Chapter 3

"Yuuno? Hey Yuuno! It's almost closing time." Arf called out to her boss. Said man simply nodded his head, too immerged with his work. Sneaking behind him, the familiar tries to get a look at whatever is it he's working on.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Organizing the information we got from an … informant." Yuuno replied.

"Oh right. That trip with Chrono?" Arf raised an eyebrow. While the trip wasn't secret, it destination and content were, only that they had went and met someone and that the reason was due to a recent excavation.

"Yes"

Arf knew that Yuuno wouldn't say anything more than that, so she decided to leave. Before she exit the room though, she decided to throw one last tease.

"Be sure to visit this secret girlfriend of yours tomorrow, okay?"

Apparently, that got Yuuno attention as she heard a loud thud. Cackling slightly, Arf skipped away.

- Back with Yuuno -

"Damn it…" Yuuno groaned. He was starting to levitate himself when Arf surprised him with that phrase. The result: He had ended up crashing on the ground.

Rising to his feets, Yuuno made a mental note to get back at her later. Ever since he started his frequent visits to the Hospital (or more accurately, visiting Due, his mind helpfully supplied), the wolf-girl has taken to teasing him about this new 'girlfriend' of his.

Deciding to finish things up, Yuuno reexamine everything in the Library. Satisfied with his work, Yuuno punch in the security code before leaving.

Stretching his shoulders, Yuuno glances at his watch. It reads 7:06 PM.

"Well, looks like I still got some time" Yuuno muttered under his breath. Calling a taxi, he told it to head for the same place he had visited a few night back.

- Memorial Hospital -

As soon as they saw him, the guards stand aside to allow him entrance. While their faces remained stoic, he noticed that one of them is trying to hide a smirk.

'They probably made a bet about me again' Yuuno though to himself as he opens the door. This wouldn't be the first time they did so, and probably won't be the last

The first thing he notices is that the TV wasn't on. The second thing was Due sleeping form on the floor, the book he had bought for her lying nearby.

'She must have fallen asleep while reading it.' Chuckling to himself, Yuuno picks up the book and placed it on the bed. As he looks back at her, he determines his course of actions. Lifting her up by the arms would cause discomfort for her, not to mention possibly disturb her slumber. By the leg is out of the question. So that left…

'No one must ever EVER find out about this' This is the though that went through Yuuno's mind as he pick the blond haired assassin up. Bridal style.

With the way her head leans against him, her blond hair cascading down like a golden waterfall, and how she is dressed in a hospital gown only, coupled with the gentle moonlight illuminating the room, this image would definitely cause mass amount of misunderstanding if anyone ever see this. Thankfully, no one will.

(What Yuuno didn't know was that Chrono has secretly installed a hidden camera in the room using his authority as Admiral, with the excuse of "watching a possible hostile". As such, this highly romantic image was later used in a bestselling novel, a love story about an assassin and a scholar)

Gently placing her on the bed, Yuuno notices just how different she looked. Instead of a teasing leer or a mad grin, her face has settled into a gentle smile. To him, she looked – Yuuno gulped – beautiful.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Yuuno decided to leave, as he'd rather not disturb her sleep.

"Sweet dream, Due." Yuuno whispered as he drape the bedsheet over her body, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Smiling, he close the windows then exit the room.

"Leaving early, professor?" the guard that tried to hide his smirk asked him.

"Yes. She's sleeping, and it would be rude of me to disturb her."

They both nodded at him, before their face return to its stoic mask.

- Due's room -

Opening one eye, Due scans the room. After making sure that no one else is here, Due sat up, her hand idly playing with the same strand that Yuuno has swiped away earlier. She was glad that the room was dark, otherwise her blush would be obvious to whoever come in.

'What is wrong with me?' She silently asked herself. She had woke up when she felt him lifting her up. But instead of letting him know that she was awake, she found herself enjoying the feeling too much to protest.

When they first met, Due honestly though the boy was cute, but she also though that he looked pathetic. When he saved her, she felt slight gratitude for his actions. And ever since then, she had sort of developed an attachment to the blond archeologist.

Her first impression of him was that of a stubborn fool. He kept visiting her, even after all the death threats she makes at him. After failing for the 5th time, she finally asked him why he saved. His answer baffled her.

"Because it's the right thing to do"

He said that he hated to see life being spend needlessly, and that seeing as he's the one who saved her, he have a responsibility to her until she's well enough. She was tempted to call him an idiot, but seeing as thanks to that idiot she is still alive, she kept her mouth shut.

At first, she honestly though that his kindness was a mask, like what she wore. But spending more time with him makes her realizes that he really IS that kind. She find it strangely endearing, and without knowing it, she had started to show her true self to him. She didn't even know she had one.

Closing her eyes, she tries to tell herself that it was just gratitude to his actions, and nothing else.

As sleep take over her, her heart told her otherwise…

- Next Day -

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" Yuuno greeted as he enter.

"Good." Due replied, a curious look on her face. "And what are you doing here so early? You usually visit later."

"I need to go somewhere soon, so I though I drops by early."

"Oh, miss me that much?" Due cover her mouth demurely "I … thank you, good sir."

Yuuno felt a blush starting to form on his face. He coughed in an attempt to regain his composure.

"Anyway, how was the book?"

"It was quite good, actually. The method the villain uses to try and torture information out of the protagonist is quite inventive actively." Due replied cheerfully.

"It figures" Yuuno sighed

"Hey, it is true that you can directly affect the world with your though?" Due asked him.

"Where did that come from?" Yuuno blinked

"The book said that if you have enough practice, you can do that. So, it is true?"

"That is… I don't know. It might be true, it might be not. Personally, I find it very hard to believe."

