D new chapter. So um, yeah. Im really enjoying this, I hope you are.

But I wont know if you dont reveiw -cough cough-

Day: 9

We have left the Crimean coast behind. Now all that we see is ocean around us; though I know to the east lies the cape that would take us to Daein. That, however, is not our destination. The fact that we are truly on open water is significant in the fact that it means our adventure has truly begun. Now we touch uncharted lands.

Beyond day to day happenings, the trip has continued to be uneventful. Celeste still babies me, in the most annoying way. She sees to it that I eat every meal, and that I don't stay up too late. Am I a child? Ike seems to find the whole thing amusing; and refuses to come to my aid. I'm considering having a serious talk with him about it. I will not endure a lifetime with that winged annoyance.

Speaking of Ike, I've noticed him standing at the bow of the ship staring off into the distance often recently. He doesn't know I've seen him. I can understand that there is much on his mind; and I can't shake the feeling that there's some underlining reason why he set out on this trip. Why did he leave the Greil Mercenaries? Why did he leave Mist? It just isn't like him. There must be a reason, something more than just exploration.

I'll figure it out.

Soren.

The mage closed the diary and set it back into the drawer he kept it in. His hands rested on the table in silence as he stared forward. The cabin was quiet; that wouldn't last long. Soon enough little Celeste would pop her head in, look at him, and say…

"Soren, you should get some sleep."

Ah, speak of the devil. He turned, amber eyes rolling slightly. "Celeste, I can assure you that I am quite fine. I'm no child."

She pouted a little, the action making her look even younger . "Don't be silly, you're so young…"

"By beorc years I am an adult-"

"But you aren't beorc."

His eyes widened suddenly and he stood, a scowl lining his features. "You would be wise never to mention that again," he snapped as he pushed past her and out the door.

"Soren. Wait… I'm sorry, I didn't know…" But he wasn't listening to her. He stalked out onto the deck without a look back. She didn't follow, a fact that he was glad for. He didn't need to deal with her right now.

He supposed that he could understand how Celeste had known. She was a laguz, their senses could easily tell that he was abnormal. Putting the pieces together and coming up with the explanation that he was a branded took a bit more effort; though he guessed that that only showed that she was intelligent.

He couldn't blame her for mentioning it, and defiantly couldn't blame her for accepting it so easily. The fact that she was still talking to him, let alone being nice, should have been the biggest complement. However, his secret had to remain just that, a secret. She couldn't be so open about it like that; never again.

He sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair behind his ear and leaning out on the railing, looking at the water flowing below. The waves pushed and pulled the boat in a rhythmic motion, soothing him.

"Darkness off light,

Water of Fire,

Show your true colors to me now.

Here in this hole,

Cut off from people,

Guide us to where there is no sound."

He sung the song quietly, so quietly that none but himself could hear it. Where it was from, he did not know; he only knew that he had known of it since his childhood. It was a song sung by a woman in his dreams; a woman he could not recall. It was the first thing he had ever known, and had hummed it often as a child. As he grew and, many years later than was normal, began to talk; the words of the song returned to him.

Though he knew little of the circumstances of his birth, Soren did know his laguz blood hailed from the Dragon Tribe. It mattered little, though it no doubt meant that his life span would be much longer than most of his kind. Another thing he did not look forward to.

Amber eyes watched the waves crash against the boat, and then turned to look down the side of the ship. He was there again. Ike, standing at the bow, looking off into the distance. Placing his hands on the railing before him, the mage pushed himself up and took a few steps towards the swordsman, stopping a ways away. What was he doing anyways? From what Soren could see he was just… looking. Just staring ahead at the empty expanse of water.

For a while the mage watched the unmoving figure that was Ike. Eventually however, he turned, prepared to return to the cabin for the night. Not because Celeste wanted him to and he felt a little guilty about snapping at her, mind you, but because he was really tired. Or so he told himself.

"Soren."

