To the reviewers:

Maxmagnus20019: I'll try my best with it.

Master and Chief and Arbiter: Thank you. I certainly hope this one lives up to expectations as well.

Miss Nox: Thanks again. No Albel in this chapter though, but a little more introduction on some familiar characters and interaction between two of them.

Disclaimer: Don't own Star Ocean, any of its characters and Tri-Ace or whatever company involved in its creation. Maybe I should just copy this disclaimer everything I post a new chapter…

Chapter 4

Meeting

It could be the start of a very interesting school term with some very interesting personalities. Introductory lessons on the very first day, an unusually early Classification (according to Cliff) and most of all, thanks to that event, no classes on the second day. It was a start most students wanted.

Not Fayt Leingod.

He felt somewhat edgy, as though something or someone was going to spring on him and shout "Surprise!" for some strange reason. He had even brought along his own sword-The trusty double-edged blade which had accompanied him for years. It was somewhat keener than a normal sword, and that alone brought a little more confidence for him to feed on. Despite that, however, he still could not shake off the feeling that someone's eyes were boring into the back of his head.

As he walked, the feeling intensified threefold. It was not something malevolent, but as far as he was concerned, the feeling made him uncomfortable, more so when there was no one there to help him look behind.

After several more yards, he finally plucked up the courage to glance behind. The moment he turned his head, a few squeals were heard, though the whispering seemed to be the most prominent sound yet. Had Cliff been in his position right now, Fayt imagined that he would have been as least rather pleased with himself. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to call Sophia earlier on and told her to go on ahead because he had 'something important to finish.' After that, he was left wondering why she hung up so furiously and did not even bother to answer his calls.

"Are you the center of attention already?" He turned to the left and watched as Cliff casually strolled down the lane towards him. "Damn, I envy you."

"…You're finding this amusing, aren't you?" Fayt frowned. He thrusted his hands into his pocket and looked down. "Not all of this is attention that even you would want, you know."

"I know, but it does give you a little bit of recognition, quite the achievement for a transfer student who hardly knows anyone around." He clapped Fayt lightly on his back. "Just put it this way: At least you won't have to take the trouble of introducing yourself to people you want to meet or happen to meet in the academy. You really have it easy here."

"Yeah right…" Fayt ruffled his blue bangs in a display of disquiet and confusion. It did not really matter to him how famous-or notorious-he would be after his boo-boo with Maria yesterday, but how he had subconsciously showed off a little without really knowing about it disturbed him. Furthermore-

"You're early."

Speak of the devil… Fayt turned to her, but it seemed as though she was bent on ignoring him currently, looking nonchalantly at Cliff. The Klausian seemed to be surprised by her presence as well, judging from his delayed grin.

"Y-Yo! I didn't see you coming, Maria."

"…And a very good morning to you too." She replied mildly, moving past both Cliff and Fayt, leaving the two males somewhat bemused.

Fayt was the first to recover. "That's so much like her, I guess. She isn't much for words, after all…"

Cliff grinned. "She always comes off with that impression, so don't mind her. Anyway, what's with the sword? Are you that lacking in confidence? It's the second round of the trials only, you know."

"It's dangerous to assume that just because I had a weaker opponent yesterday, Cliff. That's why I needed a bit of a booster. At least this sword feels right in my hand." He smiled, patting the pommel of the sword as though it was a beloved pet.

Cliff chuckled. It almost seemed as though the sword would come alive and acknowledge his affection for it, judging from his facial expression. "By the way, where's Sophia? Don't tell me you ditched her."

Fayt stopped almost immediately, a mixed look of fear and realization crossing his features. "…Oh. So that's what I forgot this morning."

"It won't look good on your record as a new student for ditching a girl."

"I know, but I really did forget!" Fayt sighed. "You go on ahead. I'll get to her and meet up with you soon."

Cliff grinned, and sauntered off to the group of girls in front of them, attempting to wow them with his 'irresistible charms', as he had reiterated so many times to the blue-haired boy. He grinned despite himself, and hurried off the find Sophia before the 'gelignite' in her could get any more unstable.

It was still spring, and as Fayt dashed by, he still found himself marveling at how the season seemed to make everything so picturesque despite the knowledge that there was a high possibility that he would be running late. So engrossed was he with the beauty of the season that he failed to see a smaller figure running towards him in the opposite direction.

