The lightening sky disturbed Yami's sleep. He was still exhausted, but the offending brightness made it difficult for him to sleep. He tried to turn over and bury his head into the soft pillow he felt beneath him, only to find his arm was weighed down by something. He grunted as he tried to free himself, only to hear a soft groan and the press of warm skin against his answering his movement. Lifting his head as much as he could, he saw the pale gold of the top of her head, but nothing of her face, which she buried against his chest. Her arm lay draped over his belly. He sniffed her head and felt himself shiver with... well, he couldn't quite place what he was feeling. Whatever it was, he had never really felt it before. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her softly. She groaned lightly before turning over, away from him. He took the opportunity to free the arm she had trapped beneath her. He propped himself up on his elbow, gaining a higher vantage point. He wanted to see her face.

The blanket was tucked under her arm and she had pulled it underneath her pointed chin. Her mouth was soft, relaxed as she breathed slowly. He was so used to her frowning in frustration at him and pressing her lips together in a thin, disappointed line, he hadn't noticed how full her lips actually were. He brushed a stray strand of her from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, thinking he could watch her sleep for hours. He yawned and nestled next to her. He buried his nose into her soft mane and slipped his arm over her hips.

He tried to go back to sleep, to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, but the early dawn light had other ideas. He lay there, holding her against him, grinning like a damn fool over the fact that he had her. Oh, he knew she would never admit to it in public. She was far too caught up in her reputation and what everyone thought of her. But he knew the truth now. Part of her needed him like she needed oxygen. He propped himself up once more and traced a finger down her arm. He admitted to himself, and only to himself, how much he needed her too. He was certain she knew, but like her, he would never say, not in public, not to anyone. Maybe not even to her.

He watched her sleep, thinking how much she had earned her rest. Even before they had gotten back to her room, they both knew what was going to happen. What he hadn't known was how aggressive she would be. He wasn't the submissive type, but he would submit to her if she wanted. And last night, that was exactly what she had wanted. She had taken all he could give her, and when she had still wanted more, he found creative ways to please her, ways he had never to employ with any other woman, because none of them had ever demanded more. But Charlotte was demanding, and exacting, and wouldn't stand to leave things unfinished.

But he had known all of that about her already. He had seen it in how she fought, how she managed her squad. He had never imagined, though, she would manage him in the same way.

He kissed her temple before slipping out of the bed. Stretching he felt his back popping. His muscles ached and his joints were stiff. He wasn't that old, but he could feel the years of fighting in every movement. He looked back at her and for a moment wanted to slide back under the covers with her, to feel her skin against his, to slide inside her and hear her sleepy moans as his touch brought her into the daylight.

He wanted to forget everything and stay in this moment with her.

But the crashing of waves in the distance brought back to mind his purpose there, his reason for going to see her in the first place. He walked out onto the balcony attached to the hotel room and looked out to the ocean beyond. The hotel she had gotten a room in was higher up on the hillside compared to the beachfront cottage Julius had procured for his squad, but it had an amazing view. The bed was nice too, as was the rest of the room. He had a sense the room was designed with the wealthiest of the Clover Kingdom nobility in mind. He was certain it had not come cheap.

He would never have splurged on such a luxury, but he could have, if he had wanted to, if he had managed to keep his pay for more than a day or two, if he had ever actually won at cards. He had a feeling Charlotte had probably gone a bit out of her comfort zone, financially speaking, in making this trip. But the dress she had wore to meet him, the room, well, he wasn't going to complain.

Not when it was basically a good-bye.

Not when a week from now he might be dead at the bottom of the ocean.

He leaned against the railing at the edge of the balcony. The black wrought iron was warm under his hands despite the cool early morning breeze blowing against his skin. The air felt good, but he missed her warmth next to him.

He shook his head.

He had never expected this. He had never expected her to come to him, or for everything to turn on its head.

"Dammit." he said under his breath. Julius had chosen him and his squad for one reason. Yami knew it even if the rest didn't. None of them had any real attachments; no family, few friends, no status to tie them down. Even Miss Royal, Noelle had been rejected by her family.

And here he was, getting attached.

