?, ? B.F.

"Oh, Caius, don't I look pretty?!"

Caius remained stoic as he watched the blue-haired girl spin (and nearly trip) in her brand new dress. "I suppose so…"

Serah and Noel turned hopefully to the tall man, both with large smiles adorning their faces. It was Serah who spoke to Yeul, "You look great Yeul! Once the dress is tailored, you'll be able to walk around without having to hold up the edges."

Yeul smiled and looked back down at her new dress. Sure, it was really long and, if she hadn't been wearing a shirt underneath it, would've left her entire chest exposed, but it looked wonderful on her regardless. The odd adventurer girl and her friend had given the Prism-adorned white dress to her instead of just a regular Rainbow Prism, and Yeul couldn't be happier. "I have to admit, I was really skeptical at first, but your doll's bobble lit up to prove me wrong!"

The Moogle, at the mention of himself, tried to quickly flutter away from Yeul, but the nine year-old was faster. She hugged him close to her and giggled.

"So, uh, do we get to stay the night?" Noel asked, being straightforward as always. "We did what you asked – more or less."

Cauis continued to stare at the Seeress. He had refused to look at the two travelers' faces since they had returned. It wasn't because of them themselves, it was the fact it was so dark. In an instant, his precious young Yeul could be taken by a nearby monster. It was for that reason he continued to stare longingly at the child. "…I suppose you did do what I asked, even if it wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"They're staying?!" Yeul asked, squeezing the Moogle even tighter as he began "KUPO"-ing louder. "YAY! Thank you, Caius! I love you soooooooo much!"

To show his affection, Caius silently wrapped his arm around the girl's body and drew her close. Her warmth radiated to him; she was alive and happy. He needn't need to repeat what she had said, his embrace was a soundless "I love you too".

Noel turned to Serah, as if he was about to give her a hug as well, but Serah put her hands slightly up, as if to say no. Noel, slightly embarrassed at her rejection, turned his eyes to the grass-covered ground and awkwardly itched his neck.

Yeul pulled away from Caius's hug and made her way to the two time travelers. "Follow me! I'll introduce you to our village!"

Without waiting to see if Noel and Serah would follow, Yeul ran off. Caius gave a short sigh before signaling Serah and Noel to follow him.

"Wow, Yeul is really excited." Serah commented, jogging to keep the young girl in sight. Caius was far in front, making sure to be at least three paces away from his Seeress. "She so different compared to the other Yeuls, huh Noel?"

Noel nodded, his eyes fixed on Caius. "Yeah…As I said before, I think that's due to a paradox."

Serah couldn't but help to furrow her brows. "Or, maybe, she's just her own person. I don't see a crime in having a Seerees who isn't all quiet and mysterious."

"I think even Caius is unnerved by it." Noel stated, "I can't prove it or anything, but my instincts are screaming at me. They say it's wrong…I have to believe them."

Serah decided there to drop their conversation. Coming from a time in history where basic instinct kept you alive, Serah had no right to judge his way of thinking, after all, it had kept him alive for eighteen years in a desolate world. Trusting facts simply wasn't his kind of thing.

"Hey, uh, are we really going to stay here for the night?" Serah asked after a bit of silence. "I mean, Caius could just be pretending to not know us. That way, he could kill us in our sleep or something."

Noel kept his eyes ahead, pushing his brown bangs out of his blue eyes. "No, I don't think he'd do anything like that. After all, Caius listens to and does whatever Yeul says. If she is willing to let us, two strangers her future lives will come to know, Caius has no reason or power to object her wishes."

"If that's the case, maybe she and Caius are plotting together?" Serah asked, "Like, maybe she saw us in a vision of the future and is pretending to act all nice as a trick!"

Noel did not respond. The next time he opened his mouth, it was as he pointed to what had to be Yeul and Caius's village. "Guess we'll be sleeping in one of those tonight."

It was more of a camping ground than a village, really. No traditional houses lined the ground, only numerous small, animal-skinned tents for a person or two. Lanterns were hanging on wooden stakes before each tent, and a large bonfire marked the middle of the village.

"Oh…I thought it would be more…uh…" Serah had no nice words to finish the sentence with, so she ended up just trailing the sentence off with a her 'uh'.

