REVISED VERSION

Author's Note: Wow, two chapters and I've already broken 3000 hits. You all are just great. Without your support, I don't think I would've gotten this far! So this chapter is dedicated to all those readers who've stuck with me from the very beginning to now. Lots of love!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou or any of its characters but the OC and plot are mine… xD silver lining…

Chapter 13

"Good, good, now relax and block everything out."

A crease appeared on Ysabel's brow. How was one supposed concentrate, relax and block everything out at the same time?

She was losing altitude. Her heartbeat increased! Come on… relax… relax…Her heartbeat was slowing down again. That was a good sign. Just a little more…

Thump, thump… Thump, thump…

Just a little more…

Thump, thump… Thump, thump…

"Hey, be careful!" Shinou's voice sounded.

THUMP!

"Ow…" Ysabel hissed, rubbing her sore backside. She looked up to where a decidedly amused Shinou was looking down at her. "What was that for?" she demanded.

Shinou bent down and offered a hand. "You were getting too relaxed."

Ysabel glowered at him before taking his hand and pulled to her feet. "What do you mean?"

"You were getting so relaxed to the point where you were forgetting to concentrate on the air that you're manipulating," Shinou said matter-of-factly. "You were sitting crossed-legged just now, but if you were standing, you would have fallen ages ago. Lifting yourself isn't as easy as lifting small objects."

"It not my fault your instructions are contradicting themselves…" Ysabel muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Ysabel said. The last thing that she was going to allow herself to do was to complain and whine. "You know, you could have at least tried to catch me when I was falling…"

Shinou raised an eyebrow. "You were hovering five feet of the ground. I highly doubt it hurt you much." He flashed a devilish grin. "Plus, we don't want you accidentally falling for me now, do we?"

Ysabel gave him a blunt look. "Don't flatter yourself."

Shinou grin merely broadened at her comment. "Well, on the bright side, you're doing much better compared to your last lesson."

"This is my first lesson," Ysabel said, her tone demanding an explanation.

"You see my point then," he answered brightly.

Before Ysabel could retort, a bird flew out of the foliage above them casing several green leaves to fall. A sword materialized in her hand and she lashed out by pure instinct.

Two halves of a leaf floated gently down onto the ground.

This feeling… It's so familiar…A memory? Nostalgia… Ysabel shook her head. No, a… Ysabel blinked. The sword in her hand disappeared and that's when she realized. Her sword lay several feet away, leaning against the tree trunk.

"That technique is, more or less, called the 'Hidden Sword'," Shinou explained behind her. "It's where the user manipulates the air around him or her, forming a sword in their hand, and then using it to attack the enemy. Whether or not it works as well as a real sword normally depends on how good the magic user is. It's commonly known as the Edel family's signature move."

There was a pause.

"It was founded by Charles von Edel."

A strange type of remorse washed over her. It was hard to explain. It was like mourning for a departed stranger. No, stranger was the wrong word. More like a person that she never took the time to know. Yeah, it was something like that.

She let out a sigh of frustration while sinking to a crouch. She buried her face into her arms. He was my father, goddamn it. I should be feeling more…

She look over the east mounts where the sun was rising, casting a purple glow to the sky. "Hey, Shinou…"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure there's no way to just give me back all my memories?"

Shinou heaved a sigh and came to sit down beside her. "You know if there was, I would have already done it. But in a sense, I did." He added as an after-thought, trying to perk the moment. It failed.

"Yeah, but I don't remember them until someone else mentions them," Ysabel murmured loud enough for him to hear. "I feel like… I'm living someone else's life…"

Shinou just kept quiet. It didn't help the situation one bit but it did make her feel much better. Having someone know and just be there to listen.

"I was a girl in an orphanage," Ysabel said, the words falling out of her mouth without thinking. "They told me I was probably heavily abused because of the state they found me in. Soaked to the bone, clothes torn, bruises, the such. Plus, the fact that I couldn't remember anything only strengthened the theory."

"I actually thought my parents didn't love me." Hot tears stung her eyes as the first seven memories she received from Shinou played over and over in her mind as if accusing her. Charles' warming smile; Robyn's silvery laughter. "I'd pray everyday to get adopted by someone who would love me."

"When that didn't happen, it was being sent to a world far away from that reality."

She buried her face in her arms again. "Who knew it'd be this painful though…" the muffled words were barely audible.

Ysabel felt a hand gently stroking her hair as she silently cried away years of mistaken beliefs and hardships away.

"The day I died, I gave up free will for a second chance at life…"

Words could not describe the guilt that wrung at Shinou's heart at that moment. He was responsible for almost every wrong that life had done to her, both past and future. He didn't even have the right to comfort her at times like these, not with what he was planning to do to her.

Maybe I don't have to do it… not like that…

His eyes took in the sight beside him. So helpless, so innocent… Shinou steeled himself.

He only wished that there was another way…

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Shinou slowly faded away, knowing that she would be in good hands.