"Ahhh!" Fayt felt something crashing into him the moment he heard the cry and with a shout of surprise, he stumbled and fell, unable to regain his footing after the impact. "Geez…Do your eyes grow on the back of your head or something?"

"Sorry about that…" Fayt turned to face a girl. She was petite, for one, and her skin seemed rather dark, something which would cause him to dismiss the possibility of it being tanned. Her whitish-pink hair was tired back in two high ponytails, giving her the look of a cute middle school girl, coupled with the school uniform.

Fayt stood up quickly and offered his hand to her. "I didn't see where I was going. Can you stand? Are you injured anywhere?" Even as he asked, though, he could plainly see that the girl had little intention of answering him, but took his hand and stood up in a daze, looking at him in a strange way. Now that he took a good look at the dark-skinned female, Fayt could see that there was an obvious difference in age between them, and yet the uniform she was donning was the same as what Maria had on when he first saw her.

So she attends the same academy…I wonder what- He jolted when the girl hugged him and giggled. "Err…Is there anything wrong?"

"I've found you!"

Fayt scratched his head, his gut feeling stirring uneasily. "…Found me?"

"The man of my dreams!"

Only Heaven knew what Cliff was thinking apparently, as the first reaction to the students in the classroom was that of shock or surprise when he entered. He waved and grinned, hoping that it would at least hide any embarrassment shown on his face for yet another failed attempt at getting a girl's number and plopped down on his seat unceremoniously.

Fayt sure is late…Even though the bell hasn't rung, he should be here by now.

As if on cue, a familiar head of azure hair appeared at the doorway. Cliff watched in consternation when it was apparent that his friend was struggling with something.

"Hey, can you let go of me now? Classes are about to start, after all."

"You'll come, won't you?"

"Yeah, don't worry." Cliff could seem him smile at someone from his seat. Apparently the person had been clinging on to him rather tightly, as some of the other students entering the classroom stared specifically in Fayt's direction. When he was finally free to enter, the blue-haired Swordsman let out a sigh.

"Morning." Cliff waved casually.

"…" Fayt looked at him suspiciously for several seconds. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about? I'd never gloat over what appears to be a misfortune to one of my best friends."

Fayt glared at him as best as he could, but the burly blonde simply replied with a grin of perfect innocence. "…Don't laugh when I tell you."

"What do you take me for, a bastard audience? Let's hear it."

"…I was on my way to get back to Sophia, when I bumped into this girl."

"Uh-huh."

"Then she started clinging on to me and-"

"Well done, Fayt! You snagged yourself another babe." Cliff slapped him hard on the back, causing him to gasp. "So what does she look like?"

"She's tanned, with white hair tinted with a dash of pink, purple eyes…"

"Ohh..."

"…And she looks to be about 12 or 13."

Silence greeted him as his friend stared at him incredulously. When he finally did speak up, though, Cliff's voice sounded strained.

"So you're telling me the same person who's been stopping you from entering the classroom is the…brat you're talking about?"

Fayt nodded, and after a short pause, Cliff began to shiver which seemingly escalated into convulsions.

"Hey, are you all right?" Fayt leaned over to see what was happening, only for a red-faced Cliff to burst out into bouts of laughter.

"I-I can't believe it! Just about any girl will do for you, eh?"

"Wha-"

"You damned loli-con you! I can't believe you'd have that kind of a hobby. Looks like I've been wrong about you all this while."

"W-What the hell are you talking about?! She was the one who latched on to me! Don't be so goddamned loud about something that doesn't make sense in the first place, idiot!"

"Too late." Fayt winced and he turned to see everyone currently in the class looking at him in either shock or amusement. To make matters worse, Maria had just returned from the washroom and stood in the doorway with eyes widened in surprise.

"I-It's not what you think!" Fayt frantically tried to defend himself. To his surprise, though, most of his classmates simply laughed or giggled. "Eh?"

"Don't worry, Fayt. We all know Cliff's full of nonsense whenever he's in class, so we hardly bother to believe whatever crap that comes out of his mouth." Fayt turned to face a pretty blonde with inquisitive green eyes. "Welch Vineyard. Pleased to meet you."

"Th-The pleasure is mine." Fayt subconsciously took her outstretched hand and shook it robotically, still somewhat baffled by the turn of events. His misty expression earned him a laugh from his new friend.

