SakuraCon was a blast! If you all want to read about it, there is now a link on my profile for the journal entry at DeviantART. Also, certain events in life made it so I have to upload this before my class; enjoy!

Themes included morning moon - Kajiura Yuki and one of the Okami prototype music themes. None of the themes fit for a title though, so I chose something else, that being Kodoku. ...The one from Death Note, mind you, not Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter 4 - Kodoku

Norma winced multiple times as Moses pulled her hand off of his mouth and let loose a torrent of angered and utterly confused questions, "Bubbles, what in tarnation has gotten into you! And why is he here with you? Why is he missing a shirt? And how is he anything but six-feet under!?" Walter just rocked back into a sitting position and rubbed the base of his nose, feeling a migraine begin to throb on one side of his head.

Norma shushed him, flailing her arms in front of him, "Shut it, shut it, shut it, Red! You want to get me kicked out!"

"Why should I when you have a-" he began, then Norma pressed her hands to his mouth again, shushing him again.

The bandit's eyes seemed to narrow in both annoyance and mischief, and a moment later Norma brought her hands back from his face shrieking, wiping her wet hands on her dress. "Ewww! Red, your disgusting!"

He grinned at this, then noticed the Ferines near them again and his grin vanished. He crossed his legs and pulled himself into a sitting position. "You've got some 'splaining to do, Bubbles… Just why is Mister Stick-Up-His-Ass here?" The blond locked his gaze onto the redhead, half wanting to gape at the crude or knock him flat for saying it in the first place.

Norma felt the tension in the air, so thick not even the Nerifes Cannon could penetrate it, and seemed to wilt from apprehension. She gave a heaving sigh and sat down with a plop, "…It's kind of a long story…"

Walter seemed to growl with frustration and got up for a moment, walking over to grab his shirt. To hell if he was going to tell this story without a shirt on. It was getting cold anyway. "If you won't tell it, I will." He answered as he pulled the shirt over his head, noticing the slashes and bloodstains on the black fabric. Damn, he had liked the shirt too…

Moses crossed his arms and stared down the Ferines who sat in front of him, the two men sharing a heavy glance from the other. Neither looked away for a moment, and Norma saw the tension coming back in full force. She interrupted by knocking both of them over the heads like Teach would have done.

"Yeoww!" "What the…!" The two held their heads, one angered and one more surprised than anything else. "Bubbles, what was that for?" Moses asked loudly, hand rubbing the beaded hair as the pain faded quickly. Walter was less kind: "Beatty, why the hell did you hit me!"

She shook her head and waved her hands at them, "Honestly, you two are like kids! Grow up!"

"So says the pot callin' the kettle black." Moses muttered loudly.

"What was that?"

Walter's head throbbed more, and he held a hand to his forehead and waved away the arguments with his other. "Enough already! If you'll both shut up already I'll start." Moses brought his gaze back at them and crossed his arms, waiting for the opening statements. The Ferines looked back at them and rubbed his forehead to try and relieve the headache. "Well, it had started back at the Wings of Light…"

The Ferines wove the story together the same way he had to Beatty, except this time, he added on the events since they had joined rooms (or rather, he freeloaded off of her), keeping the dizzy spells and sudden bouts of exhaustion between them. The bandit's expressions changed multiple times, mostly between unbelieving and confused, asking questions and the occasional sarcastic comment in between…

"You hid in a tree, huh? Didn't know ya were so 'fraid of me." Moses grinned, not without an ounce of leftover sarcasm. It took much of the blond's remaining willpower not to deck him right there.

Apparently, they had begun to move around while the story was being told, as Norma ended up lounging on the window seat, Moses sitting on the desk and Walter was leaning against the wall near the window. The hour was getting late, and the sun had already dipped below the forest in the horizon, shading the city outside in a gray twilight lit by streetlamps.

Moses let the information sink in, and asked a question after the two had finished their bit. "Question. You're hanging 'round to gather info, or whatever you're looking for. Why are you lookin' anywho? Knowing you, you'd have high-tailed it back to the Ferines Village; why the wait?" Norma turned to the blond man, curious of an answer too.

