Hey everyone! So this was done almost a week ago, but I was trying to find a good place to cut it off. This one-shot quickly turned into a two-shot, and now it is going to be at least a three-shot. Hopefully, it'll stop by then so I can finish my Boundaries update that has been just staring at me for the past month and a half...

Enjoy!

He should have thought about this a lot harder. The thought of the festival taking place on this particular street didn't cross his mind. While for many, this street was just a stone road that lead to the famous Clock Tower Plaza, for him it was one of many figurative memory lanes.

A memory of happier times long past sprung up as he was pulled from stall to stall by the elf, one where she did the very same thing years ago. They had come to this very street to enjoy a small festival put on by the local businesses and residents when he had a day off from his mercenary company. She had dragged him from stand to stand to sample food, play games and occasionally put funny hats on his head.

This was no different. Rena had the same laugh, the same look in her eyes, and the same smile as she did that day. And even though the crowd was much thinner now, due to the fact that the city was under demonic attack, the atmosphere of the event was also the same: joyous.

But Raven could sense the desperation behind the smiling faces. The people knew this would likely be their last chance to have a moment like this before the demons would take it away. So they choose to enjoy what they could before then. Was his companion thinking the same thing?

Stealing a glance at the Grand Archer, he watched her carefully, searching for any sign of that urgency in her eyes. She caught him staring at him out of the corner of his eye and gave him a small smile. "Is there something wrong, Raven?"

Is there something wrong, Raven?

He averted his eyes to a mask on the stand that resembled a lizardman. "No, nothing is wrong…"

He was lying of course. She did the same thing many years back, and the elf recreating that scene inevitably led to him remembering those happy times…

And that nightmare; the one where he watched her die in his arms, along with Rena. Biting his lip, he tried to force the nightmare to a distant corner of his mind when Rena's face appeared just inches from his.

"Raven…" The sudden close proximity and the breath of her voice caressing his cheek gave him a start, causing him to take two unconscious steps back from her. Her eyes widened in surprise at his reaction and her eyebrows kneaded worriedly.

Realizing he was only making things worse, he gave a nervous cough. "Please don't do that again. I thought you were an enemy for a second…" he lied once again. He was hoping that perhaps this excuse would serve to at least stop her from invading his personal space.

And from how she was hanging her head, it seemed to work. "I'm sorry, Raven." Normally, she would have poked fun at him for his reaction, saying that there was no need for him to be shy or the like. But she was being awfully submissive today. And that worried him a bit.

So he relented. "No, don't worry about it, Rena. It's just…" He searched for the words. "With the demons just over that wall, I guess I'm a bit on edge." Rena met his eyes with her own, the elf likely deciding whether to believe him or not.

"I suppose that makes sense." It looked like she bought it, as she put on a sunny smile and beckoned for him to follow her down the street. "Well, that's why we're here, isn't it? To remember what we're trying to protect." Leave it to Rena to always find the silver lining. Even with the looming demon threat, she found a reason to forget it and push past the terror.

Could he, too?

He followed her for a distance, before noticing a familiar, smoking stall across the street. "Rena, hold up a moment," he called and she spun on her heel to face him. As he walked over, she followed him, her nose picking up a scent she'd never experienced before.

"What is it?" she asked as she sniffed the air.

"This stall sells grilled foodstuffs. Vegetables, meat, you name it, they can grill it," he explained, earning him an impressed "Oh" from the Grand Archer. Stepping up he called out to the man handling the grill, "Excuse me."

The young boy manning the front hopped up from the overturned box that was his chair. "How are you good sir? What can we get… you…?" The kid trailed off as he laid eyes on Rena, who was inspecting the stall with undisguised interest. Apparently, he had never seen an elf before, or perhaps even a woman as beautiful as the archer.

Raven gave a slight shake of the head to get that last thought out of his head. He could appreciate her looks another time. "I'll take a meat skewer with some peppers and onions. She'll be taking…" Looking to Rena, he silently urged her to place an order.

"Oh! Sorry, I've never seen anything like this before…" Rena giggled. "Um… I guess I'll just have as many vegetables as you can fit on one?" She smiled at the boy, whose face flared up like the grill.

Not even taking his eyes off her, he called to the cook. "Hey, dad, one meat with peppers and onions and one veggie!" He then fell silent as he continued to stare at the elf, who no longer noticed as she went back to watching the grill master cook up their food.

