Well, here's chapter three! After a long wait, it's all up on time! However, those of you who came straight here might be advised to go reread chapter one, as that was edited a lot. Also, two is now a chapter, so you might wanna check that out too.

I hope you aren't all going to be out for my blood because of something that happens in here though…

Luke woke feeling fully refreshed. At some point during the night he had been woken, along with his friends, and escorted to his room. It was hard to explain how good it felt to sleep in his own bed though.

Stretching happily, the redheaded teen quickly pulled on some clothing and sprinted out the door. Gazing up at the sky cheerily, he was not watching where he was going and collided full force with someone. Rubbing his head, he glanced over at the victim of his carelessness.

"T-tear!" he yelped out, immediately rising to help her to her feet, "I'm sorry! I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going."

Shaking her head, Tear smiled at him as she replied, "you idiot. You're always too careless."

Rubbing the back of his head, Luke grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I am."

"So where were you off to in such a hurry anyway?"

Turning a deep shade of crimson, Luke suddenly became very interested in the dirt by his feet.

"W-well, I was just hoping to see you…and everyone else! Yeah! All of you!"

"You idiot," she muttered, brushing herself off.

Still gazing at the ground, Luke eventually gathered the courage to look up again before speaking, "so, did you have any breakfast yet?"

"No, I was just coming to get you when you ran me over," she replied with a playful smile.

"S-sorry about that."

Still smiling, Tear held out her hand for him to take.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go eat."

Accepting the proffered hand, Luke allowed himself to be pulled in the general direction of the Drawing Room. Entering the room, the two were warmly greeted by their companions.

"Luke, Tear! It's about time you two got here. You'd almost think you two had had more important matters to attend to," Guy stated with a grin.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Jade fell right into the teasing, "oh, I'm certain those two lovebirds would never dream of such a thing."

"Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't, Colonel," Anise teased darkly.

"D-dream of what?" Luke stuttered out, face turning a deep shade of crimson as he imagined what was being implied.

"Honestly Luke, is sex all you can think about?" Jade muttered offhandedly. It was clear that he and Anise were trying to get under Luke's skin; and doing so very successfully, at that.

"W-what do you mean? W-we never…did anything…like that!" the redhead stuttered out, turning yet another interesting shade of red, this one darker than his hair.

Shaking her head, Tear decided to intervene before Luke said something he would regret later on.

"Luke, you know he enjoys baiting you," she whispered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, "so just ignore him."

Trying his best to comply with the songstress' advice, Luke turned his gaze to his cousin, the only one who had not begun teasing him and Tear.

By the time Luke had finished turning his head; Natalia had already got to her feet and placed her hands on her hips.

"Luke! How could you even think such a thing!?" she lectured sharply, glaring at the younger man as she did so. Although she had initially failed to catch the underlying statement, the word 'sex' had been enough to key the naïve princess in on what was being discussed. "That is no way for royalty to behave!"

Much to Luke and Tear's immense relief, the Duke and his wife chose that moment to make their entrance, effectively calling a halt to all teasing.

Motioning those around him to seat themselves, Duke Fabre addressed the small gathering.

"I hope you all slept well," he began, pausing momentarily to wait for nods of acquiescence, he continued, "I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you, and your respective leaders, to join us for a party in Luke's honour. This will also serve as a summit of nations so that the recent trouble surrounding our world may be discussed."

Glances were passed around the room before Jade rose, electing himself spokesperson.

With a stiff bow, the devious colonel addressed the Duke, "it would be our deepest honour."

Motioning a servant forward, Duke Fabre accepted a small parcel from them and began sorting through its contents.

"I've prepared these invitations for those parties concerned, if would all be so kind as to present these to those concerned the party will be in ten days' time."

With those final words, the Duke took his wife by the arm and guided her out to the garden.

Raising an eyebrow, Anise collected her own invitation and one for Grand Maestro Tritheim.

"I suppose we should all get going then, one week isn't much time to get home, ready, and then get back here," she stated as the others moved in for their own invitations.

Once the other five had collected their envelopes and wandered off to grab their bags and meet with Noelle, Tear turned to Luke.

"I…guess this is good-bye again."

Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, Luke smiled weakly.

"It's only for a little while; I'll see you again in a week. Maybe earlier, if you hurry," he muttered, losing himself within Tear's gorgeous, blue eyes. Cupping her chin gently he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.

Surrendering herself to Luke, Tear wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.

Several moments later, the two pulled apart, breathless and blushing.

Glancing down at his feet, Luke shifted uncomfortably as he regained the nerve to speak.

"Uh…well, I guess you should be going now. You, uh, wouldn't want them to leave without you."

Nodding her head, Tear turned and made her way to the door without a word. As she reached it, she glanced back over her shoulder to where the redhead still stood, his face rivaling his hair.