"I know you just transferred here, so just to allay your worries, most, if not all of the class here has taken a liking to you."

"They have?" Fayt scratched his head in embarrassment as well as surprise. It's only been two days, and if what Welch says is true…

"Sure they have! Especially the girls." Welch leaned in the whisper in his ear and grinned as she saw his face starting to take on a pink hue. "Oh, it does seem you're a little popular with some of the guys too."

"What? You can't mean…"

She giggled at the panicky expression on his face. "No, no…That wasn't what I meant. What I really meant was that there are those looking for a challenge in swordsmanship and they could be interested in sparring with you. It's all about competition and rivalry when it comes to Swordsmen, apparently."

"I had no idea…" Fayt smiled nervously. Even if those interested in him were not what he thought they were, having people bearing down on you every once in a while could be tiring. Nothing of this sort happened in his previous school, so he had to be prepared.

"And speaking of interest…" Welch leaned in so close to his face that Fayt almost stumbled back. "What is it that's between you and the new girl?"

"Huh?"

Her expression grew thoughtful. "Well, only a couple of people have seen the both of you together outside the principal's office from before. Rumor has it that both of you were talking like good friends…"

Fayt seemingly relaxed and shrugged it off. "I-It's just rumors. Neither of us really knew each other in the first place, but I just talked to her because she was the first person I met in this school."

The girl sighed and straightened. "How boring…I was hoping for something a little more interesting, like perhaps whether the two of you had really met before in your childhood days. It would make such an interesting story!"

"Hahh…"

"It seems like you don't really know much about her." Cliff spoke up as soon as the blonde girl walked off. "Relax, man. It was a joke on my part. Anyone who saw that little commotion at the doorway could tell that you weren't exactly a willing party."

Fayt looked at him suspiciously. "…Alright. What did you mean about not knowing her?"

"See here, Welch Vineyard is one of our top students in mechanics. Apparently she seems to have a thing for technology…But has always been terrible with combat and weaponry. The important thing is she's the president of the news club."

"So that would explain why she was so interested in my relationship with Maria." Fayt muttered. Strange people all around…I really do have to be careful-

"Your relationship with whom?" Fayt jumped, and turned to face the said female, her stoic expression somehow unnerving.

Then again, Fayt always felt somewhat uncomfortable around her.

"N-No one?"

"…Okay…Loli-con."

Fayt felt his cheeks heat up immediately. "B-But that-it isn't what you think!"

She shrugged, as though she had done nothing wrong in assuming so. "If you say so." With that, she sat down and looked straight ahead, bent on ignoring the boy beside her.

Fayt sighed in frustration. Some girls are just so hard to figure out…

The Field was once again a hive of activity, as soon as the administration matters in Homeroom were over and done with. Fayt was puzzled at the dwindled number of people, though, and thought to inquire about it.

"It's not big of a deal. First of all, the crowd yesterday could be attributed mostly to the number of contestants. Now that the first rounds are over, plenty of participants are already out. The second point would be the fact that there are considerably less supporters."

"Less supporters?"

Welch grinned. "That's right. Having established relationships with their underclassmen, some of the participants here have had supporters from them. It's too bad for them that only we get the day off, considering most of the participants here are from our year."

"Those are some pretty interesting traditions." Fayt observed aloud. He watched as the platforms were being set into place, and the second round went underway. He looked on in wonder, though, as the various stages set for battle seemed to warp and transform every time the same class of opponents went up against each other.

"That is what they call 'maximizing one's potential in the best suited environment'." Fayt turned to see Nel standing just behind him as well as Cliff a little behind her with a curious-looking bruise on his cheek. Between him and Nel's clenched right fist, Fayt knew better than to ask. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

"So when are you going up?" He asked casually, not really expecting an answer from the Runist.

"…In a few moments. After this round, we'll be heading into the third and quarter-final rounds."

"That's pretty fast."

"It's to be expected. Many just simply drop out due to the amount of fatigue they accumulate. Another reason would be they rather place their cards on the team battles, especially if it's to go with practicality more than prestige."

"That would make sense." Fayt stroked his chin thoughtfully, but stopped as the sound of gunshots was heard. "Come to think of it, it's her turn, isn't it?"

"She didn't want us to watch."

