Lal woke up to something missing...and the distinct smell of something horrible burning.

"Dear gods, what the hell is that?!" she demanded, crawling out of bed to find... Colonello attempting to turn off the stove in a panic, with food ruined beyond all recognition. "Colonello... what the hell do you think you are doing?"

The man froze, before sheepishly looking at his girlfriend.

"Uh... trying to cook breakfast in bed for you?" he admitted.

Lal glared at him.

"Why?"

Colonello couldn't really meet her eyes.

"Did you really forget the date?"

Lal looked at the calendar, before she blinked.

"You sentimental idiot. If you really wanted to do the whole breakfast in bed thing, you should have just ordered out. We both know you can't cook," said Lal exasperated, but fond.

The arrangement they had was simple. Lal cooked, Colonello cleaned the dishes.

The few times he tried to cook, he nearly burnt down the forest they were in because he had the flames up too high, and he was subsequently banned from anything involving cooking ever since. Whereas Lal was simply too lazy most days to do the dishes.

She honestly forgot it was her birthday, since she never really celebrated it.

She glared at Colonello for nearly wrecking her kitchen, again, and got ready for the day.

Though she certainly wasn't expecting the visitors she got.

"What are you doing here?" she said baffled.

"These idiots paid me to find out when your birthday was, and the rest insisted on joining out of lack of anything better to do," Viper informed her. She peered past Lal. "What happened to you kitchen and why does it smell like smoke?"

"A certain idiot who knows damn well he can't cook attempted to make me breakfast in bed," deadpanned Lal. She narrowed her eyes at Viper. "And how in the hell do you know where I live, much less when my birthday is?"

Viper smirked.

"The rumors of the park demon are well known, and while you used a fake name it was easy to track down video footage of all the homes close to the park and figure out the general area. As for your birthday, I bribed one of your fellow trainers for the information. Coincidentally expect a visit from them as well."

Lal looked annoyed, but resigned.

"So why didn't you tell us your birthday is the same as Potter's?" asked Skull curious.

"Not much to tell. Not like I care," said Lal.

"This coming from her fan girl..." smirked Renato.

"Keep that up and I'll drag you to the park and throw you for the kids to 'play' with," said Lal in warning. The kids who frequented the park were like damn sharks, and just playing with them was exhausting.

Renato wouldn't hurt them, she knew that much, but she would so be confiscating all his weapons before he threw him into that mess.

The impromptu party was total chaos, but damn if it wasn't more fun than she had in a very long time.

For some reason Renato, Fon and Viper were all unusually paranoid near the end of it, as if they were looking for something. They seemed rather annoyed that they failed to locate whatever or whoever it was.

Needless to say Lal did choke on her beer when Colonello finally called them on it right as they were packing up.

"What the hell had your panties in a bunch?"

"There is a Sky in the park," said Renato, as if commenting on the weather. Ironic, considering Skies tended to collect Elements named after weather phenomena.

"A Sky without any Elements and a lot of scarring," agreed Fon, relieved he wasn't the only one to pick up on it. "Probably from having Guardian bonds shattered so abruptly."

Lal managed to clear her airways.

"How the hell could you know that? I didn't sense anything!"

"Which is odd, considering how hypersensitive you are to flaring. Then again this felt more like a lazy cat stretching in the sun than someone deliberately trying to press their Flames on an Element," said Viper. "It's possible they were too subtle for you to notice."

"Is that what that warm, furry feeling was?" asked Skull. It had felt nice, homey. He wouldn't mind being around that, even if it was clear that whoever had those sort of Flames was damaged in some way.

"It seems whoever was doing it was told off," said Renato. Was that a hint of disappointment in his voice?

Lal observed the others. Judging from the looks on Fon, Viper, Verde and Renato's faces, it was the first time they had come across a Sky who had room for free Elements like them, and wasn't trying to force them into a Harmony.

She hid a wince. Colonello had gotten lucky, in more ways than one. He hadn't had to endure the flaring of an arrogant self-entitled Sky trying to force him into a Harmony he didn't want. He had found his Sky entirely by accident without looking.

However the others, barring Skull...they were in the mafia for a long time. Skies always wanted to drag in the best, strongest Elements they could for protection, and considering they were the strongest Elements currently alive...well, it meant they were subjected to quite a lot of 'courting' from various familigias. Some of whom were less than polite about trying to force them into a Guardian bond.

None were strong enough to pull it off, and it resulted in scarring on their souls, not that the Skies or their familigias cared. It was even worse for them, because they not only had Flames that were stronger than normal, but their skill sets and assets were enough to tempt even the most morally depraved familigias into trying to trap them.

It made the old part of her, the one she had firmly buried years ago, want to wrap them up in a hug. The Sky in her soul wanted to wrap itself around them and tell them it would be okay.

But there was no way she could. Not without revealing who she really was. That part of her was still the terrified teenager with the world against her all demanding a piece until nothing was left.