"I'm such a fucking idiot sometimes." He muttered. He went back into the room and found his belt tossed casually into the corner clear across the room from where his pants were. He pulled a cigarette and lighter from the pouch he stored them in before pulling on his pants. He leaned on the railing once more as he lit the cigarette and inhaled the burning air deeply into his lungs. It burned him almost as much as her touch. As he inhaled again, he felt the sense of calm he always felt when he smoked wash over him.

He stared at the massive expanse of water stretching as far as the eye could see. The sea, a cruel mistress he had known his entire life, which was responsible for his being here, seemed so serene from the distance. But he knew, perhaps better than anyone, how much danger lurked beneath the surface.

"Noelle, you better figure it out," he muttered around his cigarette. He took the butt from between his lips, stubbed it out on the railing's edge and flicked it out into the air. He watched it fall until he could no longer see it.

He was wrapped in warmth from behind as she slithered her blanketed arms around him, wrapping him in both her embrace and the thick quilt she had used to cover herself.

"What are you doing out here?" Her voice was sleepy as she pressed the side of her face into his back.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" He turned in her arms and pulled her against him as he leaned on the railing. She shook her head against his chest.

"I was cold." She tightened her arms around his waist, pulling the blanket more snuggly around them. They held each other in silence for a long moment. He stroked her back, feeling like he should say something. He wanted to tell her how he was feeling-aside from awkward in the silence, but he wasn't entirely sure he knew how to describe it. He had very few memories that made him feel even remotely like how she had made him feel the last day, and nearly all of them were from before. He stroked her back again, relaxing into her in a way he had never known possible, hoping it was enough to make her understand.

"Yami?"Her voice wavered, as if she were frightened. Her body tensed up against him. He ran his fingers down her back again.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that mission we had together?"

"Which one?"

"The only one. When we were undercover."

"Oh, yeah." He tried to sound nonchalant, to hide the fact he had been thinking about it frequently. "Didn't I... Didn't I kiss you then?" He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling the fine strands free from their bindings in the blanket she had wrapped around the back of her neck. He knew very well the answer to his question.

"I'm sorry I slapped you then." She looked up at him. Her blue eyes were brilliant and luminous in the early morning sunlight. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she did not. He cupped her cheek, his fingers tangled in her hair and pulling strands forward to frame her face.

"As long as you don't do it know." He tilted her chin to him and kissed her. The kiss was soft, tender, and a far cry from the desperate crushing of lips from the night before. He kept his eyes closed, feeling her with the rest of his senses, embracing her ki as well as her body. He sighed in contentment and felt his heart swell when she pressed her lips against his, briefly, softly, with more emotion than he thought such a kiss could possibly contain. He smiled as her hands slipped from his waist, over his chest and around his neck. The smile broadened as she pulled him to her once more, pressing their lips together before pressing her forehead into his.

She brushed his cheek and the side of his neck, giggling as she looked into his face-his eyes closed, his broad smile. She had never seen him smile so much. She wondered if he never smiled because he always had one of those damned cigarettes in his mouth, or if he was never happy enough to do so.

"Charlotte?" He didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I, um, I need to tell you."

She pressed her fingers over his lips, stopping him from speaking.

"No; you don't." She knew what "secret mission" meant; all the captains did. Not to tell a soul, sometimes not even your team, or sometimes, not all the information. She could not know the details of his mission, not if it was something Julius had entrusted to him alone.

And she wasn't sure if she wanted to know anything else he might say. She didn't know if her heart could take the pain if she lost him after some deep heartfelt confession.

His face seemed to fall, and the smile disappeared as his brow furrowed. He opened his eyes then and looked at her square in the eye.

"Stay with me." It was sort of a question, and sort of a suggestion, but he waited on baited breath for her response. He needed her, for a little while longer. He needed to feel what she made him feel, the strange sense of contentment he only barely remembered from before. "Just one more day?" He asked as she hesitated with her answer.

His face was shadowed with the sun rising behind him, but she could see a rare glimpse through the facade he had built. Despite the shadows, she could see uncertainty in his eyes, and longing-a different kind of longing than she had seen so frequently the night before. His gaze was raw as he searched her face, hopeful but nervous.