Cliff grinned, the expression on his face akin to that of a child thinking of doing something mischievous. "But neither did she say we couldn't. Besides, even if we were to be found out, we have this fella here to help us." He slung an arm over Fayt's shoulder and grinned at him.

"What?!?"

"Don't be so cold, old friend. At least she's more or less familiar with you."

"Familiar?" Fayt looked at him questioningly, not liking the tone Cliff had adopted.

He sighed in mock sadness. "That would mean I'd have to pass the honorable mantle of being the tormented to you. Seems like she found a new plaything in you."

"P-Plaything?!"

The burly blonde continued to smile widely while pushing his friend towards the platform where Maria's duel commenced. "Don't worry about a thing; I'm sure you'll feel right at home once the 'torture' begins." With a final, hard push, Cliff sent Fayt stumbling towards the male-oriented crowd and sped off.

"H-Hey! Wait!" He cried out, but Cliff had already disappeared. He sighed, trying to organize his thoughts. "What am I suppose to do now…?"

"Stay and watch?" Fayt almost jumped three feet into the air and whipped around to face the redhead. "What?"

"Don't just appear behind me like that…"

Nel blinked innocently. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No…Never mind…" Is it just me, or is everyone whom I've met so far weird…? With little choice but to comply, Fayt turned his eyes to the dueling stage.

The environment that materialized was that of a metallic maze, though the center of it all was an open space, presumably the only spot where both Gunslingers could take potshots at each other with less difficulty. Other than that, pillars and walls of various shapes and sizes dotted the terrain, and none giving an easy time for either contestant to get a clean shot at the other. It certainly was a difficult playing ground, and Fayt was pretty sure only the best would be able to minimize the disadvantages to them.

Sweeping his glance across the platform, he could see Maria's face etched with concentration, her lips set in a stern line and her eyes full of vigor. It was the first time he ever saw her in a fight, and somehow she exuded an aura of quiet confidence which he found rather attractive.

What the hell am I thinking? I'm here to watch her, not get anymore opinions about her! He shook his head furiously.

"What's wrong?" Nel asked. Though it was a simple, innocent question, Fayt could still detect the underlying slyness in her tone and he simply straightened up to answer her with a frown.

"Nothing."

"It isn't a crime to stare, you know…Though I'm pretty sure some girls might get offended." Now she was wearing a smile on her face, and an amused one at that. Fayt felt the heat on his face for the second time in a morning and opened his mouth to retort, only to close it again.

"Shut up and watch." He finally returned weakly and turned away from her, determined to ignore any sign of teasing or smart remarks from his female friend. Nel simply shrugged and watch the Gunslinger in action.

Maria was in a state of intense concentration, as Fayt had so aptly put in his thoughts. The terrain was harder than she expected it to be, but judging from how quickly the fights ended yesterday, the committee had perhaps thought that a little challenge would make things more interesting.

Her opponent was a blonde female who, despite her countenance and disposition when they exchanged 'pleasantries' earlier, might be a tough opponent to fight. Looks can be deceiving, after all. She had never bothered to learn her name, though.

Just as the counter on the projected screen reached zero, she sprang into action, un-holstering her gun and firing a couple of warning shots to test how her opponent would react. It was as though she read her movements, and simply moved behind an artificial wall to take cover. Maria was slightly impressed. She had somehow read her movements and moved quickly to null her attack. Just as the bluenette was able to take a look, two bullets zipped by, taking off a few looser strands of her hair. Maria cursed herself for being careless. This wasn't a fight between Swordsmen, where it might take more than one hit to take the opponent down; this was a gunfight, and a single bullet taken to any part of the body might well mean that she would be out of the game. Of course, the Academy would never allow real bullets, just plastic ones. Still, Maria knew they hurt enough to leave bruises over the body if she was not careful enough.

Another bullet clipped the edge of the column she was hiding herself behind, and Maria began to move again, crouching low and rolling over to the next cover. Another two bullets scraped the ground near her, and Maria could almost feel a smile creeping onto her face.

Judging from the intervals between her firing and the time when she shoots, it would be safe to say that she's no risk taker. A conventional sharpshooter-Takes no chances, attempts to make the most out of their shots and careful. Their best abilities-and the main reason why some of them fail.