It was a miracle Colonello had managed to break through like he had.


Colonello was hitting a bar after yet another assignment, when he stumbled across something that would break Lal's barriers down a little more than normal.

It was her old students (at least five or six of them) chatting about their old "Demon Captain" with smiles on their faces as the joked about her quirks.

Colonello hid a grin and listened in for a bit at least until one of the men busted him.

"So you guys know the commander?"

"Lal Mirch plays the heartless bitch, but it's a total act," joked Frederico. He remembered that woman vividly, even if he had to drop out of COMSUBIN due to family issues.

"How so?" asked Colonello, playing the rookie. Unseen by the men, Lal had walked into the bar with her hair tied up in a loose bun and in more casual clothes than normal. She only wore them outside of work.

"When my wife died, and all my family suddenly decided they were tired of helping, the only one who came and helped us back up on our feet was the commander."

Lal froze at the bar, recognizing the voice.

Colonello blinked.

"Really?"

"I sent her an e-mail, mostly to vent because she always listened, and less than two days later she came to my house and helped me get through my rough patch. Damn near gave me a heart attack seeing her there! Hell, I thought I was hallucinating seeing her with my kids and not barking at them like she did us!" he laughed.

"That's nothing!" joked his partner. "I got caught up in a murder investigation with some asshole who was trying to screw me over as a scapegoat, and since no one believed me I thought what the hell, why not bring the commander in. Still don't know why I called her, but she came on the first flight and not only ripped the bastard a new one but she stood right by me the entire trial and even paid the legal fees. Best decision I ever made," said Santos.

Colonello grinned.

"Sounds like the hardass teacher who loves her students enough to drop whatever she's doing to come help," he said.

"God I miss that woman! She's the sort of commander you'd want leading you, because she actually gives a damn about her students," said Frederico.

"Hear, hear!" said the others.

Colonello used the mirror to observe Lal's reaction. She was shaking slightly. Like she hadn't realized what an impact she made on her students.

"Did you know she has PTSD?"

Hearing the men choke, they all stared at him.

"No way in hell that's true! It's the commander!" said Santos in open disbelief.

"You better not be spreading lies about her kid," warned Aldio. It was clear they were all fond of the woman, to the point they would come to blows if he tried to slander her.

"It's true! You know all those times the senior trainers went up to the mountains for a week and how she acted like an enraged Cloud for a few days before she went back to normal? She was having episodes and the higher ups covered it up."

Lal had enough.

"Colonello, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she growled. The men all jerked up (save for said blond) the second they recognized her voice. Absolute shock was in their faces, right before they all stood up and gave her a proper salute.

"Commander!" they said in perfect unison.

"Come on Lal, it's not like it will do any harm. You've gotten a lot better," complained Colonello easily.

If the shock of seeing her wasn't enough, seeing the way she treated him nearly made them faint from disbelief.

She slapped his head with barely enough force to make his head bend.

"It's bad enough you told Skull and Fon about my condition, I don't need you spreading it among your fellow students!" she barked.

"No way... it's true?" said Santos, staring at her in shock. He barely flinched when she leveled one of her familiar glares at him.

"Lal's a witch who survived the blood purges in England, and she was on the front lines," said Colonello.

If they survived her, then odds were they at least were told of the magicals. More than a few first gens or squibs had joined the army to make something of themselves.

She twisted his ear harder, but barely grumbled when he easily wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Besides, there wasn't any more room for chairs.

It was a very surreal moment for her students, seeing her act so normal instead of the tough bitch they knew her as. Well, outside of the times when she proved she cared more than they knew about her students in times of need.

Still, watching her banter with Colonello and him taking her 'reprimands' with a grin, something settled and the awkwardness faded away. There was no mistaking the fact that the woman was relaxed around her old students, nor the fact she was secretly embarrassed by the obvious fondness they had for her.

They were happy for her, finding someone who could handle her "Tsun" side and expose the softer "Dere" side underneath. Even if it was a total shock seeing it for themselves.

Colonello grinned as he felt Lal lean on him. She had far too much to drink, whereas he had been smart enough to snack on the food between beers.

"Surprised they love you that much, despite the fact you liked to bark at them?" he laughed. She wanted to kick him, but had the sense not to. She'd only end up embarrassing herself.

Lal flushed, and not just from the alcohol in her system.

"Shut up!" she said crossly, slurring her words.

Colonello grinned, and did something that had her squawk in protest. He scooped her up in his arm and carried her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Hearing her snore, he grinned wider. It was a testament to her trust towards him that she allowed her guard to drop long enough to actually fall asleep.

She briefly woke up once she was past the boundaries of the apartment long enough to change, before she promptly used him as a giant pillow.

How had he gotten so lucky to find a woman like her?

Holding her close to him, he soon fell into an easy sleep of his own.