He froze as the voice called out. Ike still hadn't moved, hadn't looked to see that he was there; so how had he known? "Yes, Ike?"

"Do you have a moment?"

"Of course." He approached the swordsman slowly, standing by him and looking out at the sea as he was.

"You've been standing there for some time now," Ike said, still not looking at the mage.

"Yes." He paused, and then added, "You said nothing."

"There was nothing to say, I suppose." Both were quiet, and then Soren spoke.

"Why are you here, Ike?"

The swordsman shrugged, "I enjoy watching the ocean-"

"No… why are you here? On this boat? In this place?"

"I want to explore the lands beyond Tellius," came the automatic answer.

"I find that very hard to believe," the mage said, crossing his arms and turning to the man, annoyance creasing his features.

"I don't understand."

"It isn't like you to leave your family and friends for the sake of exploration. I had never expected you to give up your father's mercenary company so easily."

Ike winced at that. "Do you disapprove of my decision?" he asked.

"No. Not particularly. But it is still uncharacteristic of you; which infers that there is another reason behind it."

Ike chuckled softly, "Ever the observant one. My father was right to hire you."

"You were the one to convince him to do so," Soren reminded him.

"Yes… yes I was," he looked back out to the sea. "Soren… You're not aging."

The young branded's heart skipped a beat, though his face didn't show it. "You noticed."

"I noticed long ago."

"I see…"

Ike turned now, sapphire eyes catching and locking with amber ones. "You were going to leave."

For a moment he was silent. "Yes."

"Because you're branded?"

Once more, "Yes."

"I knew it."

"Why is this relevant now?" the mage asked.

"It's relevant because… that's the reason I'm here."

Brows knit in confusion, "What?"

"You were planning on leaving the Greil Mercenaries, so the only way to stop you from going on your own was for me to leave… with you."

Soren's young face became blank. "So you… you left Tellius on this goose chase of a journey, to stay with me?"

"Yes."

"That is the most ill-thought out, ridiculous, stupid plan in the world." The mage's voice was blunt and cold; but Ike only smiled and chuckled slightly.

"Yes, it is. But that's not the only reason."

"Please, enlighten me further."

"There were things I couldn't do in the Greil Mercenaries that I'm free to do here," he said simply and discreetly.

"Things? What kind of things?"

"Things like… this," the swordsman's arms reached out and wrapped around Soren, pulling him in and upwards so that their lips met softly. At first the mage tensed, caught by surprise by Ike's actions, but he quickly relaxed, kissing Ike back and even placing a hand on the swordsman's cheek.

They broke apart. "I-Ike…" Soren's cheeks were flushed, so he looked down to hide his face.

The man chuckled and placed a finger under the mage's chin, lifting it up. "I've wanted to do that for a long time Soren."

"Ike…" his face were red and his heart was racing. "Again Ike…" the words spilled from his mouth without him really realizing it. "Please, again…"

The man was happy to oblige, leaning in and pressing his lips to the other's; a little more passionately this time. Soren's arms rose and wrapped around Ike's neck, pulling him closer while he stood on the tips of his toes. Again they broke apart. "Ike… I…"

"You're flustered, Soren," he said it with a laugh.

"Yes."

"What a momentous occasion, I've never seen you stumble over your own words like this."

He blushed harder, "You… caught me off guard is all."

"Even the second time?"

The mage was silent.

Once again Ike chuckled, leaning in and placing a kiss on Soren's head, where his branded marking was. "I wouldn't be able to do that in the Greil Mercenaries."

That night, after Ike had fallen asleep, Soren snuck out of bed and lit a lamp. He pulled his diary out of the drawer he hid it in and opened to a new page.

Day: 9 continued

I have returned because an event of interest has come up.

I…

He paused before going on.

I love Ike.

And I believe he loves me.

His hands shook as he wrote then, so that the handwriting was messy; but readable.

Soren.

What else was there for him to say?