Chapter 17: What is Love?

"Pay attention!"

The young girl flinched as her father yelled at her. She sat next to her sister, listening to their father as he was teaching.

"Sheesh, Setsuna, you should behave more like your sister. She's already got this technique mastered. How long are you going to goof around?" he said, berating his daughter.

"Father, stop. She's doing just fine," Yukimaru said, defending her younger sister.

Yukimaru was the inheritor to their clan, and Setsuna had always grown up in her shadow. Yukimaru was good at everything she did. She could easily beat any of the boys in their small village, while Setsuna had difficulty with the most simple of techniques. Even so, nobody doubted her determination to help her older sister.

The problem was that the village was slowly losing its way. More and more of the families had started to abandon the old traditions in favor of just living simply. This irritated Yukimaru's and Setsuna's father to no end, though, so he was determined to continue their legacy with his daughters. He placed all of his hope in Yukimaru, nearly ignoring Setsuna in the process.

"Setsuna, you'll need to support your sister so she can continue our traditions," he had said to her. He never asked her what she dreamed to do, only seeing her as an accessory to Yukimaru. Setsuna was a quiet child, unable to speak up and voice her own opinion. Her sister protected her vigilantly, though.

"It's the older sister's responsibility to take care of her younger sister, after all," she'd say with a smile. 'She's so strong,' is what Setsuna always thought. 'Maybe that's all I'm good for. Just making my sister shine even brighter. Nobody sees me anyways, always hiding in her shadow…'

…

Not long after their father died, the village became an empty ghost town, the previous residents moving to major cities and towns. Being young teenagers in a time of war, they were unwanted. They were forced to take odd jobs and other such forms of employment to live.

"Setsuna, I found a good one. We need to find this old lady's cat that ran away. You take that half of town, and I'll take this half," Yukimaru said with a smile. Setsuna just nodded. She turned and began searching the various places a cat might hide. In an alley behind a bar, she found the cat, curled up near some boxes.

"Come here, little guy," she said, coaxing the cat over with her hand. It looked at her weirdly at first, but soon it ran right up to her and rubbed against her leg.

"See, it's okay. Your mommy was looking for you. Here, I'll take you home," she said, gently scooping the cat up in her arms.

"Aww, that looks nice. How about you give me a turn," a rough voice said, and Setsuna stopped cold. She turned and looked, and there were several large, brutish looking men standing at the entrance to the alleyway. Setsuna, despite her training, was frozen with fear.

"What's with that look?" the guy in front said, and they slowly approached her. She turned to run, but he grabbed her shoulder. The cat jumped out of her arms and attacked the man, almost as if it were protecting her. He yelled as it scratched his face, but he grabbed it and threw it across the alley. It landed on its feet, and let out a low hiss.

"Damn brat, look at what your cat did to my face. I'm gonna make you suffer for that-"

He stopped talking as the girl kicked him in the chin, sending him sprawling. Startled, he stood up and pulled out a knife. His friends also had knives, and Setsuna slowly backed away as they surrounded her.

"It seems you aren't just any little girl. That was a nice kick."

"If you thought that was a nice kick, you'll love this one," another girl's voice said, and as the men turned to look at where it came from, they were promptly thrown in various directions as Yukimaru jumped into their group. She knocked them off their feet, and proceeded to knock them out. The whole incident took a little under five seconds.

The cat walked over to Setsuna again, and looked up at her with an inquisitive gaze.

"Yay! You found the cat! That lady is going to be so happy. Hey, Setsuna, are you okay?" Yukimaru asked, looking at her younger sister.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry you had to save me again. I don't know what happened, but I just froze up when they pulled out the knives," she said, picking the cat up once again.

"It's nothing. You just got a little scared. Even I get scared sometimes, but I just smile to myself and get over it,"

'Of course you can do that,' Setsuna thought to herself.

"Oh well, we should go take this cat back. The reward is pretty nice. It belongs to some rich old lady."

Setsuna nodded, and followed her sister.

…

The Tethe'allan soldier crumpled to the ground as Setsuna knocked him out from behind. She skirted along the rooftop, looking for a window. It had been a few weeks since she joined the Sylvaranti assassination squad. At first, she only had to do reconnaissance, but now they were sending her on actual missions. This was only her second mission, though, and she had pitifully failed her first one. Her sister Yukimaru had opened a small dojo, and she was trying to help spread their fighting style. The dojo wasn't doing so well, though, and Setsuna took it upon herself to help her sister in any way she could, which was why she took this job.