Yeul was waiting for the duo (she still had Mog clasped between her arms), with Caius standing behind her. Her bright, cheerful smile was not dimmed at all by the lack of light. Caius's usual grim look, however, became even more intimidating with all the shadows hitting his rigid features.

"Welcome!" Yeul exclaimed enthusiastically, giving a little jump of happiness once Noel and Serah approached within earshot. "This is where Caius, me, and all the other villagers live!"

"Wow, it's a cool place to live, Yeul." Noel said with a smile, leaning down to match the young girl's height. "Are you all like a big family?"

Yeul nodded, but seemed to quickly regret her answer. "Well, some of the villagers don't always get along, but uh, yeah! We're basically a great, big family!"

"That must be really nice." Serah noticed a longing in the way Noel spoke, as if he was melancholy about the whole thing. He had a smile, yes, but his eyes expressed another emotion. "I'd love to meet all of them, if I could."

Yeul's own smile faded dramatically, "Uh, I'm not sure if they'd like that…"

"Why not?" Serah asked, spinning her pointer finger around her side-tail. She had decided to keep the expensive hair-tie in after all. She had forgotten what a hassle her long hair was when it was let down. "Do they not feel safe with us sleeping here for the night?"

"I'm sure you'll understand once we enter." Caius pitched in. He quickly gave Yeul a cross look, to which she responded by looked down at the ground. "Your tent is the one nearest the bonfire, reserved especially for you. Once you've made yourselves at home, please join us around the fire."

"Yes, sir." Noel said, hoping he wasn't sounding too formal. Talking to his former master/friend felt so…unnatural. It wasn't like he missed when they conversed like family members, no, those days were gone. Even talking to him as his enemy felt more normal than this. It was the fact that they were total strangers: that was what felt unnatural. "We'll go then. C'mon, Serah."

Serah gave another wave to the young Yeul, who finally let go of the Moogle. The winged creature quickly flew to Serah's side, shaking.

"Mog, she's a little girl. I doubt she strangled you with that hug." Serah chuckled as she lightly petted the Moogle between his ears.

"Y-You don't know a happy girl's strength, kupo! She nearly killed me, kupo!" Mog responded, reaching out his stubby little arms to Serah, pleading for more pets. "Besides, she had a really weird presence to her…"

"A weird presence?" Serah echoed, fear beginning to cloud her mind. "W-What do you mean, Mog? Is she some kind of monster in disguise?"

"I don't think it's that, kupo." Mog began whispering, afraid that Caius or Yeul would hear, even though they were out of earshot by now. "She just…she felt like she had power stored inside of her, waiting to break out, kupo! I think you should keep an eye on her, kupo, kupo!"

"Don't worry, I will." Serah said before jogging the rest of the way to Noel and her tent.

Once inside the neat, little tent, Serah forgot what she had intended what she wanted to say. "Noel!" Serah exclaimed, running to his side, "What did you do?!"

Noel's entire hand was dyed red with blood. "A-Ah, heh." Noel, instead of looking shocked or in pain, turned to Serah with an embarrassed face. "See, uh, I had a little cut from back when we fought that Behemoth, but when I tried to use Curga on it, I ended up unleashing Aero again…"

Serah sighed and shooed Noel to sit down on one of the sleeping bags upon the floor, where he proceeded to sit and wait for her to heal him. "Honestly," Serah muttered as she kneeled down to his level, "You're too impatient! I told you, I'll teach you how to use Medic magic properly when we have the chance! At this rate, you'll be summoning a tornado trying to heal a bruise…"

"Hey now, give me some credit!" Noel winced as Serah roughly handled his busted hand. "I come from a place where relying on yourself is the only option. I just want to learn things on my own, you know?"

Serah took a deep breath as a greenish light emitted from her palm. Before her eyes, Noel's hand slowly began repairing itself. The blood returned to his veins, and the skin began to reconstruct itself. "Well, I'm a grade-school teacher, so it's my job to teach others…Noel, you know you're not alone anymore, right? You can rely on me. We're a team now."

"I know…It feels nice, having someone who actually cares about me in my life again…" Noel used his unhurt hand to lightly touch Serah's face.

Serah felt the need to jump away, to shove his hand away, and to run out of the tent, but she couldn't help but to continue kneeling there, motionless. Finally, she responded with, "Noel, we can't do this."

"Can't do what?" He asked, his voice quiet.