He simply crossed his arms and flicked his gaze from the bandit to the floor. "I have my reasons. And I don't plan on revealing them to an Orerines like you." Oh great, the 'fanatic Ferines' façade is back in place…

Moses glared at the Ferines like he'd insulted him, "Why not? The big water god on the sky decided against war between us; we're on the same side!"

This time, Walter let his arms fall to his sides and glared right back at the redhead with an icy gaze. "We are not on the same side. Nerifes may have decided you weren't worth exterminating, but what's to stop more soldiers from the mainland trying to get their hands on the Merines again?" His gaze faltered when he remembered what he had arrived upon at the Alter of the Sea. Slaughtered Ferines on the ground, Gadorian soldiers surrounding the Merines, Fenimore dying in her arms… It was so worthless, they… she never deserved to die like that!

Moses quirked an eyebrow at his expression, but let it slip by. Norma used the hesitation to say her piece. "We'll protect Shirl from letting that happen! Let 'em try, we'll beat them back!"

The Ferines turned his gaze upon her, letting it stick for a moment, opening his mouth as if to retort back. Instead, he shut it and quietly walked across the room and opened the door. He closed it with a click, and the sound of footsteps faded away into silence.

Norma furrowed her brows, "Geez, what a moody guy." She noticed his cloak was still draped over a chair near the door. He'll probably be cold once he goes outside…

Moses shook his head and frowned, "Dunno why you deal with him, Bubbles. He's a royal pain in the ass on top of trying to kill us a bunch of times before."

Norma nodded and turned back to him, expression unsure. "I know, but… I don't think, I know he isn't telling us the whole story. Hell, when we met at Lumen Spring, I was sure he'd try and kill me there and then, but he didn't. Obviously, whatever he's looking for is enough to change his outlook on things and freeload off of me."

"Bubbles, you're already a freeloader though."

She glared at him, "Well excuse me for being poor! I'd still have some gald left from treasure hunting had it not been for you guys meeting me." Her gaze softened. "I know I'm still in debt with the innkeeper too… I just need to find something to pay it all off. I hate having no gald." She stared hard at the ground.

Moses looked down at her, and walked over and gave her a hard slap on the back, "Cheer up, Bubbles. You're always bouncing 'round finding stuff for us; you'll find something to get some money in your pockets, no worries! I gotta go back with my boys anyway…"He looked over at the door, then back at her, "Hey, that jerk gives you any trouble, come 'n see me, 'kay?"

Norma looked up at the redhead and grinned. The bandit chief always managed until now to cheer her up (as well as getting her riled up), and it didn't look like that was failing just yet. "Thanks, Red. I'll make sure to do that. I'll even whistle so you can come and get a dog treat like a good boy!"

"Hey, I ain't no dog! I'll be seein' ya squirt." He shortly left afterwards, closing the door behind him.

Norma turned back towards the window, peering out into the dark gloom at the few figures still outside. One was staggering with a friend over one shoulder; probably carrying his drunken friend back to his home to nurse a soon-to-be-hangover. She leaned back against the wall and rested her eyes, wondering about where her new blond companion had walked off to.

X X X

The blond companion Norma had been talking about was currently sitting on the ground near the fountain, leaning back against the cool stone as the sound of rushing water washed over his senses. Even though crowded during the day, in the early morning and at night the fountain plaza was deserted, all the gossipers resting in their beds or eating breakfast in their homes.

Walter's mind wandered over the conversation; it was irritating how it wouldn't leave his head no matter what he did. Especially the bit about the Merines... Shirley. After some of the horrors he'd seen on the mainland and on the Legacy, power struggles were bound to erupt from different countries wanting access to the Nerifes Cannon. Despite the noble knight from Senel's group been born there, Gadoria was just as bad, if not worse than many of the countries vying for the Merines' capture. Crusand was the scum of the lot, but after the war they had lost on the mainland the country was decimated, leaving it penniless. They wouldn't be heard from for a long time.

Eaves-dropping on gossipers at the plaza proved useful in learning about other news.