She slowly moved through the castle, and found the master bedroom. The man she was to assassinate was a high-ranking noble in the Tethe'allan army. She would just sneak up to him, and slit his throat in his sleep. Painless, soundless, and clean. By the time anyone noticed, she would be miles away.

Setsuna walked up to the sleeping man, and slowly pulled the blanket away from his face. She was startled when she saw, that between him and his wife, was a little girl. Their daughter. 'No,' she thought, 'I have to do this! I need this job to make sure the dojo doesn't close!'

"Papa? Who's that lady standing there?" the daughter said sleepily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

'Crap!' Setsuna thought, and immediately vanished into the shadows.

"Huh? What?" the man said, sitting up and looking around. Seeing nothing, he looked at his daughter and patted her on the head. "It's nothing, honey. You must have been dreaming. Go back to sleep. Papa is going to go get something to drink real fast. I'll be right back."

He got up and, grabbing his robe, walked into the dimly-lit hallway.

'Now!' Setsuna thought to herself, but she found that she was unable to move in to kill the man. For some reason, she just couldn't do it, knowing the kind of look that would be in his daughter's eyes. As he walked by a window, she heard a low hiss followed by a thud. An arrow, expertly fired from outside, had buried itself in his neck. He had died on impact, and his body slumped to the ground.

'The secondary team!' she thought to herself as she escaped out the window she had entered. She had failed the mission yet again. She had all the skills required of an assassin, but she could never bring herself to kill her target.

…

"Setsuna, what the hell?" the spymaster said, looking at her with disappointment. "You had ample time to eliminate the target. Why did you hesitate?"

"His daughter-"

"She's not cut out for this line of work, boss," a man said from behind her. His name was Laurence, and he had been the one to fire the arrow that killed the target the night before. It was his job to help if something went wrong during a mission.

"She still deserves a little credit, though. Without her, that man would have never gotten up and walked by that window. Made my job that much easier." He said this with a small grin.

The spymaster just sighed. "Setsuna, I know you're doing this for your sister, but if you want to keep working with us, you'll have to really prove yourself on your next mission."

The spymaster was a kind old man, very knowledgeable and wise. He had been a terrifying assassin in his own right during his prime, but now he just helped others. He looked through some papers he had on his desk, and found what he was looking for. "Ha! Found one!"

Everyone looked over at him, but he made a 'shooing' motion and they went back to whatever they were doing. "Setsuna, come here. I've found the perfect mission for you."

Setsuna was nervous, but she walked up to the spymaster. She took the paper from him and looked at it. "Who's this 'Xylek' person?"

Several people coughed on their drinks, and looked at her in disbelief.

"You've never heard of the Tethe'allan Armor Knights?" one of the guys said from the bar.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with this 'Xylek' person?" she inquired.

"He's their commander," Laurence said.

The color quickly drained from her face. The Armor Knights were terrifying on the battlefield, she had heard. They were merciless, and they killed thousands of innocent people as they marched.

"Pah! Don't believe all the rumors you hear from the government," the spymaster said. "The Armor Knights aren't as scary as they sound. Rumors get blown out of proportion. Anyways, yes, Xylek is the name of their commander. Nasty piece of work. Nobody can find any information on him other than the fact that he was recruited by General Toole himself, and he was only a child at the time."

"Recruited as a child?" she asked, wondering about her target.

"Yes. It seems he has no family, and was recruited after he killed several soldiers in a dispute. Toole got really famous for it, too. Bumbling idiot. Rumors say that he was assassinated a few days ago, and that Xylek is up for promotion to his position."

So, this Xylek was a prospective candidate for the general of the entire Tethe'allan army.

"You can't seriously be giving this kind of target to her," Laurence said in a mocking tone.

"I absolutely can. After she succeeds on this, nobody will be able to doubt her resolve," the spymaster said, putting an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Remember, he has no family, and he's grown up being trained as a soldier. He has no problems taking another's life. He's responsible for the deaths of thousands of men. Your emotions shouldn't be affected by someone like him."

"Hey, girl, remember: this guy is no slouch. He's been killing all his life, as far as anyone can tell. If you can't take him out immediately, you need to run," Laurence said. "He'll rip you to shreds if you try to stand toe-to-toe with him."