Moments after he spoke, Serah felt back in control of her body, and promptly stood up. She took a step back, keeping her eyes locked with Noel's. "I know what you did in Serendipity…You kissed my head, didn't you?"

The brown-haired boy stared blankly at Serah, as if trying to comprehend what she had just said. "No. No I didn't…Did I?"

"Yes!" Serah could barely believe her ears. "Right after we found each other! I hugged you and you kissed the top of my head!"

"I was so happy I found you, I guess I just got caught up…" Noel sighed as he flexed his fixed hand, now completely healed. "I…I've been so afraid of losing others that I…care about ever since my Yeul died."

"…And I've been afraid of losing someone I care about since Lightning and Snow disappeared…" Serah said as she clutched her engagement necklace. "Lighting never let anything happen to me growing up; she was always there for me. And, after I met Snow, he stepped up to my protector as well…But now, they're both missing, gone, erased from my life…and I have no one to lean on but you, Noel…"

"Serah…" Noel rose from the bed and walked over to the rose-colored girl. "I…I didn't know. I thought you were confident in yourself…"

Serah shook her head, "No, I'm weak. I can't protect my sister, my lover, myself…and now you…"

"You don't need to protect me." Noel said, giving a half-baked smile. "I'm fine with fighting by myself."

"But you're not!" Serah accused. There was no going back now, she had gone too far to just stop now. "Noel, you are always putting on a brave face, but I know that you're just as scared as I am! Sure, you can physically fight by yourself fine, but emotionally, you're scared!"

"S-Scared…?"

Feeling her heart ache as Noel repeated the word, Serah continued on to the best of her ability. "Yes, scared! You say you don't need anyone to rely on, but yet you never stop mentioning your Yeul and how much she meant to you…Noel, you and I both have large holes in our hearts, and they're both in the same exact spots. And we're trying to fill them with each other…"

"I don't understand." Itching his neck, Noel cast his glance to the floor. "What are you implying? I'm not good at wordplay…"

Serah grew quiet. He is either in denial, or just doesn't honestly understand. She thought, Thing is, I can't figure out which one of those options is correct...

"…Let's just drop it, alright?" Serah loosened her grip on her engagement pendant, feeling more at ease. She had said what she had wanted to, and it was now out in the open. Whether or not Noel understood was unimportant to her feeling, in a sense, lighter.

"Yeah." Noel agreed, keeping his gaze at the barren ground. He still looked confused to Serah, but at the same time, he seemed to have been enlightened.

Giving him a few seconds of privacy, Serah unhooked her travel bag from her side and set it down on top of her blankets. There was nothing else in the tent but Noel's sleeping bag and a single lantern positioned in-between the two. Inside was not fire, but actually the petals of a Moonring Blossom. They gave off a serene, blue light. Serah smiled, deciding she liked this hue of light better than that of a fire's.

"Hey, uh, are we going to go to the bonfire?"

"Yeah, of course. It would be rude not to." Serah stripped her gloves off, figuring she wouldn't need them. Her once soft hands had become one's of a fighter's. Her blisters and callouses had seemingly melted into her hardened skin. "Let's go."

Noel only nodded. Though their little skirmish was over, the tension was still there between them. Silently, the two walked outside to witness a lively sight.

All around the bonfire were people of all ages, chatting with another as they tore into meat of what must've been the day's hunt. They all wore animal-skin clothing, their hair wild.

"Woah…I didn't think so many people lived here." Serah muttered to Noel. She pushed Mog to stay behind her, out of sight from those around her. "I know Lightning said that people lived here and there on Pulse after the Paddra Civil War, but I thought they all died out soon after."

"Apparently not." Noel said, beginning to walk towards the fire and crowd. "We should probably lie low; we are total strangers."

Serah nodded to show her agreement before proceeding to walk beside Noel. Many of the villagers stared at them as they passed, but the two time travelers did not waver. They ended up standing together, alone, as when they tried to sit with others, they retreated away to somewhere else.

"Friends! Devout followers of the Seeress of Paddra, hear me!" Caius's voice silenced everyone at once. Children clung to their mother's as the mother's clung to their husbands. The only thing to hear was the crackle of the fire. "I, her Guardian, present her: Paddra-Nsu Yeul!"

