Part Three: If Only

Arietta was livid. He left her again! Why did he always do that? She had wanted to see what the Curse Slot had done to Anise…

More importantly, Sync hadn't shown up in time to catch Luke and the rest before Noelle fixed the Albiore, and now the entire party was healed-up and searching for Ion and his Guardian.

"Where were you?" Arietta fumed, lounging on her Liger. She was practically strangling her doll in her fury.

Sync dusted himself off, obviously more concerned about grit on his clothes than about her. "It was bad enough climbing down last night, let alone climbing up," he scoffed. "I decided to camp somewhere down there."

The Wild clapped a hand to her face before shaking her head. "Never mind. Let's just report back to Van."

"That's it? I expected to be chewed out," he replied cheekily.

"Don't tempt me," Arietta muttered, lightly urging her Liger to turn around. Sync stepped with an easy grace to her side as the rest of the monsters gathered. "So," she said louder. "What did the Curse Slot do?"

"It made Anise show her hidden feelings. I was bored," he added, shrugging at her curious look.

Her brows furrowed. "What…what happened?"

"What do you care?" Sync stalked off. "C'mon let's just get out of here, I'm sick of this damn place."

Arietta jumped off of her Liger and hurried after him. "What happened, Sync?"

He eyed her balefully. "Worried that your precious Ion might return her affections?"

"S-Shut up! What would you know about—"

"I'll tell you later. You're so easy to anger, it's pathetic." He ruffled her hair roughly and dashed off. "Follow or get left behind!"

Arietta froze as a powerful rush of nostalgia claimed her senses. For a moment, all she could think of was Ion, smiling at her in that amused way of his, patting her head like Sync had just done.

She shook off the strange feeling like a dog might water, and soon she and her monsters were leaving the valley in a furry stream.

The rising sun chased the last of the clouds away.

~*X*~

Anise awoke in the morning feeling much better, but whenever she tried to think about last night, all she could remember was a fuzzy, hot darkness that made her skin feel warm. Shaking her head to clear it, she roused Ion and they promptly set off into the misty valley to find their long-lost companions.

Ion looked well. The color had returned to his face and his eyes were bright, if distracted. Anise didn't need to use Tokunaga to give them a lift, since they were making good time on foot.

Still…

"Ion?"

"Yes, Anise?"

"What happened last night?"

He hesitated and then admitted, "Sync put a Curse Slot on you."

"What?"

"It brought out your base desires," Ion continued to explain, looking more and more uncomfortable. "And…"

Anise felt her heart begin to thud crazily. "And…?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You…kissed me…" Ion paused. "And I removed the Seal before anything else could happen."

The memories started to flow back. Though they were indistinct and chaotic, she did remember that everything had seemed surreal and hyper-sensitive…and she had given Ion a deep kiss.

Her face flamed. "Oh my God," she moaned, burying her head in her hands. "Kill me now!"

He blinked at her sympathetically. "It's all right, Anise."

"No it's not!" Oh the embarrassment, the…the…she was too frazzled to think properly. She wanted to crawl into a hole and bury herself alive. No way…no way…

Ion put a hand on her shoulder, and Anise shied away from his touch. Not only was she a backstabbing lying traitor-spy, but she was also apparently in love with Ion, a fact that even she wasn't fully aware of. Or at least hadn't been until now.

The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. And the more it hurt to spy for Mohs.

"Anise…" Ion's green gaze was warm on her skin, and she shut her eyes tight as if to destroy the feeling.

"Anise! Ion!" A familiar voice shouted. Footsteps thundered their way. "Found them! There they are!"

Guy appeared around a sharp bend in the path, stuck all over with brambles but not seeming to mind. His grin was relieved."Am I glad to see you two!"

"Guy! How are the others?" Ion inquired, resting against his staff with his usual kind smile.

"We're fine, just worried sick about you two. Come on, this way. You won't believe what's happened."

Anise and Ion exchanged glances before following the blonde servant back to the Albiore. The craft was up and running again. Noelle was perched on top, adding some finishing touches to the roof.

Luke charged up to Anise and hugged her. Putting her back down, he cocked his head to the side. "Hey, you're covered in blood but you're not bleeding!"

"She's hurt? Let me see," Tear urged, following the redhead at a more sedated pace. The one blue eye that Anise could see past her hair was gleaming with friendly concern. "You've patched yourself up," she noted with a tinge of bewilderment.

"Ion's fine too," Natalia reported, patting the Fon Master on the shoulder. Her expression was just as relieved as Guy's. "I'm glad everyone is all right."

"Anise, I've not seen you since you ran off yesterday," Noelle remarked, leaping off of the Albiore with surprising agility. "I was worried!"

"Oh I wouldn't be," Jade commented lightly from the vestiges of the fretting group. He pushed his glasses up and smiled knowingly at Anise. "There isn't anything that'd stop Anise from fetching her charge, I'd wager."

"Weren't you worried at all Colonel?" Tear asked.

"Of course I was. I couldn't sleep at night from the anxiety."

"Boo," Anise hissed good-naturedly. She fixed her attentions onto Ion, despite the uncomfortable weight that had settled in her stomach. "Are you okay, Ion?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Anise. Did you know she took Sync on all by herself?" Pride colored his voice.

"Not true! Ion used a Daathic Arte on him!"

Luke scratched his hair. "Really? We took on Arietta and a pack of wolves."

"And a Liger," Guy put in.

"C'mon, let's take the conversations inside! We've got to get to Sheridan!" Noelle urged, opening the door to the Albiore with a wide grin.

"Great job on the repairs!" Natalia cheered as the pilot blushed.

"Oh? This? It was nothing."

"I do believe," Jade observed whilst stroking his chin. "That this boulder will unbalance the Albiore if it tried to lift off now."

"Must've gone in through the roof…" Noelle rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Anise grabbed Tokunaga from her back. "I've got it."

~*X*~

The flight to Sheridan found Anise and Ion sitting in the back whilst the others chattered away.

There was a new strangeness between the two friends. It made Anise tongue-tied, though Ion seemed immune to it. She kept Tokunaga on her lap and fiddled with his paws, eyes faraway as she tried to plunge through the hazy memories of her period underneath the Curse Slot's influence.

Ion surprised her by leaning close so that only she could hear. "You don't have to feel nervous, Anise." His green eyes were friendly.

She looked away. "What're you talking about? I'm fine."

He put a hand on hers to stop her toying with Tokunaga. She drew her hands back and he sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to feel nervous," he repeated. "Because I think I feel that way for you too."

Her heart ceased its beating for three long seconds, and then went into overdrive to make up for it. "W-W-What?"

Ion only smiled and looked out the window, humming a Fonic Hymn of Tear's to himself.

Anise wished it could be that simple between them. Sure she was only twelve and he was only fourteen, but they couldn't…she thought that being with Ion would be wonderful, but…

She hugged Tokunaga to her chest. She was spying for Mohs. It'd be horrible to say she loved Ion…to hold his hand, and then keep betraying him like this. It was a choice between a rock and a hard place—Fon Master Ion, or her parents, Pamela and Oliver. No, this pain was good. This was the kind of pain she loved.

It would remind her that she and Ion were never meant to be.

Author's Note: Sorry for any inconsistencies with the characters or plot, I sort of wrote this up on a whim. If you liked it, I would really appreciate a review!