Chapter 12

Luke groaned and put his forehead down on the he was reading. Tear's gaze shifted to him and she eyed him quizzically.

She poked the side of his head, giggling. "There are easier ways to keep your page, Luke."

"I know, I know, stop laughing." He brought his forearms up onto the library desk and his head up so that his chin rested on them.

Tear calmed herself and smiled down at him. "So what's the matter then?"

Luke sighed and dragged his head up off the desk. It was either a look of exhaustion or annoyance that he stared at her with, either way Tear could tell something had ticked him off.

"It's Asch's birthday next week, and he won't tell me anything that he interested in so I don't know what to get him..." Luke pushed his fringe back, flicking through a few pages of the book in front of him. "If only he were more like Mieu, then I'd be able to get him something that he wanted by just watching for a few minutes."

Mieu popped up from under a large cookery book that had fallen onto the floor earlier. The small blue creature hopped up onto the table, ears twitching.

"Did you call Master? I was looking at cakes and biscuits and yummy yummy cranberry pudding!" He squeaked, jumping idiotically with joy.

Luke gestured to him and Mieu looked lost. "See what I mean?" Tear laughed at the creature's hopeless expression.

"I suppose, but if Asch was like Mieu, in any way then he wouldn't be your twin."

"Huh? What do you mean, Tear? I'm not like Asch at all."

"You don't notice the resemblance? Well, I guess you wouldn't, I mean you two don't look alike -even your hair is a different colour from Aschs'. But you both care about everyone else and when either of you have a problem it's hard to tell because you both hide it so as not to worry the people you care about -even though you go about doing so in different ways. Understand?"

Luke nodded lightly while Mieu still looked confused. "I don't." Luke petted him gently on the head.

"Don't worry about it Mieu. C'mon I know you're hungry." Luke got up and Mieu jumped up into his arms. He turned to Tear before he left. "I be back soon, okay?"

Asch groaned as his slumber was interrupted yet by a passer by. Ever since his room had been found out by one of the maids, Asch hadn't gotten any peace. The annoying pain-in-the-ass lot of them kept bothering him with a persistence that could only be described as ungodly.

It only mattered since there was nothing to do around the mansion other than train and since his own health had recently been deteriorating he'd been forced to cut back on his sessions. Other than reading and napping there wasn't really anything else to do. Both proved troublesome given that he was constantly interrupted during both.

To try and sort the problem, Asch had been switching round the places he exercised these activities. However, by some cruel twist of fate it seemed someone would always find him, wake him up or -worst of all- talk to him. It drove him crazy.

His current position was underneath a birch tree in one of the quieter gardens surrounding their home. His current nuisance was in fact the old army officer Jade. Personally Asch didn't think much of him, but he was one of Luke's friends and that gave him about five minutes of attention before the younger switched off and fell back asleep. Friend or not, the time factor was honestly dependant on whether Asch got pissed off or bored.

"Ah, Asch, it's about time I found you. I need a few moments of your time..." Asch yawned but otherwise didn't respond. The coloneltook this as queue to start.

Sitting down next to Asch, he lowered his voice but kept the conversation light. "You've been displaying some out of character behaviour. Sneaking off, sleeping during the day, cutting back on training -even when offered the chance of a joust from Luke or Guy. It's not like you, are you ill?"

Asch, whom had taken out a book and began to read, gave the man a side long look. "I'm fine, just reasonably bored. As for sleeping, I suppose I'm just getting lazy."

Jade chuckled, feeling that he'd found a flaw which could be exploited. "Come now, don't lie. It's little too obvious that you've been wearing yourself down for months in training; in your usual sessions you do enough that it should make you better at what you do, but it doesn't. Instead your endurance is slowly getting worse getting worse. You can't hide it on the field -at least not to a trained eye- so you sneak away when you can and rest in an attempt to regain your energy. Correct?"

Jade's expression became serious. "How long do you plan to hide your condition Asch?"

Asch rested back down against the tree where he had been sprawled since the early hours of the morning. He still found it reasonably comfortable as he laid book across his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jade opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself as two maids walked leisurely through the courtyard Asch had chosen to hide in. Although the spot they were in didn't offer the women the chance to spot them, if he spoke -no matter how small the whisper- they would definitely hear him and he and Asch would be exposed and the younger would run off again, most likely in very bad mood. Thus Jade would lose his confidence which he needed in exchange for answers and leverage.

When the maids left them in peace once again the colernel couldn't help but think to himself, I must commend Asch on this choice of location to hide in, it certainly deals a large amount of control when used to it's advantages...

"I trust you've gathered by now that you don't possess much leverage here. Especially since I also know the maids approximate timetable thus when they will walk through here." Enabling him to divert the conversation to miss questions he doesn't want to answer, I'm going to have to find a way around that if I want answers from him."I didn't get my position as God General based on bruit strength alone."

Jade pushed his glasses up his nose. "Something to remember for the future. Now about my question..."

Asch remained silent though Jade's patience was starting to go. He picked the book up off younger's face. "I was reading that!"

"Upside down?"

Asch sighed. "Alright you can have that one."

"Will you answer my questions now?"

"Don't push your luck." Jade glared daggers at him. "Fine you get three questions. Happy now?"

Asch sat up as the colonel contemplated his three options. "Quite. Now about your condition Asch..." Asch met his eye contact to let him know he was listening. "You went to speak to a doctor in Belkend, what did he tell you?"

Asch shifted uncomfortably then gave in. "He said my condition had slowed or at least the effects of it had. Before you ask he didn't say why."

"And..."

Asch sighed. "Can't hide anything from you can I?" Jade just smiled. "He also said there was a possible cure for it." Jade raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

Asch gave him a stare which could freeze hell over.

Jade's smirk seemed unaffected. "Now, now, it can't be that bad."

Asch put his head in his hands and mumbled the answer. "I'm sorry I didn't quite hear that."

"An act only parents do if they want kids." The stare came back as the answer came out. Again Jade took no notice of the murderous aura surrounding Asch, and continued smiling.

Sighing he picked his glasses up off of the bridge of his nose and started cleaning them. "Kids these days. Always getting so uptight about every little thing. And why pray-tell are you so touchy about this?"

Asch snapped. Jumping to his feet he shouted. "Touchy? Touchy? Who're you calling fuc-"

"Now, now, calm- " He jabbed two of his fingers sharply into a pressure point in Asch's stomach. "-down." Asch bent double onto his mid-section as he fell to the ground coughing. When his muscles relaxed and his breathing steadied the colonel continued. "I know your concerns are for Luke's age and your own pride but why don't you think about something for me; Does a sick life on the battlefield with pride out-weigh a life at home with your family and brother? I don't know if you've realised it yet but you're getting a second chance to have something that resembles the normal life you once had. Do you really want to lose it again?"

Asch only curled his head into his chest. Jade found his hand resting on Asch's shoulder. "Second chances are rare but golden. If you ever have the chance to take them do it. At the very least you pay respect to all those who can never have them. That in itself should be worth your pride."

Neither spoke after that nor did they notice that the clouds above them had darkened.

AN: yes I know it's very late but I've been travelling here there and everywhere, optimumly busy. Already started work on the next chapter so no worries.