The bubbly, chirpy Yeul from before was unrecognizable. Instead of happily skipping next to Caius, she slowly walked over beside him, emotionless. She was back to wearing her traditional clothing, and her long hair was bundled up into a quickly-made bun. A headdress sat upon her head, and a veil that obscured her face youthful fell over her.

"She is our Seeress!" Caius continued, gesturing passionately to his little Yeul. "Blessed she is by the great goddess Etro with the ability to see far into our futures. Holy she is, her soul connected to the hundreds of others that came before. Cursed she is, born to never live a life that is full. Our hope, our guiding beacon, our Seeress: Yeul!"

Yeul quietly stood at Caius's side, her hands clasped together. Serah saw her eyes dart to her and Noel's, but she showed no sign of smiling enthusiastically like before. She opened her mouth to speak, but as she did, a man's voice rung out.

"How long will you keep us in the dark, Seeress?!"

Others followed.

"Seeress! Please tell us what you witness!"

"Etro yearns for us to know what you see!"

"Please! Record your visions in the Oracle Drive already!'

"We'll kill you ourselves if-"

A strong gust of wind stopped any more of the villagers from shouting their spiteful comments at the girl. Serah covered her eyes, afraid dust or debris would flow into her eyes. Once she felt the air around her calm down, she opened them again.

Caius had his gigantic sword drawn, and it was pointed towards the crowd. His free hand was before Yeul, shielding her from anyone who dared to hurt her. Yeul's blank expression remained.

Serah saw Yeul whisper something to her Guardian, who in turn scowled and put down his weapon. She then took a step forward before speaking quite loudly. "I know you are angry, but please have patience. My visions will be recorded in the Drive when I allow them to be…Now, I am you are aware that we have guests with us, right? I expect you all to be on your best behavior."

Mutters and curses filled the air, but Yuel ignored them. Instead, she gave a little wink and smile to Noel and Serah before putting on her serious façade once again. "Now, onto our main event. I have already decided what story we will hear tonight."

"A story?" Serah asked, turning to Noel.

Noel shrugged. "I guess they like telling stories; no harm in that."

Yeul once again faced the duo and smiled. "I hope you all, guests included, love tonight's story! It's a rrreeealllyyy good one!"

A woman called out, "Dearest Seeress, what story shall you be providing us with tonight?"

Yeul only giggled mischievously before looking back at Caius.

"Silence!" Caius yelled the spell and shot his arm out, and instantly the entire crowd shut up. Serah attempted to say something to Noel, but, just like what happened at Serendipity, she couldn't hear a thing anyone, herself included, said.

"Tonight's story dates back three hundred years ago." Yeul announced, her voice crystal clear. "I have come to call it 'The Tale of the Two Cursed Fates'. Please, lend me your ears as we travel back to another Yeul's reality!"

The crowd waited in anticipation as Yeul closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She opened her arms, as if inviting someone for a hug, before beginning her story. "Back, long back, when Paddra was still a wondrous city filled with happy people and prosperity, there lived a young man who was desperately in love with the Seeress. His name was Ghaius D'vine, and he wanted nothing more than anything to have at least one conversation with her.

"That Seeress, often referred to as the Eldest Yeul, was seventeen at the time. Her eighteenth birthday was short approaching, making her the longest living Seeress known. Her beauty was unmatchable by any of the women in all the city. Women were very jealous of her, and men lusted after her. Her hair was like an endless blue river, and her features were ideal and perfect in every way.

"However, Yeul was forced to stay inside the Paddra palace. Her Guardian was deathly afraid of the littlest scratch on her, and decided the only way to protect her was to keep her in the castle, every day of every hour."

Serah turned to Noel and mouthed to him, "Ghaius? Sounds like Caius."

Noel didn't get what she said on the first try, but after Serah slowly repeated herself, he nodded fiercely.

Yeul's eyes remained closed, and she stopped now and again when she was telling the story, as if she was reading it from the back of her eyelids. "The only time Yeul was allowed to leave the walls of her castle was when she had a vision, and recorded it in the Oracle Drive for all to see. There, Ghaius watched her, completely entranced. Finally, he could bare it no longer. He yearned to know Yeul better, and so, he did the only thing he could think of: he became the Guardian's apprentice.

"Figuring he would be welcomed with open arms; Ghaius was shocked to find that Yeul refused to even look at him straight. At dinners, she took her food and left for her room. At her semi-annual appearances outside, she refused to walk alongside him. She never said why, but she was dead-set on hating him, without even getting to know him. Ghaius knew he had to prove himself somehow, so he decided to give her a glimpse of freedom.

