The next moring was quite uncomfortable. Neither Weiss nor Nier had managed to catch any shut eye, not that one wanted the other to know. Weiss was sure Nier hadn't slept due to a lack of ability to handle what had happened the previous evening, Weiss on the other hand was unable to doze simply because he was having trouble trying to make sense of it all. Was he right about Kaine?

After a silent breakfast, Weiss trailed behind Nier as they made their way through the northern gates. Wouldn't this make things just a tad bit harder to deal with? Those two. The book couldn't disapate the critical thoughts spinning through his pages. "Those two are incapable of thing about anyone but themselves!" he hissed to himself "Oh, my apologies, and Yonah! Leaving Emil out here on his own! What if he'd been attacked?"

Certainly Emil can fend off quite a lot of shades on his own. But it was the principle of the thing that really bothered the old tome. How could that hussy run off and leave the poor child on his own? He supposed this behavior really shouldn't surprise him. But what had made her run away last night? He supposed he could guess at it, but he was the kind that liked to be quite certain.

As he pondered, they came upon the camp where Kaine and Emil took a kind of residence. It was a cave of sorts, about eight feet from the ground. It was very neatly cut so it was clear it was not a work of nature, Weiss had born the whole into the rock face himself with his sealed verses. It had a large sheet of boar skin hanging in front of the entry way. The tattered leather did nothing to hide them, but did provide some resitence to the elements.

Weiss hadn't really been paying mind to where he was drifting. With a small smack, he collided with Nier's large hind quarters as the man ascended the make shift rope latter. "Come on, you old book." Nier smirked.

Weiss mumbled as he floated into the cave, past the tied back curtains. "Ouch! Emil!"

Inside, Kaine sat on a rock, her back facing the entrance, holding the sides of her lingire top up. "Sorry Kaine!" came an apology from the large strangly shaped skull that was perched a top the skeltal body of Emil.

Emil appeared to be putting the final sitiches in a reattachment of the strings of her top. Weiss caught a slight wince from Nier as he stepped inside. "There! All finished!" Emil remarked as he tied the strings back together "Honestly Kaine! You have to watch what you're doing! Getting it caught on a tree branch..."

Weiss wasn't quite sure whether or not to feel sorry for Emil or burst intofits of uncontrolable laughter. He settled upon simply making the sound of one clearing their throat as to draw attention to them. Emil Spun his head around, not moving his body. "Nier! Weiss! Welcome back!" he greeted jovially.

He floated up and turned his body to face them, picking up his staff. 'Good morning, Emil." Weiss returned, sounding a little more pleased then he should have "Did you sleep well?"

Nier was shooting the book glances. Would the oaf guess? "I slept like the dead!" Emil replied, chuckling at his own dark humor "I didn't even hear Kaine leave to go use the bathroom! What about you Weiss? Did you find anything in the library?"

"Unfortunatly, those books were as barren as-" Weiss had been about to take his usually jab at the hussy, but suddenly, the image from the previous night filled his thoughts "They were of no use, thats for sure."

Weiss had been watching the foul mouthed woman. She had stood but was avoiding eye contact with Nier. He too seemed to be determined not to meet her gaze. For to people that can't get enough of confrontation, they sure do have a way of avoiding their issues.

"Is everything ok?"

Emil was looking between all three of the compainions. He couldn't show expression on his face, but Weiss was certain that the boy was filled with worry. "Why wouldn't everything be right as rain?" Weiss answered quickly "Now, we have far too much to be gettting on with to stand by idely! Come now! Off to that awful hell hole of words. How I loathe that wretched forest."

"Yah, fine, lets go." Kaine put in hottly.

Nier simply grunted and jumped off the ledge. Kaine passed right by the two floating beings and also leaped from the cave mouth. "Are you sure the two of them are ok, Weiss?" the skeletal boy questioned, concern in his every word.

"Quite." Weiss lied "They probably just didn't sleep. Iratable I suppose."

"If you say so!" Emil chortled, believeing the tomes words.

Oh how Weiss hated to lie to the boy. He was going to have a word with those two imbeciles, make no mistake...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~To be Continued

Oh god, i am so slow at this. So ends chapter two! I know I don't update enough, but I am a creature of insperation! I can only write what comes to me! Thats why chapter stories are hard for me! But This one should keep going!

R&R and please be patient while I write the next piece!