A chill in the air made goose-bumps rise on the Ferines' arms, and he rubbed them with his hands trying to make them go away. Oh why did he leave his cloak there, and why was the summer rapidly transforming into fall? Damn dramatic exits and whoever created them! Now he was cold and miserable, and wallowing in dramatic, troubling thoughts and unhappy memories. He exhaled, and swore to Nerifes that he had seen a puff of warm mist in the air.

Bringing one leg up to his chest and resting his chin on his knee, he wondered about whether or not to just give up on his moody retreat and just go back to the room and get some sleep before he passed out again. The stupid bandit was probably gone anyway... A bitter frown crossed his face and his mind ran through a variety of unpleasant situations his unconscious self would bring. "Oh, that would be just grand, wouldn't it...? Pass out at the fountain and everyone wondering what kind of an idiot would do that. Oh wait, and lets throw Senel on top for extra humiliation, why don't we? Just a lovely idea!" He angrily retorted to himself, feeling himself get more annoyed and incensed as he spoke. His frustrated rants echoed around the empty night air, heard by nobody but himself. Not that he cared. "Who knows... Maybe he'll just kill me, and I can fail again!"

Walter slammed a fist into the stone below, feeling his knuckles protest in pain. He brought his hand back and looked at the back of it, angry red abrasions covering them. He rubbed the back of his hand gingerly, wishing he knew a first-aid spell instead of just offensive eres. It would have been useful in preventing his death. Hell, if he had been healed sometime during the fight at the Mirage Palace, or Senel's group fighting the Royal Automaton at the Wings of Light he may have still been alive by now. …or at least, still going on his first life, and not a second one.

He rubbed his face with his hands, and groaned. "Just what did I do wrong…? Just tell me. What'd I do wrong?" He asked himself quietly, the sound of his voice muffled by his hands. His confusion and unease was beginning to get to him, he had no literal clue as to what he could do to keep his second chance at life. He couldn't turn to Senel's group or his fellow Ferines; they thought him dead, the later may not be wanting to help him anyway. Beatty and the bandit, they knew part of the story, but would they really help him? He doubted it; he was a former enemy, he couldn't be trusted.

Even if they did trust the Ferines again, he was one of the ones who was the most antagonistic, the most hateful of them. He hated them even though they were allies. Hated them because of everything their race had done to his in the past and present. He hated them... because was so stupidly jealous of Senel, who took away his life's purpose of guarding the Merines. Who made him fail in... The blond closed his eyes and leaned his head against his knee, blond hair shifting to hide his eyes from the empty plaza.

As the Ferines sank into another bout of angst, he never noticed a dark mist appearing behind a nearby tree, the shadows taking the form of a curvaceous dark-clothed woman, long green hair plaited into a high braid and a mask covering her features. She seemed to stand there, just peering at him in silence with a blank expression upon her pale face. Slowly, she walked towards him, mist following in her wake and causing grass blades from the lawn to wilt beneath her feet. Though her heels should have clacked loudly against the stone, the dark mist surrounding her absorbed all sound, leaving her footsteps silent.

When she was around five meters away, the young man flinched as his instincts flared to life. Senses alert, he looked up and got to his feet, ice-colored eyes searching the plaza for a presence, only to find an empty lot and rushing water. Confused, but spooked enough to be shocked out of his thoughts, he stretched and taking one last look around, walked back in the direction of the inn.

A few moments later, the women exuding black mist returned into sight. Her masked face gave away nothing, and after another moment she vanished in the mist, which dissipated into the air and eventually vanished. The sound of trickling water and rustling leaves were the only things that remained.

X X X

Later on, early in the morning, a minor earthquake rocked the city of Werites Beacon. It caused drinks to slosh around inside their bottles, papers to shift off of tables, and one person to fall out of their bed earlier than they expected.

X X X

Thump.

"Aaah!" A voice squeaked as the owner of the voice was jerked out of dreamland.

In that instant, a few things happened. The shaking of the earthquake shook the already-squirmy sleeping form of Norma Beatty from her bed and to the floor in a mess of sheets and blankets. The heavy wood paneling of the floor shocked her out of her slumber, causing her to yelp in pain and surprise. The startled cry Norma made as she awoke also made the Ferines sleeping in the bed near her to jolt out of his sleep, causing him to activate his violet eres on instinct and sit up to defend an incoming attack.