"In the dead of night, Ghauis took the Eldest Yeul out of the palace to see the outside world. He showed her all the wonders of what Pulse had to give her, from freshly picked fruit, to flowing rivers, and even the adorable fuzzy sheep. She really, really liked those cutie pies…A-Ahem. Yeul and Ghaius escaped top the outside world every night to discover and explore. He even showed the Seeress how to hunt monsters using simple magic.

"It wasn't long before Ghaius knew he wasn't only in love with the Eldest Yeul's looks. He loved her personality too. She was so curious, and even if she didn't get something after a thousand tries, she wouldn't give up. Yeul, too, knew that she had indeed fallen for the apprentice. He seemed stoic and bland at first glance, but all the time she spent with him gradually allowed her to see who he was, deep in his heart."

Serah hugged her knees to her chest. This was truly exciting. When was the last time she was this into a story? Noel was a good story teller, yes, but his stories always seemed to flop somewhere near the middle. She looked over to see Noel, who looked just as into the story as she.

"However," Yeul continued on, beginning to walk around the fire. Surprisingly, Serah saw Caius not react in the slightest, even though his precious Yeul was walking around a blaze with closed eyes. "Soon after they both came to this realization, Yeul's Guardian tragically died. Ghaius gave his all to save him, even risking his life, but he was not strong enough, and the Guardian died. Ghaius gave up his last name, and took his old master's as a sign of respect. Within a day, he had stepped up as Yeul's new Guardian."

Serah's eyes grew big. She had once heard from a Fragment that Caius had tried to save his master, but the master was killed anyway. He then took the last name of the master, abandoning his own. Yeul's story matched up perfectly.

"The two, Ghaius and Yeul, lived happily together for many months…until a servant of the Paddra castle saw the two acting like the couple they were. Shocked, he spread the word, and soon, the rumor was all the whole city talked about.

"Scared by all the rumors, Yeul decided to come clean about everything that was happening. She planned to confess that she and her Guardian were in love in front of everyone, right before she saved her newest vision on the Oracle Drive. Ghaius didn't fight her wishes, and went along with her. He was just as afraid as her, but refused to show it.

"Tragically, the plan was never carried out. The night before she planned to confess, Yeul had the vision that finally took her life. Ghaius was so shocked and disturbed at his lover's death, he refused to even look at the newborn that was deemed her reincarnation. He was distraught beyond comprehension. He went as far as to lock himself into his room, refusing to eat."

This is so sad. Serah thought, holding onto her pendant for moral support. This isn't just some story Yeul made up…It's someone's past…The Eldest Yeul's past…

"A few days later, Ghaius finally stopped grieving and became the Guardian of the newborn Seeress." Yeul lowered her arms and turned to Caius, who was staring off at the stars above him like he had no cares in the world. "They say his heart never fully recovered. No one knows what has become of Ghaius. To this day, some say he still weeps for his original Yeul: the Eldest Yeul…"

Yeul turned back to the audience, and curtsied deeply. A good majority of the families clapped, but Serah saw a few that refused to even remotely react.

Noel leapt out of his seat and ran over to Yeul. "That was amazing!" Noel exclaimed, grabbing the young Yeul's hands. "You are such a good story-teller! You have to tell me all your secrets!"

"A good story-teller never tells!" Yeul said with a smile and short laugh. "You'll have to find out yourself!"

"N-Noel!" Serah hissed, "Get back here!"

Everyone had their eyes on Noel. Though the Silence spell was lifted, no one dared to speak.

"Oh, well if I ever get the chance to hear you recite another story, I'll make sure to take pointers on everything you do." Noel continued, oblivious to the fact that everyone had their eyes on him.

The young Yeul gave another giggle before bounding over to her purple-haired Guardian. "Hey, Caius! Did you like the story?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, of course I did." He replied, taking his gaze off the stars above. "You've never told a story from that Yeul."

"Yeah, well, she was calling out to me rather loudly tonight." Yeul unhooked the metal straps on her headdress and took it off Caius took it from her, and silently set it beside him. Yeul proceeded to rub her forehead, where a red mark had formed from the metal headdress, as she continued to talk. "I couldn't say no to her, even though I did wanna tell a different story tonight. But, she insisted!"

