Author's Note: So I just let this chapter go where it wanted, and it ended up much more... drama-ish than I intended. I meant this to be a pretty light-hearted story, but it seems to have run away from me. Aw well.

Thank you everyone who reviewed. Your words made me feel special inside.

Edit: Haha, whoops, I didn't realize that the site had killed my line break. Sorry if anyone was confused by the random jump in time and setting.

Luke was in quite a bit of physical discomfort. Various aches and pains were forming on different parts of his body from being held in the same position for so long, and he had lost all feeling in his left arm. He was intensely hungry, and was relatively certain he was thirsty enough to drink all the water from the fountain outside the manor.

Yet he continued to lie as still as he could, afraid that if he so much as breathed too deeply he would disturb his sleeping wife. He was on his back and Tear was on her side, her head resting on his chest. She also happened to be on top of his arm, which at one point had been around her waist but had fallen limp since Luke stopped being able to feel it.

Luke stared idly up at the ceiling of his room. No, their room, he corrected himself. He had only been married a few months, so it was still a little strange to think that what for so long had been a personal sanctuary now also belonged to another. Not that he really minded, especially since Tear kept so few possessions. Besides, he knew that if he ever wanted to be alone he had only to say so and Tear would allow him to be. What he really missed at that moment was being able to move.

The current situation was somewhat unusual, since Tear was not a particularly "cuddly" person. The fact that she had chosen such a position meant that something was probably wrong. Luke had noted in the past that when she acted in such a manner it often turned out something was bothering her.

The fact that he had awaken before her was also quite strange. Tear usually woke early, and had to practically drag Luke out of bed if she wanted him up before noon. Luke strained to look out the window without shifting from his current position. Judging by the light it looked to be almost noon now. The fact that Tear was still fast asleep meant that she had probably been up most of the night thinking about whatever was weighing on her mind. Luke had no intention of depriving her of any sleep, which she most likely needed, since he had yet been unable to rid her of the habit of pushing herself.

Luke internally sighed (doing so externally would have defeated his current purpose). Tear still had a tendency to hide her discomfort. Luckily she had gotten better, and was at the point where she would usually tell him what was wrong if he asked. But sometimes he still had to pressure her if he wanted an answer, and she rarely opened up without him making the first move. It was because of this that he had trained himself to be particularly sensitive to the signs that meant she was unhappy.

He wasn't sure exactly what was bothering her, but he had a feeling it was related to the party they had attended the night before. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but when they got home she seemed particularly drained. He had asked her if she was feeling all right but she insisted that she was just tired. She looked to be in no mood to talk, so he had left it at that.

Luke felt sick when a thought occurred to him: what if she was upset with him? He tried to think back on everything he had done recently, but could not come up with anything that would have upset Tear. Then again, he was an emotional klutz, and he knew he sometimes offended people without ever meaning to. He hoped he had not done anything wrong without realizing it. He wanted so badly to make her happy...

At some point during his thought process Luke had unconsciously wrapped his arm around Tear and was holding her against him. This was brought to his attention when she mumbled something in her sleep and shifted positions slightly. He loosened his grip a little, hoping the action had not been enough to wake her.

No such luck. Tear was a light sleeper. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and moved her head to look groggily at Luke, who grinned.

"Morning," he said cheerfully, disappointed that he had waken her but happy about the concept of soon being able to move.

Tear slowly sat up, gently removing herself from Luke's grasp. "Good morning," she muttered back before yawning. Suddenly she froze, as if something had just occurred to her, and she quickly turned to look out the window, all signs of sleepiness gone. She then turned back to Luke, frowning slightly. "What time is it?"

"Not sure. I think it's almost noon." As he spoke Luke sat up and flexed the fingers in his left hand, encouraging the feeling to return to them.

"Noon?!" Unlike Luke, Tear was not accustomed to sleeping so late. Doing so made her feel like she had wasted the day. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Luke concentrated on his hand, feeling a bit embarrassed and not wanting to meet her gaze. "Last night you didn't look too good. I figured you needed the sleep."

"I see," Tear answered shortly before turning her gaze to stare at a painting on the wall.

After a few seconds of silence, Luke said tentatively, "Um, Tear, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" She turned to look at him again and was a bit surprised to see that he was now facing her. His bright green eyes glinted with worry. The intensity of his stare made her a bit nervous, but she did not avert her eyes.

"Are you... okay? I mean, is there... something bothering you or anything?"

Now Tear looked away, concentrating instead on her hands, which were clenched in her lap. "Why would... why would you think that?"

Tear was pretty good at hiding her emotions, but once confronted she was a terrible liar. Luke now had no doubt in his mind that something was wrong. "It's just that, lately you've seemed kind of... down. And last night..."

"I told you, I was just tired."

"But Tear..."

"I'm fine," she insisted, her voice a little more harsh than she had meant it to be. Attempting to make up for this, she said in a much gentler tone, "Luke, thank you for your concern, but there's nothing wrong."