The man called over his shoulder, "You got it! Coming right up!" Rena's nose twitched and her ears perked up excitedly as the aroma of grilled vegetables tickled her nostrils. Raven stifled a chuckle as he watched her eagerly wait. It was like watching a child waiting for their ice cream.

It didn't take long for the grill master to finish their order and bring it to the front. But he withheld the morsels and shot a questioning look to his son, who was still staring at Rena. "Ahem." The sound startled the boy and he looked to his father. The man nodded his head towards the duo and looked at the kid expectantly. When the boy tilted his head questioningly, the father let out a sigh and turned to Raven with the same look.

"Ah, right. Sorry about that," Raven apologized as he fished through his pants pocket with his right hand. Once he withdrew his coin pouch he carefully undid the knot with his claw and extracted a couple gold ED coins. But just as he was getting ready to hand over the payment…

"Do I know you…?" When Raven looked back at the cook, he noticed that he was staring at him with narrowed eyes, as if he were on the verge of remembering something.

A chill crawled up the Blade Master's spine. He had been so caught up in the moment that he failed to realize that this was the same man who served her and him just over two years ago. If he recognized him, then…

"Uh… Er… I don't know." He swallowed hard to suppress another memory that was creeping up.

"I think this is the first time we met…" He remembered how she and he conversed with this man – was Tobias his name? – over their skewers for a good hour because Raven was trying to get some pointers on how to grill. She had stood by patiently, entertaining the bored son as the two men had rambled on and on.

And then the nightmare returned. Her and Rena's pale, slack faces appeared in his mind's eye, staring at him with empty gazes. He had to leave. Now.

"Here." He quickly pushed the coins into the man's pockets and snatched the skewers from his hands. "Thank you." Shoving Rena's food into her hands, he quickly excused himself and briskly walked back down the street.

"Ah, Ra-" Rena started to call out to him, but quickly turned back to the stunned cook and his son to give a gracious bow and thanks. Chasing after the Blade Master, gently gripped his human wrist. "Raven, what happened back there? Did you recognize that man?"

Fighting back the terrifying images in his mind, he gave her a hard look. "It doesn't matter…" he seethed, perhaps too harshly. Slightly shocked by his hostility, she released his hand quickly and gasped.

"Ah… I'm…" she started to form an apology, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, Rena. I don't mean to lash out." He mentally chastised himself for practically wearing his heart on his sleeve. "Maybe coming out here was not the best idea…" He hoped that she would take it to mean that the demons were putting him on edge, not her.

"… It really worries you, doesn't it?" She bought it. "Perhaps it was foolish of me to ask you to come with me…" she trailed off, her ears beginning to droop.

This wasn't working. Everything, even the small things, reminded him of her which would then lead back to that terrifying figure that died in his arms last night. He needed to get away from this elf before he suffered a psychotic episode or something.

But he couldn't leave her feeling down like this. It just didn't feel right. "Rena…" He almost whispered and she lifted her crestfallen face to him. "I think I'll head back once I finish this…" He shook his skewer lightly so she would see.

Her spring green eyes shifted to the object, drawn to the motion. "I see… I suppose that may be best…" Her mouth turned up into a sad smile as she eyed her own snack before looking back to the Blade Master. "Please forgive me, Raven. I just…" Just as she was about to finish, her eyes turned the road again. Raven narrowed his eyes curiously at her, waiting for her to finish.

But she never did. Her eyes wandered behind him, perhaps seeking a change of topic. Something must've caught her attention at that point because her drooping ears perked up excitedly and the sad look on her face brightened with a smile. "Sorry Raven, we can talk about that later. Let's take a look at that over there!" She walked briskly past him and took her first bite of her skewered vegetables. "Mmmm! Thish ish ser gerd!"

Raven was taking a bite of his own at that moment and nearly choked on his grilled beef.

"Re-Rena…" he coughed, stifling a chuckle. "Do you have to talk with your mouth full?" He had never seen her behave so… giddily before. Sure she brightened the group's days with her sunny disposition, but that was because she exuded this… aura. When she was around, it was like you didn't have to try to smile. Her mere presence warmed your heart. Her words soothed your soul.

Her smile… Was so much like hers; Bright, calming, genuine and just… happy.

And how it shined; shining so brightly that the nightmare didn't surface. The only thing he could see in front of him and in his mind was Rena's smile.

