Next chapter up. Has it been a long time since I last updated? Sometimes I can never tell. Oh, yeah, school's starting soon, so my updating might slow down a bit more because I'm trying to balance school, sports, and a job all at once. Yeah, I'm so far beyond DEAD this year . . .Anyways, next chapter!! ~~

At first, she thought she had gotten away with hiding her reopened injuries from the three was, until Halt glanced back at her, curiously, several times without saying anything. It was rather unnerving for Aaron and she shifted uncomfortably under his critical gaze.

Of coarse, being the stupid observant Rangers that they all were, Gilan noticed the way Halt kept looking back, and glanced back too. With both of them gazing back at her, Will started doing the same seeing the two of them looking back. Aaron, frowned at them, and kneed Rurin to come up in between Gilan and Will.
Leaning slightly over the stallions neck, Aaron looked at all three faces with her with a stubborn look in her eyes.

" Yeah? What are you guys all staring at me for?" she asked, annoyed with there expressions. Aaron directed this mostly at Halt, whom had first looked back at her. However, Gilan had figured out what was going on by this time and so said.

" Maybe we should take a break." he suggested, thoughtfully. Aaron glanced at him.

" I'm alright." she insisted. Will and Halt exchanged doubting looks for a moment, but both looks were gone when Aaron next turned to gaze at them. This girl was so bull headed that even though they were all aware she needed a break, she wouldn't admit to it. Halt was about to tell her she was too full of pride for her own good, but Gilan spoke up again before he could get a word out.

" Well, I need one." he stated, flatly back at her. Halt and Will stared a little bit at him. " We've been riding like this all day, I'm already tired, and the horses could use a break from all of this. You don't want them to over work them all, do you?" Glancing at Will and Halt, he winked at them. Will got his idea now.

" Yeah, even Ranger horses need to take it easy on a trip like this." he put in, helpfully, getting a grin of silent thanks from Gilan. Halt didn't want to argue with them all over this, and played along with Gilan and Will.

Aaron glanced suspiciously between all three of the Rangers. She knew something was up, but in all honesty, there was nothing she could do about. With a sigh, she submitted to their break.

Finding a relatively safe spot to take a break, Will was put on watch for the time being while Aaron, Gilan, and Halt took care of the horses. Gilan went off to get water for the horses, as he was sure he could find a stream close by with good water. That left Halt alone with Aaron.

" Let me check your wounds while we're stopped." he said, loosening Abelard's girth.

He reached into his bag and felt for what bandages he still had. They were lucky that they had all brought so much in case of emergency. Aaron gave him an incredulous look for a few moments, then sighed, resigned that she'd been found out.

" That's what this stop is really about, isn't it?" she asked, slipping off her tunic.

To be sure, Aaron was a very well built young lady, and wasn't the least bit shy now that she'd been discover to be a woman. Her muscles rippled, and there were several former scars on her shoulders and back from battles past. She was unmistakably, a warrior. One that should never be taken lightly.

" Obviously." Halt replied, bluntly, and Aaron laughed a little at this.

" I figured as much," she said, shaking her head, "but it certainly was a smart idea that Gilan had." then, for some reason, though she smiled, she looked almost mournful after saying this.

Halt checked over the cut across her stomach, leaning down to inspect it more closely. Glancing up, he saw this look, then turned back to his work.

" Something on your mind?" he asked, and Aaron stared down at him. Once more, Halt glanced up at her, then back to tending the wound. Aaron smiled ruefully at him.

" Nothing gets past you, does it, Halt?" she asked. Halt only shrugged at her, not even bothering to look up this time. " Just wondering what will happen once I'm done delivering this message." she said, more to herself then to Halt.

" Not going to go rejoin your Master?" he prompted.

" You'd think I would, wouldn't you?" she commented, laughing a bit. " Truth be told I would if I could." there was a brief silence where Halt considered her words.

" You can't?"

" Well, it's not like he told me where he was headed before I left," Aaron replied, still talking as if to herself rather then to him, " and he'll have been long gone by the time I got back to where he and I were last together at. No, I fear that I'll never see that dear foolish Master of mine again."

This drew out the sorrowful feeling that had been filling her up for some time. She never liked to admit a weakness like this sappy feeling of loss that had been left unspoken for this whole trip.

Halt said nothing. How does one respond to a comment like this? The only person who had ever been a father figure to her was gone, and she didn't even know if he was alive or dead. At least if she knew for sure that he had died there would be some sort of closure for her, but this . . .It was rather sad, truthfully.

" Knowing him, though, it was probably part of his plan from the beginning." Still Aaron went on talking, laughing a little at the thought. " He would do something like that. It would be just like him. But," her lighter nature faded away again on this note as she asked herself, " what will I do once my final service to my Master is done?" There was another silence that stretched between the two of them while Halt wrapped the injury again.

That was, until Gilan returned while Halt was still finishing this task. " Got the water-" he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Aaron and Halt at this time. His face turned red quickly, and Halt almost laughed out loud at his former student.

Aaron's face turned colors, but less then Gilan's did.

" Yeah, well go give it to the horses you pervert." she said, grinning deviously and speaking as though this was something that happened very often to her. Halt had to hold back his laughs for a few moments.

Aaron snorted Halt now. " Don't you start saying anything either. You're worse then he," she pointed at Gilan," is. Your an old pervert checking out a young chick. You're more like a pedophile." Halt couldn't help thinking this was an abrupt change of topics from the conversation he'd just had with the girl.

" That makes you a cross dresser, Aaron." he answered back. Aaron puffed up, clearly not like this choice of terms.

" Hell no, that makes me a tom boy."

" No, you wanted up to believe you were a boy. That makes you a cross dresser."

" You'll regret saying that, old man."

" I doubt that, Aaron."

" The only one who's innocent here is Will." Gilan suddenly commented, almost out of the blue. There was a short silence, then all three burst into laughter.

Finished fixing Aaron's bandages, Halt handed Aaron's tunic back to her. She was still laughing and only nodded to him thankfully while she slipped it on over her head and smoothing the cloth. Then Halt wrapped the sling back around her neck and she set her arm carefully back into place.

" It would figure that Will is the only innocent one here, wouldn't it?" Aaron commented.

" Huh?" Will's voice sounded from the place where he was standing watch. Then all but Will laughed even more then the first time.

Aaron couldn't help thinking, while laughing with these Rangers, that it didn't matter what happened to her later. This was the moment she was living right now. The laughs and smiles, that was something to remember. And that was a gift in and of itself, or, at least, that's what Aaron thought.~~~~

Purpose of this chapter: Cute stuff!! That's about all that happened this chapter, now that I'm reading it again. Weird, right? Aw, well! I'm just a sucker for that sort of thing!! XD Anyways, I agree with Aaron at the end of this chapter here. How about you?