"Hmm, why is that?"

"Well, it's just… There is no concrete proof. Most of what the book detailed is circumstantial at best, and seeing as this is a work of fiction, we don't know what is real and what is not."

"I see…"

"And what about you? What do you think, Due?" Yuuno asked her.

"Well… I think it's interesting actually"

"To each his own, then." Yuuno decided not to question her answer. Everyone has their opinions, and it's not like he can force them on her.

"Did you have a good night sleep?"

"Yeah…" It's his eyes playing tricks on him, or is she blushing?

"What's wrong? You sound hesitated."

"It's nothing. It was my dream last night. It kept bothering me"

"What did you dream about?"

"Forget it." Due scowled. "it's nothing"

"Alright, alright." Yuuno raises his hand in surrender.

Suddenly, a holoscreen appeared. Offering an apologizing smile to the ex-assassin, Yuuno opens up the communication line.

"Chrono? What did you call me for?" Yuuno turned away to try and hide his location.

"I'm free right now, so I'm taking you to Gruen." The Admiral replied instantly.

"Now?" Yuuno blinked "But it's Sunday!"

"Which is why we're going. The sooner we finish this, the sooner you can go back to enjoy your girlfriend" Apparently, his tactics didn't work.

"She's not my girlfriend!/He's not my boyfriend!" Yuuno and Due protested at the same time.

"Denial. Anyway, get ready. I'll send you the coordinates for the Claudia so you know where to go."

"Fine" Yuuno sighed.

"Sorry about this, but it seems I got to go"

"Yeah" Something hit her "Wait a sec… Isn't Gruen where Doc and the other are being kept?"

"Yes" Yuuno answered "Oh, that's right. Do you want me to pass a messages?"

"Just send them my regards."

"I will."

- Gruen 30 minutes later-

"This wasn't a scheduled meeting." Uno noted with a frown.

"Blame Chrono" Yuuno sighed "He kept insisting that he would be the one to accompany me here, and since he's free, he decided to drag me here. The sooner, the better he said"

"I see"

"Ah, right. Due send her regards." Yuuno told the 2 prisoners across from him.

"How is my daughter, Mr. Scrya?" Jail asked. Yuuno squirmed a bit. The scientist's gaze was bit too intense for his tastes.

"She is alright, Mr. Scaglietti" Yuuno replied. "She is recovering and seems to have taken an interest in reading"

"Such a curious child, that one was" Jail chuckled "Thank you, Mr. Scrya"

"It was nothing" Turning toward Uno, Yuuno noticed that she seems to be staring at him. "Shall we continue where we left off?"

"Yes" Uno opens up a holoscreen. "Artifact #20. Drugois Wheels. The chariot that King Radisakn rode out into battle"

"The Conqueror…" Yuuno muttered "A charismatic leader who believes in the power of friendship.

"Records states that every planet he conquered later considered themselves his servants. The number of territory he possessed is still unknown to this day." Uno continued

"We do have an estimation" Yuuno spoke "Recent excavation suggest that he had at least over a dozens planets under his control, perhaps more"

"But those proof that you found might not belongs to his time, but rather of those who wished to study the Conqueror'

"True" Yuuno nodded "However, if it's true, then we can also gather more information on the time. Who knows, we might even find out about the exact location of his home planet."

They continued to work like that for hour. To Uno, it was a comfortable period. Here was someone that she can freely discuss thing with. It was … refreshing, in a way. They each held a different view of the world. His is that of a hopeful optimist. Hers, a critical pessimist.

The doctor was a brilliant mind, yes, but he was a scientist first and foremost. That means that he strives on the unknown, strives to push forward. Uno, on the other hand, was more of a research. One who wishes to revise facts, theories and the likes.

Serving as Jail's secretary, she had developed a habit of double checking everything down to the smallest details. To her, her sisters's safety always came first, and more than once she had to revise many of the doctor's plan to ensure minimum casualties. He was a good planner, but time to time the Unlimited Desire get the better of him and makes him forget about that. He always apologized afterward, and for that, she and the Numbers loved him dearly.

Shaking her head slightly, she concentrated on the information exchange. The man opposite of her seems to be focused on something, his hand going from one holoscreen from the next.

"Ms Uno?" Yuuno called "You said that Artifact #15 is a spear, correct?"

"Yes." Uno nodded, pulling up the image of said weapon. "The Spear of Segbretch"

"That's strange." Yuuno commented. "Admiral Chrono's team reported that they have not seen any spear at all."

Uno frowned. As far as she remember, that spear separated from the rest of the Artifacts. Her father studied the weapon obsessively, in hope of finding something related to the Saint King. It was said that the spear was once used to stab the last Saint King, Olivie Segbretch, by one of her brother, in hope of usurping the throne. Unfortunately, all trace of DNA from the spear was lost, making it useless to Jail. Still, it was an era connected to the Saint King, and was thus kept under lock and key.

"It was kept in separate room. Basement 6, room 13. Have you checked down there yet?"

"We haven't." The Admiral spoke up. "The basement's security system was complex, and most of our hackers are currently involved in deciphering the Cradle's system. As such, we can't gain access to the lower floor"

"Hmmm…" Jail looked contemplative, before he spoke up. "Uno dear, didn't Due have have access to that place?"

"Yes doctor" Uno blinked at that. She almost forgot about her younger sister

"I doubt she want to help us" Chrono commented.

"How about I try and persuade her for you?" Jail offer's caused Chrono to glares suspiciously at the man. "In return, I would like for her to be send here after her recovery."

"It is… acceptable." After a while, Chrono relented. He may need to pulls a few strings, but he's confident that he can make it happens.

"Wonderful." The purple haired man chuckled "When can I met her?"