She nodded her head, even more grateful she had stopped him before. His eyes told her everything she needed, but she told herself she was mistaken and she hadn't saw what had plainly been evident in his face. She knew, now, her biggest regret in life would be losing him now.

"I guess my girls can survive one more night without me." She intertwined her fingers behind his neck, unconcerned as they stood naked in the dawn light on a balcony overlooking the ocean with a blanket puddled at their feet.

His shoulders relaxed and the smile returned, not as broad, she noticed, but still reaching his eyes and making them squint closed, crinkling in wrinkles at the corners. She licked her lips as she looked at him. Words danced on the tip of her tongue, words which were trying to escape, which she had longed to say for years. She chewed on her bottom lip, holding them in. She knew it would devastate her if she said them, and he didn't return. She wondered if their meaning was as evident on her face as it was on his. She gave him a small smile as her fingers ran over his shoulders and down his arms until they sat laced with his large hands. She pulled him back inside the room. She might not be able to say it, she thought, but she would let him know as best she could for the rest of the time they could spend together.

He cocked an eyebrow at her as she led him back into the hotel room. He chuckled as she landed hard on the bed like she had not realized it was behind her. He leaned over her, forcing her back on to her elbows.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." He said, his voice a purr in her ear that made her shiver and gasp with anticipation.

"What about yours?" Her breathless voice echoed in his ear.

"My idiots will be idiots. It's fine." He kissed her neck and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to fuck you, Charlotte."

"Any preferences on how?"

He pulled away from where he was nibbling her neck.

"No, but I'm guessing you do."

She bit her bottom lip as a wicked smile crossed her face.

"You have a binding spell, right?"

His eyebrows shot up and his tongue lingered on his lips.

"Yeah." He thought he knew where she was going with the idea, but he couldn't believe it. But the way she chewed on her lip as she smiled made him pray that she meant what he thought she did.

"Well, I did use my magic on you..."

"And I have the marks to prove it." He glanced at his wrists and forearms laced with the thin red welts, some of which were scabbed over.

"It's not fair if I don't let you do the same."

He took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as he could as his chest tightened with her confirmation of what the idea.

"You're right, but I need my grimoire for it."

"Seriously? It's not one you can trigger without it?" She was flabbergasted.

"Not my focus." He pushed her fully onto the bed and kissed her, slipping his tongue between her lips before he stood and scanned the room. He put his hands on his hips and frowned as he looked from side to side. He kicked over some of the clothes that still lay in piles on the floor. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat hard on the bed next to her.

"What?" She sat up.

"I can't find it. This is... weird."

"What do you mean, you can't find it?" She stood up and reviewed the places he had already looked. Her instinct to not trust a man to do something right had kicked in.

"I mean it's not here. I think I left it back at the house." He ran his hand over his face.

Charlotte sat next to him again, her hands gripping the edge of the bed as she leaned forward.

"I can't find mine either." She looked up at the ceiling. "This is bad." He could sense her panic. He knew nothing would happen to the spell books, his motley crew would never do something to them, but she had no reason to trust them. Still, he could tell it wasn't damage to her grimoire she was worried about.

"You don't think anyone would..."

He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"No. Besides, if they did, I'd kill them."

She froze for a moment. She had seen him kill for less, when she had been forced to her knees by that vile man they had been investigating. She wasn't quite sure if he was serious.

He nuzzled the top of her head.

"We could just do this the old fashioned way."His hands slid down her arms to her wrists. She looked up at him and he captured her lips. She tried to lose herself in him, but she could not stop thinking about someone finding her grimoire there. Her mind would not stop running through the possible scenarios should word of this tryst get out.

He looked at her, seeing the distraction written on her face.

"Or we can go get it." He sighed as he stroked her cheek. "Come on." He stood and held out his hand to her, offering to help her up. He pulled her close to him as she put her hand in his. He looked down at her worried face, feeling his disappointment ease somewhat. But, he told himself, all the more reason to make sure this isn't the last mission.

"Sorry." She seemed to sense his disappointment.

"It's fine." And he surprised himself. He was genuinely fine with the interruption. They had been so frantic trying to make up for lost time, and trying to fulfil fantasies which might otherwise never come true. He smiled at her again, realizing he wanted to see her happy more than anything.