And her's…

While he wasn't remembering the nightmare, other memories sprang up; one where he watched her wake on their first day as an engaged couple. He remembered as she stirred, and how she smiled when she found him kneeling at the foot of the bed. He remembered how they exchanged their first "good morning" as fiances and how they ate breakfast together. He remembered how…

How much he missed her.

He forgot that he was walking by the elf's side until her gasp snapped him awake.

"Raven, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing, Rena."

"But, you're…"

"Hm?" She was staring at his face in shock. Confused, he brought his right hand to his face, moving his skewer to his left hand. And he felt something that shouldn't be there under his eyes: water.

No, tears.

Was he crying? Why was he crying? Why was he crying in front of Rena?

"Ah…" he breathed. He didn't feel like he was actually crying. He wasn't a sobbing mess or stifling cries of sorrow. He quickly wiped his eyes dry with his sleeve. "Sorry, Rena. I… I have no idea what came over me."

He looked down at the ground in embarrassment, so he didn't notice her hand until it gently caressed his face. "Raven, I know I shouldn't pry, but…" He craned his neck to look her in the face. "I can't help but think that something is wrong."

His breath hitched. "Ever since this morning you have been upset. Even angry."

Stop…

"I don't know what is wrong and I only want to help."

Please stop…

"But I am almost certain that it is because of last night, when you scre-"

Raven…

He slapped her hand away. "Rena! Ple-"

"Um… Excuse me, Mister. Miss…" Just as the nightmare surfaced again Raven was about to lash out, but he was interrupted by a small voice.

The duo looked down slightly to find a young girl, no older than twelve, garbed in a ragged one piece dress. She was fidgeting with a couple of handmade flower crowns in her hands, averting her eyes shyly.

"Um… Would… would you…" she trailed off before sucking in a deep breath. "Wouldyoulikeoneofthese!?"

Her eyes squeezed shut as she held out the little crowns to the duo. Rena stared at the girl for a moment before kneeling down with a small smile.

"These look lovely, dear. Let me ask my friend if he would like one." She turned to Raven, an expectant look in her eyes.

But the Blademaster was already walking away, and quite quickly at that. "Ah, Raven!" The elf quickly looked to the girl and back to her friend, biting the bottom of her lip. "I'm sorry, little one," was all she could afford to say before she lost sight of Raven around the corner.

Bolting after him, she caught up to the former mercenary as he rounded the corner. "Raven! What is wrong?" she asked, her hand reaching for his right arm.

"Nothing. Leave me be," he shot back, pulling his limb away from her reach.

Rena sucked in a small breath, her eyes narrowing. "This isn't nothing, Raven. You've been acting off all day. What's wrong?"

"Fine then. It isn't nothing. But it isn't something you need to know. Now leave me be." He shot a hot glare in her direction. His frustration and anger were at the boiling point. If she said one more thing…

She pressed her mouth into a thin line, probably debating whether to continue probing him. And he soon heard the answer.

"Raven, I know I'm probably over overstepping my boundaries here, but I cannot leave this be. I can't leave you be." She looked into his eyes with a soft gaze, a warm, welcoming, yet forced, smile on her lips. "So please, tell me, does this have to do with last ni-"

Raven…

"JUST SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE YOU EL-FORSAKEN, NAGGING LONG-EAR!"

Then came the silence. Not even a gasp.

The elf stared at her companion in utter shock. Never before had he said such a thing. "Long-ear" was almost an insult of the highest disrespect towards an elf. To be called one by him…

Broke her heart.

Her ears drooped so steeply they nearly ran parallel to her neck. Her face fell and her head turned to face the ground.

Raven barely caught the quiet "I'm sorry" before she passed him briskly, turned the corner and finally left him alone...

Just in case you don't know much about Raven's backstory, his late fiance, Seris, looked very much like Rena. Of course without the ears. But my portrayal of Raven's coping with his loss is something that he prefers to avoid. This is why instead of writing "Seris" I use she and her. He doesn't want to remember how much it hurt to lose Seris, so he unconsciously forgets her name in an attempt to forget the pain. This inadvertently causes him to remember his loss even more strongly. But he believes that he is trying to forget and move on. This vicious cycle ensures that as long as he dwells on the pain of his loss, he will never move forward.

Anyways, as always, reviews are very helpful in keeping me not only motivated, but allow me to improve my skills as a writer. Please Read and Review. Until next time!