Peeking out slightly, Maria's instincts took over. It was all that was needed to bait her opponent. Three more shots rang out and chipped a few more bits of imaginary concrete off the low wall she has hiding behind. She moved, but winced slightly as the third bullet grazed her skin. It would take more than that to stop her, however, as her plan kicked into motion. Because of the fact that her opponent's gun was a standard model, the seventh bullet out would mean that she had to reload, and Maria grabbed the chance immediately.

Let's finish this. She fired off a few shots, forcing her adversary to take cover hastily and another two more shots as she circled the cover. By the time she was done, the reloading should have been completed…But what she had were five more bullets-and the element of surprise.

Just as she was about the reach the other end of the wall, Maria sprang out low, and an audible gasp could be heard when her opponent managed to spot her out of the corner of her eye. Her left hand came away from the pistol and grabbed another hidden one, something which only mildly surprised Maria. For Gunslingers, the lack in true melee weapons meant that they had to have a second line of defense. Usually that would mean learning martial arts-or having a spare weapon at hand which is easy to handle and fire at close range.

Maria smiled grimly, and with unmistakable precision, fired two shots. The first bullet numbed her opponent's left hand by hitting her wrist, while the other blew the small revolver away. That gave her time to draw back her right hand and fire, however, and the bluenette winced again as a searing pain came to her left leg. With little hesitation despite her sustained injury, she leapt forward on her right foot and tackled her disgruntled opponent to the ground, subsequently pinning her right arm to the ground with her left hand and pointing her own weapon at her opponent, with the muzzle directly positioned on her forehead. The whole place darkened for a bit, and the familiar surroundings came into view as the darkness lifted.

"Victor: Maria Traydor." was displayed on the screen, earning more groans than cheers. Apparently the person she had dueled with was a popular student among her peers. She sighed and stood up unsteadily, even though the pain in her leg had dulled to nothing more than a throbbing sting, it was nevertheless incapacitating.

"Good fight." Her opponent smiled, and put out her right hand. Maria looked at her in some surprise, but smiled quickly and shook the outstretched hand with her own. "Maria Traydor, is it? Do consider joining the archery club."

She blinked. "Isn't archery different from shooting a gun?"

Her opponent smiled. "It's merged, so don't worry about it. By the way, I'm Esther Vilentras. I'll be looking forward to your initiation." With a casual wave, she walked off the stage and for one of the first times ever, Maria felt an indescribable warmth glowing inside of her, something she had not felt since-

"Maria!" A familiar voice rang out, and the warmth disappeared, only to be replaced by irritation and mild frustration. "Are you all right?"

She attempted to walk to him, but winced as soon as her left foot took a step forward. "…I'm okay…" She said slowly, but contrary to her words, she found herself falling towards her left-

Only to find her fall stopped, specifically by a strong hand on her left shoulder. She looked up in undisguised surprise at Fayt, who had a worried look on his face.

"And you said you were okay. We've seen you getting shot in the leg, and you can hardly stand. Even your leg's shaking." True to his word, Maria felt her left leg quivering slightly now that her adrenaline rush was gone.

"But-"

"No buts. We're going to support you along to the infirmary, whether you like it or not." With that, the other bluenette shifted to her left side and slung her arm over his shoulder, to which she resisted and frowned at.

"You can't just decide everything by yourself! What are you doing here in the first place, anyway?"

Fayt had enough. He glared back at her with as much indignation as he could muster and shot back, "And who told you that you could decide everything by yourself as well? I just came to see how you're doing because I feel like it. Besides…" He looked away and lowered his voice. "Besides, I can't just leave you alone. You're the person I meet in this school after all, and we'll be fighting together as a team later on, anyway." He finished lamely.

Maria's eyes widened further. If he was trying to hide all manner of concern for her, the Swordsman was terrible at doing so. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as the last word left his mouth, but she did not know what to make of it either. Was he just showing concern as a teammate, or perhaps…

"What an idiot…"

Fayt blinked. "Did you say something?"

Maria simply ignored his question and straightened up. "Do you even know where the infirmary is?"

The question seemed to erode the serious expression off of his face almost immediately, as he first turned thoughtful, then sheepish. "I guess I'm not that familiar with this place yet…"

She sighed. "Didn't Lieber show us around in the first place?"

"Sorry."

"Can't be helped, I guess…I'll guide you there."

"Thanks."

