the Ice Nation before he had been banished. She almost asked a few times, but, at the end of the day, she kept to herself. He would tell her on his own when the time came, right?

So, thank you all for the lovely reviews. Sending you my love *hugs*

I was initially thinking of separating them when Roan goes after Clarke, but I didn't see it as an opportunity for Vivian to bound with the others. It's a good idea though, I'll keep it in mind. Also like the idea of Clarke fucking things up :))) definitely going to us this one :))

Also, I made a layout of the story and it's gonna be 20 something chapters, I think. Hope you guys'll stick around till the end. *more virtual hugs*