Luke's heart sank. He was hurt that she wasn't being honest with him, but he knew that continuing to push her now would be wasted effort. Once she got into her current state of mind pressing her further would only cause her to withdraw. Not wanting that, Luke decided to change tactics. He reached out his right hand and placed in on her cheek, gently turning her head so that she was facing him. For a few moments he stared into her eyes, which showed a hint of confusion at his current actions. Then he leaned down and kissed her, his hand never leaving her cheek. She tensed a little at the unexpectedness of the gesture, but quickly relaxed and returned the sentiment.

After a few seconds Luke pulled away. He spoke softly, his hand caressing her cheek. "Just... remember that I'm here for you, okay? I love you."

Tear had heard him speak the words a thousand times, but they still had the power to send a shiver of excitement and delight throughout her body. "I... I know. I love you, too."

Seemingly satisfied with her reaction, Luke finally moved his hand away and slid off the bed. He stood and stretched, then turned back to Tear, smiling reassuringly. "C'mon, let's get something to eat, I'm starving."

Tear absently hummed to herself as she tended the flowers in the courtyard of the manor. Ever since Van had first taught her how to plant and raise a flower garden when she was little she had greatly enjoyed the activity. She found that it had a calming effect, giving her something to concentrate on other than her current worries. Just recently Pere had finally retired, leaving the position of gardener vacant. Duke Fabre had been looking to hire another, but Tear insisted that she be allowed to handle the task. He was surprised by the request, but saw no reason to stop her. She was rather good at it, and he saved money by not having to hire someone new.

Tear was relieved to have been given something to do when Luke was away. Living in the manor was awkward for her, especially considering her strained relationship with her father-in-law. She would have preferred that she and Luke be able to live somewhere on their own, but neither one of them had much money of their own, so they were forced to rely on Luke's parents.

Tear was tending the flowers now to keep her mind off matters she would rather not think about. Luke was away; Guy had come to visit for a few days, and he and Luke were currently outside of Baticul practicing their swordplay. With Luke gone she had little else to keep her occupied.

As Tear finished caring for the flowers she had been working on, her mind wandered back to the conversation she had with Luke that morning. She stopped humming as a feeling of dread swept through her.

So he knew something was wrong. She felt awful about lying to him, especially since it was obvious he hadn't believed her anyway. But she wasn't ready to explain it to him yet.

Tear simply wasn't adjusting well to her new life. It was just too different from the life she was used to leading. Granted it had only been a few months, but she felt like everything just kept getting worse. She loved Luke and she loved being his wife, but she wasn't sure how much more she could take of everything else that came along with that marriage. She was sure it was obvious how poorly she was doing at acting the part of a noble, and she had even told Luke before how uncomfortable it made her. But she did not want him to know how hopeless she felt about the whole situation. Knowing him he would probably blame himself for any unhappiness she was feeling. She hated it when he got into a self-loathing mindset, and it was always difficult to get him out of it.

Feeling a bit dizzy, Tear set down the gardening tools and headed toward the small bedroom that she and Luke shared. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, leaning back against it in an effort to stabilize herself and collect her thoughts. The feeling of dizziness returned, stronger this time, so she stumbled to the bed and sat down, immediately dropping her head into her hands.

What was she doing? What was wrong with her? She was married to a man that she was deeply in love with, so she should be happy, right? So why did something feel so off?

Tear lifted her head and found herself staring into a pair of synthetic brown eyes. She allowed herself to smile as she reached out and picked up the stuffed dog that was sitting on the shelf in front of her. She examined it closely, remembering fondly where it had come from. It had been a gift from Luke on her twentieth birthday. She had confided in him that she had always wanted a pet dog as a child, ever since she saw pictures of one in a book. But there were no animals in the Qliphoth, and dog food was not one of the supplies regularly brought down from the Outer Lands, so even if she had one she would have no way of caring for it. She had been devastated by the news that she could not have any pets at all.

She supposed the stuffed animal was Luke's way of trying to give her something she had always wanted. She remembered how much he had been blushing when he handed it to her, how terrified he had been that she wouldn't like it, and how his face lit up when she told him she loved it...

Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes. Out of long-standing habit she fought to keep them from falling. She clutched the plushie against her chest, burying her face in its soft fur.

Overwhelmed by the sudden onset of emotions, Tear lay down on the bed. The right side. Luke's side. She placed her head on his pillow, breathing deeply. It smelled distinctly of him. It was a smell that unlocked a feeling of euphoria within her, drowning out the anxiety she had been feeling only seconds before. Everything would be all right. It had to be. She would get used to it. She would get used to living in a manor and being waited on by servants. She would get used to dressing up and socializing. She would gain the acceptance of her peers, or stop caring that they despised her. Then she could stay with Luke and be happy, and everything would work out.

She just prayed to Yulia that she was right.