She rubbed her head, mussing her hair even more to feel a bump begin to rise. "Owwie…"

Walter exhaled in exasperation and glared at the one who disrupted his sleep, "Beatty, do you have a habit of waking up people at ungodly hours in the morning?" He didn't even try to hide the disdain and annoyance in his voice, but it was overshadowed by the drowsy expression on his face brought on by just waking up.

Norma's head turned and she blinked heavily at the blond, his hair a complete mess and sporting a nasty glare aimed at her. His fingers were still glowing a deep violet from his eres, and she felt herself inch the away a bit. "M-morning, Wally... What's with the eres, are you going to attack me or something?"

The blond dropped his gaze to his shining fingertips and shook his head, purple light fading from his hands. "Tempting, but no. You screamed and woke me up; do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ok, now that the eres were gone he looked a lot less scary. "Umm, sorry 'bout that. I just woke up when I fell out of bed. Must've been another earthquake." She untangled herself from her sheets as she spoke.

Walter rubbed at his eyes with a hand as he tried to focus on the clock across the room on the opposite wall. It was… What was it; it was too dark to see anything. "Grr…" He shoved the blankets off of himself and walked over to the clock to read it in the dark, ignoring the cold floor beneath his feet. "…4:28, well it could have been worse…" He muttered to himself.

His gaze passed back over Beatty, who had picked up all of her blankets and was rearranging them into something resembling what the bed had looked like before. She yawned loudly, "What time is it?"

"Four-thirty in the morning."

Norma flopped into her bed, face in her pillow as she groaned, "Too early!"

Walter narrowed his eyes at the clock as if insulting it, then walked over and climbed into his own bed, struggling to clear his mind and go back to sleep.

A few moments passed, then a whisper cut into the silence, "…Wally?"

"What?"

"I can't sleep." Norma's pillow muffled the sound.

He growled to himself and rolled onto his side, "Count peepit chicks."

"I've tried that already, it doesn't work!" She lifted her head to complain, then her head plopped back into the pillow.

"Count egg bears then; leave me alone and let me sleep!" He replied sharply, annoyance beginning to stir when dreamland evaded him.

"That won't work; they're egg bears!" Norma wailed softly, blankets shifting as she rolled onto her back.

Some more moments passed as the blond kept his eyes clenched shut, hoping that he would go to sleep already. At the rate she was asking her questions he'll never get to sleep!

"…Wally?" Norma whispered, a question rising in her thoughts and now prevented her from sleeping (if she could, that is…) Silence greeted her back. "Are you still awake?"

"Beatty, just let me sleep…" Walter requested again, this time without any annoyance in his tone.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Can't it wait until the morning, when I'm not trying to sleep?" He asked back, incredulous and exasperated.

Norma opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, "I can't sleep because it'll keep me awake all night if I just let it sit around unanswered."

"If it's so important then ask already." He muttered, loud enough that she heard the response.

She hesitated for a moment, then let her mouth run away from her, "…Did you see anyone you knew? When you died, I mean."

She heard a small silence, then she heard blankets shift and a sigh, "I'll never get to sleep now. No, I didn't meet anyone I knew… or really anyone at all. I just woke up and I was here on the Legacy." Walter said quietly.

Norma's eyebrows furrowed, "You're lying."

"Well, that's your answer. I didn't meet anyone I knew when I was dead." He shrugged, rolling away from her onto his side again. Then, his thoughts repeated the events with the willowy women he had met, bells ringing in his ears. For some strange reason, the more time passed, the more hazy the image seemed in his head, and minuscule details became blurred, like being seen through foggy glass. Norma pouted, angry with his lack of a clear answer until he spoke up again. "…Although, there was one person I met. A women I've never met before spoke to me, before I woke up on the beach."

A long silence spread through the air, and when the brunette realized the blond wouldn't elaborate much more, she closed her eyes and tried to walk back into dreamland, images and more questions running through her head.