"You'd better meet us at the port."

Smiling up at the now-empty doorway, Luke replied, "of course."

Lying back on his bed, Luke stared up at the ceiling dismally. If only Tear had not had to deliver the invitation to Teodoro, then there would have been no reason for her to leave. As it was, he had been looking forward to the day before the party for eight days now. That meant Tear would be back tomorrow, at least. As much as he would never admit it, he had nearly cried when they had all departed on the Albiore. After being alone for so long, it was really hard to say good-bye to them all again so soon.

Climbing weakly to his feet, the redhead made his way out to the courtyard where his mother and father were overseeing preparations for the get-together. Seating himself on a bench alongside his mother, Luke gave her a quick hug as he observed the preparations. Nothing too spectacular was occurring, decorations were being hung, tables were being set up and lighting was being fixed. The real fun would start in two days' time, when the cooks came out.

Spotting his cousin waving him down from the other side of the yard, Luke rose to his feet. Bidding his mother a quick farewell, the redhead walked over to join his cousin by the flowerbed.

"You wanted to see me, Natalia?"

"Yes, I was just concerned about how you have been fairing since you got back."

Luke shrugged, "well enough. It's been a little boring, but that's life. Why?"

Turning around, Natalia knelt down by the flowers, placing her attention on them, rather than her cousin.

"You know that you are like a brother to me, right? I care, Luke. I do."

Pausing uncertainly, Luke swallowed, "yeah, I know. Look, Natalia, there's something I haven't told you."

Turning back to Luke, Natalia gave him a questioning look.

"It's…it's about the reason I never came back right away. I was just going to say it at the dinner, when father gets me to tell my story, but I think you deserve to know now."

"If it is hard then you do not hav—"

"—no, I do have to. Natalia, the reason I was unable to return right away is linked to Asch," pausing to allow Natalia to digest this new information, Luke continued, "please don't get your hopes up in believing he's still alive, because he is dead. Dead, but not gone."

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"It's…a little hard to explain. I don't really understand it all myself. It has something to do with his fonic signature being the same as Lorelei's. Since we released Lorelei in such close proximity to Asch's death, he ended up getting taken to the Fon Belt with Lorelei. Like I said, I don't really understand it all myself, but that's roughly it. He's dead, but not beyond access."

"We should…talk to Jade. Are you planning on telling everyone else about this?"

"I might, we can talk to Jade tomorrow."

"Yes, we shall do that."

Seeing the conflicted look on the blonde princess' face, Luke decided it would be best to leave her with her thoughts.

"Well, I guess I should go help with preparations."

"Yes, I imagine that would be wise," Natalia replied, almost mechanically. The news that Asch might still be within her reach was overwhelming. There was no doubt that she loved him, however it left a conflicting feeling in her heart. Of late, she had been feeling a growing set of emotions for Guy, knowing this, and knowing that Asch was still there, left a bad taste in her mouth. For once, the selfless princess felt her heart torn in two.

Luke had spent the morning waiting impatiently at the piers for the familiar speck of the Albiore to appear on the horizon. Once it had he had immediately pulled Tear and Jade aside to speak to them in private. Relaying the same information to them that he had to Natalia the previous afternoon, Luke waited impatiently as Jade pondered the information.

"Well?"

"Hush, Luke!" Tear reprimanded as the redhead demonstrated his impatience yet again, "you're not helping matters."

"No, it's fine, really. I'm going to need some time to look into this. You should just head on home, I'll let you know if I come up with anything."

Glancing between the two, Luke finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, come on Tear," he agreed, walking back towards his manor.

Taking a glance back at Jade, Tear addressed him, "so, what do you make of this?"

"I can't say for certain yet, but I do wish he had told me sooner."

"Well, you can't really blame him," Tear jumped in on Luke's behalf, "he was a little preoccupied."

"Yes, perhaps so…"

"Tear!"

Turning his back to Tear, Jade began to walk away.

"You better hurry; it seems your boyfriend is calling."

Tear sighed, that Luke.

The remainder of the day was spent setting up and settling in the new guests, leaving him very little time to visit with Tear, much to Luke's displeasure.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Luke flopped down on his bed. He was in desperate need of a good washing. He had somehow been coerced into doing heavy labour for his own party. Rolling over he yanked the covers up over himself. That would have to wait though; right now he just wanted to sleep. Sleep and hope tomorrow never came.

The next day did come, however. The sun rose over the city's mass, shedding light into every corner as it chased away the shadows. This included Luke's bedroom, much to his displeasure. Scrunching his eyes tight, the redhead attempted to return to his dreams. However the sun persisted and he was soon forced to rise. Grabbing a change of clothing, he dragged himself off to the bath. Might as well start with clean.