He swung a leg over coffee-colored horse and galloped out of the main gate. Where could she have gone? Dawn hadn't even broken yet.

She wasn't in her room or anywhere else on the castle grounds as far as he was concern so where was she? He smiled. She hadn't changed one bit when it came to habits. Always disappearing off, causing people to send search parties after her. Then she would reappear at the end of the day, smiling, oblivious to all the panic and mayhem she had caused.

But of course, by that time, she would already have tired herself out. Yawning, she would curl up on Lady Robyn's lap and fall asleep almost immediately. Then after seeing such a peaceful and innocent face, everyone would be drained of their anger and forget about scolding her.

After a full ten minutes of scouting the nearby surroundings, his military trained eyes spotted something on top of a hill with a large Oak on.

The tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Ysabel vaguely knew she had been crying for quite awhile but no matter how much she tried to stop, she couldn't. It was as if all the tears that had been held back took this opportunity to empty.

She looked up again. This time Conrad sat beside her, patiently stroking her hair. To say she was too busy crying to feel surprised at his sudden appearance wouldn't be too far away from the truth.

He wasn't trying to stop her tears, trying to calm her down nor was he asking why she was crying, which Ysabel was tremendously grateful for. He was just there for her. Waiting patiently for her to stop at her own pace.

A faint smile touched his lips as he continued to stroke her twilight hair. Her head lay against his shoulder. Her tear-stained face was at peace. She had cried herself to sleep. Well, taking into the consideration of the time, she couldn't have gotten much sleep last night.

A frown spread over his face. What did she mean though? She was muttering. It was something about free will and a second chance. However, that was pretty much all he could make out.

The sun was rising. The sign of a new day. A warm orange light crawled across buildings of Shin Makoku and finally creeping onto the couple on top of the hill.

However, when it came alight on her face, her brow creased and she buried her face into his shoulder, hoping to escape its rays.

Her eyes flickered.

Ysabel opened her eyes. Blurry vision cupped with a strong orange hue was sending headaches to her cranium.

Conrad sat beside her. Hm… so, I wasn't hallucinating…

Her head felt too heavy, too dizzy to move so she let herself lean against him, just this once.

They sat there in silence for a while, watching the sunrise bathe the scene before them a rich golden color. When it became apparent that Conrad wasn't going to start the conversation, Ysabel asked the obvious.

"Aren't you wondering why was crying?"

Conrad took his eyes off the sun and turned to her before answering. "I figured that you'd tell me when you were ready but then, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

More silence.

"I'll tell you one day," Ysabel said. Suddenly, she felt a presence. An onlooker. Conrad must have felt his presence too for they both leapt to their feet and the exact same moment.

In the blink of an eye, Conrad had his hand of his hilt and Ysabel 'summoned' her sword from the base of the tree trunk.

"Show yourself," Ysabel said.

At first, nothing moved. Then, footsteps sounded and out from the undergrowth, stepped out a man in an auburn overcoat.

a/n:

Okay, new chappy! Did you like it? I hope you did, I spent like the entire week mulling over the scenes.

Because I got more reviews than the last chapter, which is super, I thought I'd thank you all by updating super fast, with a not so super long chapter.

Okay, forgive me just this once. I'm not going to answer reviews on this chapter because if I did, I'd have to upload this another day and let's just say I'll only have Internet access again next Wednesday.

Please review! Review more than the last chapter and I'll try super hard to update super quick.

F.A.Q

Q: Was that guy who rode out of the main gates with the coffee horse Conrad?

A: No, that wasn't.

Q: Will this be an OCxShinou or OCxMulti?

A: Erm… No, it won't. It may seem like that now but it won't.

Q: I'm pretty confused about the order of events in this chapter. Clear it up for me?

A: Lesson with Shinou. Talk with Shinou happens at the time of the rider with the coffee horse. Conrad appeared somewhere near the end of talk. Auburn coat guy actually reaches Ysabel before Conrad but doesn't approach her.

Q: WHY? (refers to previous question)

A: I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to tell. But fear not, all will be made clear.

Q: You keep making Shinou seem like he's guilty. Is he going to do something so bad, we'll regard him as a bloody freaking bastard?

A: Erm… lol, this is a hard one. Depends on how much he has to do to be regarded as a BFB to you guys individually.

Q: By your standards, is Shinou going to do something to make him a BFB?

A: Er, no. Just a bastard cause I like Shinou. )

Q: Last question. Are you super high or high with super?

A: I'm high with super ) means I keep saying 'super'!

Mmm… It's March people! Do you know what that meansss? Hmm… hmm… do ya, do ya? I'll tell ya why! Next month is April!!

(readers look at Val strangely… eyes occassionally fickerring to the cup besider her.)

No, I'm not drugged. (lol). Next month, Kyou Kara Maou will be releasing its THIRD season! (In case you don't are already know of course.) Ooooo, I can't wait!

So until my next update,

Forever,

Val.