Another chapter, another quote, and another piece of the puzzle that makes up quite the jumbled love life of Kara and Caesar. And still no reviews, I'm heart broken. Ah well, what can I do. And oh my god, what is that at the end? Can it be? Actual dialogue! You mean such a thing even exists!

Nothing has changed. I still don't even own a copy of the game much less the wonderful system its played on. But soon, very soon, both shall be mine! Muhahahaha!

"A dancer's pride can be the most destructive thing she can wield. It has left men's hearts in the dust and a girl's dreams in shattered fragile pieces on the floor." - Orgueil, one of the seven dancer's to the troupe Sin's Temptations, 5252 ADW (After Dogma War)

He remembered the last time she danced alone…

It had been three days since the sparring match and to say that things were different between Kara and Caesar, it would have been the biggest understatement since the Dogma War over ten thousand years ago. It was complicated to even think about what their relationship, albeit quite non-existent, even was now. It was awkward to even talk to each other, much less be in the same province. Caesar was sure that the other's noticed the awkwardness of their position but they never said anything, most likely not wanting to be involved or possibly remember the night they had sparred, Leonard still commented on and off that the sight had given his shivers when he thought about it, and nightmares when he didn't.

When Caesar had offered her a piece of the freshly roasted bird he couldn't for the life of him remember the name of, it had been his way of (hopefully) mending the bridge that had grown between them.

This event that had taken place between the two their first night in Frass Chasm, when Caesar had revealed that he knew her secret shortly after she had smacked the bird away, his DragonSight revealing what he already knew, that she was the Black Knight, and Kara had tried to kill him had made things even more awkward, this one in an entirely different sense. And even though Caesar had put up a brave front when he had had Kara's sword laying akin to his neck, they way he held it to hers not long ago, he had been terrified. Terrified that Kara might actually kill him. To his relief, she had simply backed away when he had somehow calmly told her that no matter what happened, he would always think of her as a friend.

For some reason, this had shaken her and had allowed him to talk more about how the General wasn't a part of her, but that she was a part of him, one of possibly thousands. Kara had scoffed at the idea, mentioning that she would have remembered killing a king, but he had heard the small part of confusion and nervousness in her firm voice, not sure if those memories were really hers or not. He had pressed a button though when he had insulted her, telling that that there was no way Kara could be General Dragias, she didn't have half the smarts he did. Just like he had expected her to, she had jumped him in fury, pinning him to the ground, legs straddling his waist and her sharp sword held perpendicular to his neck. Her long curtain of blonde hair hung them like a golden curtain, strands of it brushing against his face every time they both moved. Her face had been so close to his, their noses almost touching, he had the sudden inkling to just kiss her soundlessly, put her off guard and off balance.

He probably would have too, if Yulie hadn't woken from the sound of Kara jumping him. At the sound of the tent flap swishing open, Kara had disappeared from his stomach and was now standing above him, sword still at the ready. She had moved so quick that he could have sworn she had teleported off of him or something. Smiling bashfully, in Yulie's direction though, he had admitted that they had been talking, about nothing special really, and giving a huge yawn (although fake, his nerves were still frazzled from the near death experiences) had strutted back to his own tent ready for a good night sleep he knew would never come.

The next morning, Kara had reemerged from her tent to the casual greetings of her friends and had stared suspiciously at Caesar, demanding to know why he hadn't told them yet of who and what she really was, and in response to her silent question had only given her a quick wink before starting off with the others.

Since then, many events had happened to show that she really was their friend; she had saved the lives of Leonard and everyone else countless times during the day's journey, although responding each to Caesar whenever he inquired about it that she was only keeping up her act. The most compelling evidence, at least to him, had been when the tongue from the defeated Pygmy Greaver had caught him around his middle and roughly pulled him off the cliff with it, deciding that if it was going to die, then it was taking someone with them. Obviously, everyone had freaked out and started to yell his name, and although it could have just been wishful thinking, he could have sworn that when he fell, Kara had yelled louder than the others.

Knowing that death was imminent, Caesar had closed his eyes and let the whole life flashing before your eyes bit take over, dryly wondering if during this period he would remember some of the past he had forgotten, letting the last sight he saw be the one of his blue beads wave slightly in the fall, an oddly serene sight when he thought of the circumstances. To his surprise though, he felt the weight on his chest vanish opened his eyes, gazing up towards the Black Knight, Kara, who had saved him and was holding him comfortingly in the crook of her arm.

She had then dropped him off in front of the rest of their still horrified teammates, now doubly shocked thanks to the appearance of Caesar in the Black Knights arms. Her job done, Caesar had waved towards Kara's retreating figure as it flew into the distance, looking for a good place to transform back and meet up with the others, hopefully without being found out that she had left shortly after Caesar had fallen.

Leonard had of course asked why in the world the Black Knight had come to his rescue, when he had wanted them both dead. Responding in the only way he knew how after a near death experience, he seemed to be having too many of those as of late, he commented on how important he was, being pact-maker to what he considered the most powerful Knight and all. The others had simply rolled their eyes and they had turned to help the Windwalker Rocco with fixing his airship, content that Caesar really was fine.

