He ran until he could barely breathe anymore. They both stumbled into a stop and spun around one other like two drunken dancers. Once they came to a stop, Ky stood with his arms around her to keep himself or Dizzy from falling. He looked into her eyes which were on the brink of tears. And then, without thinking, he went in fast and kissed her.

When he pulled back, the two stood staring stupidly at each other. Unlike behind them, Ky didn't see what he had done until the moment he let go. He tried to convince himself it didn't happen, but no, he couldn't lie to himself.

He tried to change the subject. Quickly.

"Are you all right?" He panted and sweated lightly.

She stared at him and nodded.

He then raised a hand to speak, most of them centering on Sol, but she said, "Let's keep going." She began to pull him towards the woods but he pulled back.

"No," he said. "We can't go there. We'll go another way." He pulled her away.

She then began: "Why did you—"

He interrupted her quickly, worrying what she was really about to say. "I had to," he said quickly.

He asked himself, What have I done?

* * *

What he had done followed him like a shadow. Everything. Every moment.

Dizzy glanced back at him once in a while as they walked, distancing themselves from the village. Ky decided east would be best for now. But then where? His last idea failed.

When she glanced at him, he neglected to see any of her expressions. He kept his head down as if in shame. Maybe it really was.

She slowed until she was at his side. He felt her eyes on him constantly.

"Ky?"

He refused to look at her.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"I don't know."

"Ky?"

"Yes?"

"Are you mad at me?"

He picked his head up and looked at her. "Why do you think that?"

"You look upset," she said. "And you're quiet. You're not usually quiet."

"You are right," he said.

"Then what are you mad about?"

"I'm not mad," he said. "If I was mad, you would know." He passed her a weak smile. He tried not to smile (not that it worked anyway at this moment.). It hurt to smile.

She saw it anyhow and returned it. "Yeah. Ky?" She took a hold of his arm and squeezed it hard. "Thank you."

He looked down on her and saw how she was hugging his arm. She looked up at him with those lovely eyes. With that very look, he no longer regretted kissing her. A part of him was proud of it. He still got no reaction out of Dizzy, though. She was just as quiet as himself about it. Perhaps that was a good thing. He was afraid to ask.

What had happened left him shaken on the inside. It wasn't Sol. It wasn't kissing Dizzy. It was attacking those men.

What would happen to him if anyone found out? Then again, what if nobody found out? It would mean more lies. More dirty lies.

Would Dizzy be a dirty lie, too?

He looked at the hybrid beside him. "You think I would leave you back there?" he said.

"No," she said. "But what I did . . . What we did—"

She's smart, he said to himself.

"That doesn't matter. Getting you out of there did."

She turned her head down and said nothing then. He didn't like that look.

He leaned down a bit. "Now you look upset." He turned his attention away and pointed over the tops of trees in the horizon. There was a silhouette behind it like mountains. But they were too jagged and too geometric to be mountains. It was the city of Paris.

"There. There's a place we can go."

He walked on with Dizzy still attached to his arm. Not much was said as he led the way, closer to the town. Some of it was still damaged from the war. More ruins. He looked over the tops of the domesticated trees at the edge of the town and at the buildings past them. He could see the opening of the river that spread wide between them. It was wide enough to house ships, air and water-bound alike. Buildings lined it. Dizzy squinted as she looked at it all with the sun in her eyes.

Soon, Ky stopped and sat heavily on a rock and put his face into his hands.

"Ky? Aren't we going?"

Ky picked his head up but didn't look up at her. "We can't go any further. I need to get you another disguise. Someone might recognize you." He nodded to the side where they had come from. "And hiding your wings and tail is top priority."

She was quiet. When he picked his head up, she was smiling.

"You don't have to do that," she said. "Close your eyes."

He looked at her, confused.

"Close your eyes," she said again.

Finally, he did.

"No peeking," she said.

He sat there quietly, wondering what she was up to. His mind was worried and maybe a bit excited.

"Okay, you can look now."

He opened his eyes and what stood before him was the girl he always saw. There was no Gear. There was no tail and there were no wings. It was like his eyes opened to the real world.

She was pure.

"Dizzy," he whispered in shock. His eyes were wide. "Why didn't you tell me you could do this earlier?"

She gave a twirl like a joyful child. "I'm safe now. If I'm near people, I might show my Gear side. I can't help it. I couldn't hide when we began and certainly not where we just came from."

"So—"

She leaned down and put her hands on her knees. He got a glance at her cleavage, although her dress was more modest than the opened jacket she had sported a few seconds ago. Either way, his face felt hot.

"So do you like it?" she asked him.

He smiled. "You're delightful." He was close to laughing but he kept his face solemn. He rose.

She watched him. "Then that must mean yes."

"Yes, but can you keep yourself like that?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Then I'm not taking any chances." He took her by the wrist and pulled her until she walked with him. His mind returned to the village and began thinking to himself—what if it would happen again? This place was no simple village. This was a busy town—a town neither one of them could escape. And he had connections with it.

Then be on your best behavior, he said to himself.

He kept his eyes forward and focused them on the river and town. He could see people in the distance, but it was too soon to worry. He kept his attention on Dizzy.

She drew closer to him again and clutched his arm as two men walked towards them. He felt her shudder.

"Easy, easy," he whispered to her.

The two passed them, although it felt longer than he wanted it to be. One glanced behind himself after they did, his eyes targeting Dizzy. Alerted, Ky turned his head quickly and looked at them then behind Dizzy.

No tail.

Then what was it? What made them look at her like that?

He heard them mumbling in a wandering male way, although spoken too low for him to hear. The glance had been on Ky's catch. Tomcats.

Ignoring them, he walked on. He stopped when they reached the edge of the river. Beside him, Dizzy was looking every which way, not with fear but with wonder and amazement. She had that child-like look on her face, her eyes bulging with a smile on her lips. She had found herself in a new world.

"Oh, Ky," she said and began to pull away from him.

"Dizzy, remember." He snatched her. "We want no trouble."

She looked at him with those adoring eyes. They nearly made him melt.

"I'm still going to find you a disguise," he said. He put a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was warm and smooth. It felt good to touch her.

"Okay," she said. She lowered her eyes a bit.

He kept his hand on her shoulder and gripped it gently. He looked around at the buildings around them and slowly pulled her. She went along and as she did, his hand wandered to her waist. He held her close.

Dizzy was oblivious to it. Thank God.

"There's a lot of people here," she said as she looked around.

He turned his head to her and asked in a concerned tone, "Are you all right?"

She hesitantly nodded.

"Good." He stopped and looked around, trying to spot a place to find something for her. There were enough shops and enough people.

He gave her a light tug and led her to a plaza near a pier. The small buildings blended into one another in ancient stone and wood. The area seemed separated from the frenzy and business of the town and secluded itself in its own tiny place. He led her to the corner of a building and stopped. He looked around before he turned his attention back to Dizzy. His hand had found its way back up to her shoulder.

"Dizzy, stay here," he said. "I know there's a lot of people around but you need to stay here. Understand?"

She looked up at him with large eyes. "Yes. I'll stay here."

"All right. I'll be back soon. I'll be quick as I can." He slid his hand off her skin hesitantly before he retreated.

He wanted her flesh again.