"LELLOOUUU-!"

Kallen Stadfeld jolted out of bed, gun in hand. Her sheets flew from the bed and landed on the floor. Sweat poured from her face and curved on the smooth line of her jaw. She gripped the gun in both shaking hands.

No attacker in sight. Oh crap, she's so stupid.

Her bed was directly in front of the mirror and she saw what she was: a weakling dependent on her gun.

"No. No mention of He who has gone," she said, looking steadily at her reflection, at the image of the woman she is now and a shadow of who she used to be. "He'll never return."

Slowly she lowered the gun. The shock of the dream was still there. She didn't have dreams about him often, only when she was upset or stressed, which was precisely what she felt lately. Damn Ashford Academy. What decent school held a damn costume contest in January, anyway?

The early morning sun had barely permeated the room, and she still felt a little chilled. No wonder, she looked down. She was only wearing silk panties and shirt. Just the usual rememdy to your lonely nights, she mocked herself.

Her door barged open. "Kallen-chaaaaaannnn-!"

"What the hell! Gino!"

Gino _ stopped dead in his tracks. He looked kinda stupefied to see her half-naked and shivering. "Whoa, what happened here?" he peered curiously at the gun in her hand. "Rough night last night?"

Kallen reddened. It didn't take long for redheads to get pissed off. "Gino, you better-."

He didn't listen. He stuck his blonde head behind her. His eyes widened in glee. "Wow! Even your bed got messed up! Talk about roughing it up!"

"Gino-. . ."

Gino picked up the pink silk bed sheet from the floor, odd detached interest in his brazenly handsome face. "I didn't know you sleep in the raw."

"Go to hell, Gi-!"

The bastard had a little smile on his face. "Whoooeeee! I wonder what got you all worked up! Bet he's still here now, isn't he?" he chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll find him."

Kallen fired the gun, shattering the bedpost an inch away from Gino's cherubim face.

Gino froze, still holding the cloth on the edges. His cold blue eyes focused on Kallen's _ ones.

Kallen kept the gun level to his face. "Listen up, you stupid idiot. Next time it won't be the bed. If you don't get out of here in three seconds, I'll raise this gun and shoot your smug little face you wouldn't be able to take a sip of water anymore."

Kallen never felt his much anger at anyone. Ever. Even at-.

She winced. No. Stop it, you pinhead. Quit torturing yourself.

"Are you hurt?" Gino asked, sounding completely serious. He still had the damned bed sheet on his arms! She wished he'd put it down.

"Just get out."

He shook his head slowly, his stupid ponytail mimicking his movements. This boy was a wild card. She's never been able to predict his movements, although they've been classmates for almost a year now at Ashford Academy.

"I heard you screaming and I thought you needed help," he amended. He began plucking at the silk. Kallen wanted to kill him. It was a gift from her mother. She received it when her mother had been released from the hospital a few months ago.

"I'm fine now, thank you," she answered stiffly.

"Will you please stop pointing that gun in my face!"

"If you put down my blanket, you idiot!"

The idiot grinned. His old self-confidence was back. The glimmer in his eyes returned and at once, Kallen felt relief. She wasn't very comfortable with the serious, dangerous version of Gino back there.

"Why? Is this very important to you? Why?" he almost cried out mischievously. Sometimes, Gino was really no more than a boy. It's hard to believe that a year ago he was one of the _ Knights of Britannia and her opponent.

Sometimes, she did feel like forgetting she was the official bodyguard of -…

Her throat constricted.

"Just get out before I kill you," she yelled angrily.

"But why?" he persisted, stroking thee soft fabric now. He was almost purring like a kitten. "Is there some dirty-?"

Kallen shot off a tuft of his golden locks.

Gino yelped and dropped the sheets. "Geez, man! I was only kidding!"

Kallen laughed throatily. That meant tears were coming. No. Never. "I was, too. You should see me when I'm serious."

The boy laughed at her face. He picked up the silk and walked up to her. Kallen almost stepped back but she stood her ground, facing his beauty, his amazing eyes tat held laughter and death in an instant.

He draped the silk around her body carefully. Satisfied, he leaned toward her and whispered, "I'll look forward to that, Kallen."

When she heard the door close behind him, Kallen sank to her knees and cried.