"…Am I the one being helped or am I doing the helping here…?" She frowned at him as they moved forward together, to which he responded with a sheepish smile. She did not know why, but it almost seemed as though she was able to talk to him properly. Fayt Leingod was either a simple-minded fool who loved to show off, or he was just simply being an honest and helpful person to a fault.

"You really are a…"

"Huh?"

She allowed herself a small smile, but only to herself. "Never mind."

By the time Cliff had finished talking with yet another girl, Nel had arrived-Alone.

"Where's Fayt?"

"Oh," The redhead could not help but smirk. "He's with Maria. Seems like she sustained an injury in her match. Apparently Esther was better than I thought."

"The vice-captain of the joint-archery club? Holy crap…Maria's got it tough."

"She won."

Cliff scratched his head. "Well now, that's a surprise."

"You don't seem surprised." Nel stated nonchalantly. It would be good to at least know a little more about one of the people she would be working with in time.

"Not really. I've known her to be pretty strong, and to be able to take care of herself in most situations." Cliff blinked as realization came to him. "You mean she didn't try to decapitate Fayt for being there?"

"She did reprimand him for that, but he countered it."

Cliff's eyes turned as wide as saucers. "Countered? Him…?" He scratched his head, as though it was a most difficult concept to process in his brain. He floundered a bit, and could only come up with one word.

"Wow…"

Nel looked at him incredulously. "Is she really all that terrible?"

"…You don't want to know…" Cliff shivered for good measure. "That aside, what are you doing here? Don't you have a match soon?"

The Runist waved his question aside nonchalantly. "Oh, my opponent forfeited because of previous injuries, and the next one's sick, so she won't be participating."

"I wonder…" Cliff pondered aloud. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have a dangerous babe along in the party, after all. A scary woman is as good as not being a potential target for flirting.

"What?"

"Nothing!" He put up a cheery face. "It's nice to be free for a change."

"Free? You mean to say-"

Cliff whistled a cheery tune as Nel began to follow him. "It was easy stuff. I haven't been meeting any strong opponents for a long time already, anyway."

"No one as strong as me?" A female voice, strong as it is crystal clear rang out, freezing Cliff in his tracks. "I didn't think your ego would have inflated to the extent of thinking in that way."

"M-Mirage." He managed to sputter out weakly. Nel turned to look at the newcomer, who was clad in a navy blue turtleneck with white lining down the zipper in front, with a matching skirt reaching to her mid-thigh to match and a black jacket worn over her outfit. She was positively stunning, as Nel had observed, but not the kind of beauty one would find in a high school prom queen or a supermodel; it was an attractiveness which did nothing to hide the strength she seemed to exude.

"How's life in the academy so far, Cliff? I hope you haven't been making too much trouble." She smiled at Cliff sweetly. From the point of view of onlookers, it was a simple and purely friendly expression, but only the latter knew what would be coming to him if he tried to be funny.

"I-It's not bad…Even my theory studies are improving."

"Is that so? I didn't know you could do that while out playing the fool with the lecturers." There was no mistaking the glint in her eyes now. Even Nel could see that she was rather annoyed by the male blonde Pugilist and could barely suppress a grin from spreading out on her face. It would be fun watching the gung-ho Cliff getting disciplined by a woman, of all people.

"I guess our last duel didn't leave a good impression on you." She continued, cracking her knuckles threateningly. Beads of sweat could now be seen on Cliff's face as he laughed nervously. "You want another go at it? I've got lots of time, anyway."

"H-Haven't you been busy with work, Mirage?"

She shrugged. "Took the day off…and I intend to enjoy it as much as I can."

"T-Then why not talk to the students here?" Cliff smiled widely and turned to push Nel in front of him. "I believe some of them might need your advice on the theoretical studies, after all."

A surprised Nel turned and glared at him, to which Cliff simply replied with an expression of begging. The Runist sighed. "You owe me one."

A quick nod was all she got from him as he sauntered off quickly. As soon as he was out of earshot, Nel grinned and turned to Mirage, who looked none too amused with the turn of events.

"Hello there. I'm Nel Zelphyr. What's your relationship with him?"

"It's a long story, Nel…"

Author's Note: I believe I might have disappointed several people again with this sort of ending, though it's more of a 'new meetings and interaction between characters' chapter. Haven't been in the best of moods lately, and feeling rather tired nowadays. Still, I'll keep it up for as long as I draw breath. Thanks to all who read and especially to those who review it as well. Till then!