"How uncharacteristic of you to be concerned for me, Laurence," Setsuna said, with a certain amount of bite to her words.

"I won't have anyone to tease if you go and die. Be sure to come back, at least."

"Yeah, yeah…"

He was right. This 'Xylek' was a cruel person, who took lives for a living. He'd been doing this all his life. He had no family to speak of, so nobody would be sad at his death. Well, maybe a few politicians, but that's all the better. She could definitely do this. She quickly wrote a letter to Yukimaru telling her that she was going to have something special to show her after this mission.

…

It was strange. She had confirmed the rumors that General Toole had been murdered several days before, but she was also hearing rumors of the death of the entirety of the Armor Knights.

'Who would be capable of such a thing,' she thought to herself. Xylek himself had not been seen or heard from since the elimination of his unit. 'Did someone already kill him?' she asked herself.

Using the informants she had access to, she heard rumors of a lone knight wandering around one of the forests. Descriptions said that he was rather tall and imposing, and wore a suit of black armor. This matched Xylek's profile, as he was notorious for always wearing a black suit of armor in battle. It made him a target on the battlefield, but rumors stated that he wanted to stick out so he'd get more of a chance to kill people who attacked him based on his armor.

'Such a bloodthirsty person' she thought. It seemed that he was in hiding from whoever killed his unit, and possibly General Toole as well. She had seen the wanted posters for a "phantom half elf" and wondered who that could be. Probably the one Xylek was hiding from. 'Hopefully,' she thought, 'I'll get to him before the other person.'

Sure enough, she eventually found a man wandering around the forests. He did wear black armor, and he seemed to be wandering aimlessly. She was afraid to get too close since he was highly dangerous. She would watch, and then pick the best moment to attack. Then, nobody would be able to call her incompetent. Then, maybe, her sister would be proud of her.

…

She was silent as shadow as she sat in her perch in the tree just outside of his camp. He sat there, eating the food he had prepared. It looked significantly better than the food she'd been preparing for herself the past few days.

She tightly held the poisoned dagger she was going to throw. If this so much as nicked him, he would be dead within three days.

'Okay, just be calm. You can do this,' she assured herself.

'Now!'

She threw the dagger, and it flew through the air perfectly. Her eyes opened wide when he easily moved his head to the side, and looked directly at the tree she was in. She jerked upright, and the branch she was on gave out from her sudden movements.

"Shit!" she said as she hit the ground. She immediately got up and ran into the night. She looked back, but he wasn't pursuing her. 'He probably thinks I may have some traps set up. I should have…' she thought to herself.

That thought gave her an idea, so she spent the rest of the night setting up traps on the path he had been following. 'I hope he doesn't decide to stop walking on this path,' she thought to herself, as it would be irritating to have to disable the traps and move them.

The next day, she observed him clean up his camp, and start back on the path he'd been following. She was tired, but at least he would encounter the traps.

'Yes, he's about to set them-' she thought, but he stopped. He turned, grabbed a stick, and threw it at the tripwires. The blades she had set up flew across the path, and into the forest. The traps had failed. He also set off the backup trap, which threw up a large cloud of dust. She dashed in, and attempted to stab him with her dagger. He was much faster than he looked, though, and he grabbed her wrist and, with a bit of force, he took the dagger from her hand. She managed to jump away, but having been disarmed, she retreated into the forest.

'This guy is ridiculous. He saw the traps, and he even managed to disarm me without drawing a weapon of his own. How am I supposed to ambush this guy when nothing seems to surprise him? He knows he can disarm me, now, so I bet he won't expect a head-on attack! I'll do that!'

The next day, she watched and waited for the best moment for her newest strategy to be utilized. She would jump out and attack him when he wasn't expecting it, and she would stab him in the throat. 'Easy,' she told herself.

He was busy eating, so she took advantage of his supposed unawareness and dashed out of the trees.

'Got him!' she thought as she thrust the dagger at his neck. He raised his hand, which was holding the knife he had been cutting his food with, and parried her attack.

'No way!' she thought to herself. Her dagger had been parried with a food knife!

She barely managed to pull her head back as he stabbed at her with something in his other hand. It snagged on the cloth she had covering her face, and tore it off. She jumped back, and then she saw what he had used. It was a fork. He seemed to stop for an instant, though, as he examined her face closely. She quickly covered herself and disappeared into the trees.