X X X

Later that morning, Norma heard a knock on her door, which made her brow twitch. She rolled over and mumbled something incoherent before sleeping once more. The knocking became more insistent and she was still oblivious to it.

Then, a growl from outside woke the other occupant, who's eyes opened to reveal bleary ice-colored eyes. His disheveled blond hair was strewn across his eyes and sticking up in odd places, making him look more ridiculous than usual. He rubbed a palm across his eyes, before he noticed the knocking and the voice outside. "Hey Bubbles, open up!" It was the bandit, thank Nerifes it wasn't someone like Senel or the bratty kid… However, with the racket he was making, it would soon wake up all of the other occupants of the inn too.

Walter looked over at the other occupant and shook her shoulder, "Beatty, bandit's here to see you. Wake up." She didn't so much as twitch. Frowning, he leaned closer and spoke louder, "Beatty, wake up." Still nothing. Throwing up his hands in frustration, he padded over to the door and threw it open, Moses' closed fist ready to bang on the door some more. He grabbed the strap to his javelin case and pulled him inside the room with one hand, closing it with the other and leaving the hall vacant of any disturbances.

The bandit pried the fingers off of him and blinked at the Ferines before frowning, "Oh, it's you. Where's Bubbles?"

He had to think for a moment before remembering the nickname was his for Norma. Far too many nicknames in this group… He crossed his arms and flicked a thumb at the sleeping occupant. "She's in the other bed asleep. I can't wake her up."

The two men walked over to the bed and Moses called for her to wake up again. She just rolled over and exhaled, stray hairs that had fallen into her face fluttering when she breathed. "C'mon Bubbles, wake up!" He tried again, still nothing.

The bandit then leaned down and pinched her nose, wiggling it and causing her face to scrunch up. "N-no pinching…!" She muttered aloud, whining in her sleep. He let go and she relaxed, snoozing once more.

Moses frowned and held up his hands in a shrug, "Well, I can't tell Harriett I didn't try." The Ferines nodded, and the two were quiet. A minute or so passed by, and he spoke up, eyes lit with a mischievous light, "So… You've got a pretty good case of bed-head there."

Walter shook his head to try and persuade the locks of blond hair to settle into a normal hairstyle again, "Shut up…" This caused the other to smirk slightly to himself.

A few moments, Norma seemed to sense their presence and slowly sat up in bed, arms stretching with a large yawn accompanying it. Her arms dropped to her lap and she looked up to see the two men near her bed. "…That's kind of creepy, seeing you two standing there like that."

"You wouldn't wake up." The bandit shrugged again.

"It's still creepy, no matter what excuse you tape onto it." Norma climbed out of bed and straightened the large shirt she was wearing, "So, what're you doing here anyways, Red?"

"Will sent Jay to come find me, and for me to find ya. Apparently, 'dere's a couple who need savin' in the Great Hollow, and we need to hurry there and do our thing." He responded.

She nodded, and shooed Moses out of the room to let her get dressed. He was about to complain about her lack of observance to the other male in her room when the door shut behind him. She turned to tell Walter the same thing, but he was already in the bathroom getting ready as well. Let it not be said he was one lacking in tact.

Norma shrugged and changed as well, quickly so he didn't walk in on her without a shirt. ...Not that there wasn't something to see, mind you; she just didn't want him breathing down her neck like a hopeless romantic. (See: Norma - large ego for details) She had just finished pinning her bobbed hairpiece into her hair when he walked out, changed and looking fresh. The two exchanged a look and she passed on her room key to him, "Here. You won't have to wait outside the room until I get back, at least."

He took it from her outstretched fingers and pocketed the small key, "How long should I expect you to be gone?"

She shrugged, "Meh, sometime tonight, whenever." They nodded at each other and the short bouncy girl left the room to join her companion.

X X X

I always saw Norma as one who had a slight ego on her. Therefore, who wouldn't want to see her without a shirt? XD

REVIEWER CORNER

Shiroi Iyasu - Oh crap indeed... I just love one-liners at the end of chapters. It makes them... :puts on sunglasses: ...look cool. :YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!:
(If you get that joke you gain 10exp and an internet...)