He hadn't had the time or privacy to ask Kara why she had really saved him until later that evening at the Windwalker village. There, he had managed to corner after trying so hard to evade him but what Caesar Drisdall wanted, he always got. Always. So away from the splendor of the Windwalker fires and light shows, he had managed to corner Kara against one of the chasm's rock walls behind a row of the Papitaur's huts. To his surprise, Kara hadn't even tried to fight him; she just refused to meet his gaze, which had actually hurt him more that her fighting him would have.

"Just answer me this, why did you save my life back there?"

Kara had answered quickly. "If you were to die down there then the Dragon's Ark would never be found again, it would have been lost for centuries, if it wasn't crushed by the Greaver's massive girth first."

Despite the logical answer to his question , it sounded hollow to Caesar's ears, not to mention his DragonSight which flatly revealed it as a lie. He could tell that even Kara didn't believe her answer, although she herself probably didn't even know why. With her question answered though, she tried to escape from her captor but it was proved futile, he wouldn't let her escape not that easily.

"I answered your silly little question; now stand aside before you really do die, this time by my hands."

Caesar shrugged off her threat and laughed. "Oh please, you know that that won't work against me so why bother trying. And anyway, you didn't answer my question, at least not truthfully."

Kara didn't respond this time, she only tried harder to escape. Caesar, tired of her refusing to look directly at him, coolly placed his fingers underneath her chin and turned her head up to look at him squarely in the eyes, and what he saw in them shocked him.

They were glaring at him sure, that didn't even faze him, that seemed to be the only look she would send his way most days, but instead of the usual amount of suspicion and anger he saw something entirely different. In the violet eyes that had held him captivated since their stay in Albana, he saw pain, nothing but absolute, heart-wrenching pain, although she was struggling to build up as much anger as possible to cover it but it was too late. At first he thought it was pain from the sharp rocks digging into her back and his fingers pushing up her head so he had backed off in worry, but then realized that it was pain for something else, something he didn't know or understand.

Using the opening that he had unintentionally granted her, Kara rushed passed him, trying hard to escape him. It was no use. Within in seconds Caesar had grabbed her upper arm with his no longer gauntlet covered hand and stopped her.

"Kara, please, stop it. I can help you; you don't have to fight alone."

Kara laughed. "You don't understand do you? There is absolutely nothing you can do to help me."

Caesar grimaced. True, he didn't understand what was going on but… "You're right, I don't understand but I can try if you only tell me, please."

A cold, hollow laugh followed. "Why do you care what happens to me? I'm nothing but a nuisance to you and your friends. You've heard them, they all think the real me is nothing but filth, and they hate my guts for it."

Caesar was speechless, he didn't know how to answer that, he wasn't even to sure why he cared what happened to her in the first place. Sure he thought of her as a friend but he was a friend to the Kara she acted in front of all of them, not the Black Knight and General Dragias, murder extraordinaire and all together low-life.

"I thought so, so if you don't mind, I'll be going now."

No, it was true that Caesar had no response to that but he wasn't simply going to let Kara dance around him with hard to solve questions as she thought of a way to escape. So he did most stupid and quite possibly also the smartest thing he had ever done. He pulled her roughly into his arms, faintly hearing her voice her objection and he kissed her hard.

It had been a short kiss to say the least, but he knew that the memory of it would forever haunt him until his dying day. The way her lips felt on his, warm and smooth and just as luscious as he had imagined it, with the sound of the Windwalker fireworks going off around them. The way she seemed to fit naturally into his body's shape as he held her close and the feel of her long blonde hair woven through his fingers, just as silky as he had thought it would be. He had been putting every reason he could think of but couldn't for the life of him put into words into that one, single kiss of why she should stay. He could have even sworn that she had kissed him back and that it was her hands that were playing with the braided strands of brown hair that hung in front of his face and the other cupping his cheek affectionately, the latter two was probably only the wind, but Kara had pulled out of his embrace, looking at him with absolute horror.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no. This is not the way it was supposed to be. No no no no…."

Caesar's voice sounded dry and abnormally husky to his own ears. "Kara please, I promise you that whatever happens I will fight with you by your side against whatever and whoever tries to hurt you. I promise that you will never have to fight alone again, I will be there no matter what happens."

You will never dance alone again...

Giving Caesar one last look of fear, she escaped from his now loose grasp and ran into the filled camp, most likely back to her tent. Even if she was scared of Caesar now, nothing would deter her from her mission so she would go on acting like nothing had ever happened and forget what had just happened.

Sighing sadly, he waited a few minutes before following her path back to the Windwalker village center, not knowing that come tomorrow, in only a few hours time, he would be breaking the promise he had just made to her.

And noticing for the first time, that there wasn't a single breeze in the night sky.

Holy crap, kissing and dialogue? When I never seem to write either now? The world must be ending or something, either that or hell actually froze over.

But the important thing is that part four is now done, only four more to go. I'm not going to mention reviews this time but here is what the next part is about:

He remembered the last time they danced side-by-side...

And that's all your getting so tell me your thoughts and what you think the next chapter will be about, though it should be fairly obvious I suppose.