Caius said nothing.

Yeul pursed her pink lips. "You know, that Yeul never wanted Ghaius to feel so upset for her. She wished for him to move on quickly, and to raise that next Seeress with a devoted heart."

"Are you implying that my heart is not devoted to you?" Caius asked, a small smirk forming on his face.

"No, no, no." Yeul shook her head and, in doing so, freed her silky, blue hair from its loose bun. It fell over her small frame like a waterfall, and she fixed it all nicely as she talked. "I'm not saying that: she was. Although, if I was to die suddenly, I wouldn't want you to mourn for me for hundreds of years."

Caius locked his eyes with hers. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and had to tilt his head upwards to do so. "I'm sure Ghaius would try his very best to follow what you want, and what she wants. However, we Guardians have our limits as well…"

"Says the man who can turn into a giant dragon thingy at will!"

"I meant emotionally, Seeress. Despite being blessed by Etro like you, we too can only take so much." Caius rose from the sandy ground and patted her head. "…By the way, I can turn into a Bahamut, not a 'giant dragon thingy'. And I have to-"

"I don't care about details, Caius!" Yeul turned back to the fire and ran around it, flapping her arms to resemble wings. "Look at me, everyone!" She shouted, "I'm Caius in his big-bad dragon form! Fear me as breathe fire and burn everyone dead! RAWR!"

"I don't breathe fire!" Caius made no effort to catch her, but instead stood close enough to grab her if she annoyed him enough. "And my wings aren't like that! Hey! Don't get too close to that fire!"

Serah was laughing so hard, she could barely keep herself from falling over. Yeul was just like the children she taught back home in New Bodum. They both were rambunctious children to the core.

"Caius would've made a great teaching assistant!" Serah managed to say before going into another laughing fit.

"Yeah, except he'd probably kill them all once they pissed him off enough." Noel had returned to Serah's side, and was laughing just as hard as Serah. "Too bad he tried to kill us…"

"Multiple times actually…" Serah muttered, remembering just how dangerous the man a few paces in front of her really was. He really could turn into a massive Bahamut at will, and his ever-beating heart had been blessed by the goddess herself. He would never age so he could be a Guardian to every Yeul that was born. There was only one way to kill him…but Noel and herself were not even close to being strong enough. "Hey, Noel?"

"Hm?"

"Let's sleep in shifts tonight, okay? I still don't trust this Caius." Serah whispered to Noel, who nodded. "I just want to make sure that our journey doesn't get cut short for a stupid reason."

"Got it. I don't trust him either, or Yeul…" Noel replied, "I'll take first shift then. You look tired."

"Do I?" Serah felt her face to feel bags under her eyes. "O-Oh…It's weird though, it feels like we just woke up."

"That's because of all this time traveling. It certainly takes its toll, huh?" Noel quickly itched his neck again before saying, "Serah, I'm sorry about earlier…"

"Oh, no, it's fine." Serah waved dismissively, "I guess I was just still stressed out over everything that happened. I should be saying sorry…"

"Snow was right; you sure do apologize a lot…"

"Huh?"

"O-oh, uh, nothing…" Noel quickly turned to see Caius picking up Yeul as she continued giggling. "Looks like he caught the little Bahamut."

"Okay everyone!" Yeul said as she happily kicked her legs out as Caius held her. "I'm off to bed! That means Caius is as well, soooooooo you know what that means."

"It means you are not allowed to leave your tents, for whatever purpose. The monsters will not hesitant to kill you if you leave, and I'm not going after you." Caius maintained his (rather bored), stoic expression as Yeul repeatedly kicked his stomach, laughing madly as she did. "It is for your own safety, remember that. Farewell for the night."

"Nighty-Night everybody!" Yeul shouted as Caius carried her away.

"I guess we better get in our tent then." Serah looked around to make sure that no monsters were on the premise, eyeing her up, but the only things that returned her gaze were the other villagers.

Noel grabbed Serah's hand and lead her back to the tent. "I think you should stop making eye contact with them." He muttered, not turning his head to talk to her. "They don't seem to like us too much."

"O-Okay…" She muttered back, fighting the urge to look back behind her.

The rose-haired girl felt a hurtful twinge in her chest, but it wasn't due to the villagers giving her the cold shoulder.

Noel's grip had lost all its gentleness.