Tear watched with mild amusement as Luke dragged himself by, not even noticing her presence in his delirium. Shaking her head, the melodist made her way toward the kitchen, intending to help with the preparation of the food.

Entering the large, spacious room, Tear winced at the sight that befell her eyes. There was Natalia, in an apron, looking ready to burn the place down. The majority of the cooks were hanging towards the back, attempting to avoid the nauseating smells emitting from whatever it was Natalia was attempting to prepare.

"Uh, Natalia, what are you doing?"

"Tear! Excellent timing! It would appear that the salad has caught fire, could you go put that out for me?"

Wincing again, Tear hurried to get a towel, which she immediately used to beat back the flames.

"Natalia, how do you light a salad on fire? You aren't supposed to cook it."

"You aren't…?"

Tear sighed; it was going to be a long day.

Surprisingly enough, the day flew by. With the nobles visiting and so many last-minute preparations, everyone was kept busy. Tear attempting to keep the Fabre's kitchen intact, Luke and Guy cleaning, Anise setting tables and Jade visiting the other nobility with Peony.

Eventually the day passed and evening came. The guests all arrived and dinner was served. Throughout the meal idle chitchat was exchanged as good food was served. Thankfully someone had had the sense to throw away all of Natalia's 'cooking'.

Eventually the speech died down and attention was focused on Luke. While many of those gathered knew Luke's story, a good number also did not.

Realizing what they were waiting for, Luke eventually climbed to his feet, if somewhat reluctantly, and began to relate what had befallen him since that horrific day in Eldrant. He related all of the events, leaving out nothing. He even opted to tell them about Asch, which brought about a chorus of startled whispers.

Once he had finished, the redhead placed a hand to his brow.

"I-I think I'm going to go to bed now."

Duke Fabre nodded his consent as the group's attention was turned to Jade, the only one amongst them with the knowledge necessary to analyze Asch's predicament.

Tear, however, was only half paying attention to the rest of the group as she watched Luke walk away. Clearly something was bothering him; otherwise he would not have left like that.

Forcing herself to pay attention to the conversation, her mind never completely left Luke. Eventually, however, the conversation died down and Tear rose to her feet.

"I'm going to go check on Luke, he didn't look so good."

Realizing that barely anyone had even heard her, the songstress took a glass of water and made her way towards Luke's room.

Luke was trying futilely to sleep when a soft tap came at his door. Lifting his head, he turned to face the object as he spoke, "come in."

He was mildly surprised when Tear stepped into the room and made her way over to him, after shutting the door.

Setting the glass down, Tear smiled at him.

"I decided to come check on you. You didn't look so good earlier."

Sitting up, Luke smiled at her before speaking, "I'm fine, just tired from all of the events."

Tear was forced to turn her head hastily to hide a blush when Luke sat up. Why did he have to sleep in only his boxers? Sure, she had seen him topless before, but now it just seemed…embarrassing almost.

"That's good then."

"Thanks for worrying about me though."

Tear felt herself blush again, why did he have to be so sweet at times? "It's nothing, really! I just care about you, you know…"

Luke smiled even wider at this, despite his own blush. Why did he and Tear have such obvious difficulty saying what they meant?

"Luke?"

"Hm?"

"Do you…do you…no, never mind, forget it."

Shooting the girl, who had finally turned back to face him, blush and all, a quizzical look, Luke cocked his head slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"…it's nothing."

Reaching over, Luke cupped her chin gently, pulling her to face him. Bending over he placed a gentle kiss on her lips before speaking, "I love you, Tear. I do."

Smiling broadly, Tear wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as she caught him in another kiss. She had been waiting so long to hear those words that finally hearing them overwhelmed her with emotion. Right now she would give him anything.

Returning the kiss enthusiastically, Luke ran his fingers through her long hair. Somehow he felt that it was going to be a long night.

As the party was breaking up, Guy glanced around.

"Hey, did anybody see Tear come back?"

Raising an eyebrow, Anise shook her head.

Resting his forehead on his palm, Guy shook his head minutely.

"That sly little dog…"

So, now you can all shoot me, hang me from my toes, skin me and make my hide into a tepee if you so desire…I probably deserve nothing less. I didn't have a choice though, really! After a lot of discussion and thought, it was decided this was the best way to go about what I wanted to get done…nay, had to get done.

I'm sorry if parts of this chapter, or the last, felt a little rushed, I wrote most of them between midnight and two-thirty in the morning. This was over several different sittings, but that's the best time to write in my house. My family is noisy. I can guarantee that reviews will get you another chapter faster though! –smiles-

On a final note, I'm going to take this time to wish my brother a happy birthday. If the word 'happy' may be used, that is.

Our Rose Beyond the Wall.