Later that night, she sat at her camp, brooding over her failed attempts at taking her target's life. 'What do I do now?' she thought to herself, eating the rabbit she had prepared. It was bland, but she just needed something to calm her stomach. 'I don't think I'll be able to get this guy.'

The next day, she continued her pursuit, and as she followed him, she realized he must have been trying to track her as he came across her camp from the night before. The only thing that was left was some rabbit from her meal, and he bent over and tasted a piece of it. 'Really? He's tasting my food?'

So far, she couldn't tell where he seemed to be heading. It was like he had no goal in mind, and was just walking around. 'Maybe I should head back and bring some help. Or, maybe, I can find that half-elf person and ask for help. He should be more than willing to assist in the assassination of someone like Xylek.'

She made her camp that night, and, for the first time in a long time, managed to fall into a deep sleep. She awoke the next day, refreshed, and sat up. She looked around, and saw a plate of food next to the fire, which had died during the night. 'I forgot to put wood on the fire last night,' she thought to herself. 'Why was I not cold then…' she looked and saw that she had a blanket. She had no recollection of having a blanket. The blanket looked familiar, though, and as she examined it, the shock hit her. 'Xylek's!' She stood up, wide-eyed, and looked around. She saw no movement in the trees, and she kicked the blanket away.

"What the hell…" she audibly said, as she looked at the food on the plate that Xylek had most likely left. 'I bet he wants me to eat this. Is this his idea of a joke, the blanket and the food?'

She quickly went to check the traps, as she was hungry. All of them were empty. 'That bastard…' she thought to herself. She went back to her camp, sat down, and examined the food. It looked good, and she was really hungry…

"It's got to be a trick. It's probably poisoned. Little did he know, I can cleanse poison!"

Setsuna used a bit of her magic as she waved her hands over the food. There was a small flash of light from her hands, but the food showed no reaction. She tried several more times, and after no reaction, she realized that the food wasn't actually poisoned. She reheated it over her fire, and began eating.

'Am I really eating this? I should have just thrown it in the bushes,' she thought to herself, but she was surprised at how good it was. 'This is even better than Yukimaru's cooking. Oh yeah, I haven't had anything worth eating in a while. Rabbit was getting old…'

Setsuna sat there, confused. Maybe the person she was following wasn't Xylek. Just some random drifter who felt sorry for her. But then again, maybe it was Xylek trying to trick her. She set the plate to the side, trying to forget the taste.

"It was alright, I suppose. But what is he playing at?" she asked herself "That bastard ripped my mask off, though, so I can't forgive him! Especially since he did it with… a… fork…" The last word seemed to hang over her head, taunting her

She put her face in her hands. "Why do I always screw up so much? Maybe they sent me on this mission to try to get rid of me? I'd heard that the guy was dangerous, but now he seems to be toying with me. Is he going to kill me in my sleep after messing with my head? I'm confused…"

She immediately began searching for him, but it seemed that he had become the one doing the stalking. "Great, I even lost him. Now what?"

Setsuna was torn, not knowing if the information they had received was right. She was worried that her tormentor might get bored and just kill her, as he seemed to posses the ability to do so. That night, she would be sure to be alert. If he was going to try something, she was going to be ready. Ready with a dagger. She laid down next to her fire, and acted like she was going to sleep. Unfortunately, the fire was warm, and she eventually dozed off.

She awoke with a jerk, and she immediately noticed that he had been there after she had drifted off. She saw the same blanket.

"Damn him!" she shouted, furious at his mocking. She saw another plate of food, and became even angrier. "Damn him again!"

She noticed something on the ground, and realized it was the mask he had torn from her face. She picked it up, and after noticing it was wrapped around something, she unfolded it. He had wrapped it around a fork. Her face turned red from anger. She heard a laugh, and realized he was watching. She shouted at him, thoroughly ticked.

"You bastard, you think this is funny? You're going to slip up, and I'll get you then! You hear?" She took the fork and threw it, burying it in a tree.

She needed to calm down, so she went to rinse her hair in a nearby stream. Coming back to her camp, sure enough, her fire had been re-ignited, and next to the fire sat the plate of food, freshly heated. Sticking up from the food was the fork. "Why that… AAARH!"

She aimed a kick at the food, but her foot glanced off a protective ward. The ward wrote a few words in the air. It said "Don't be wasteful."

Her face turned purple from the anger she felt. She sighed, sat down, and checked the food for poison. If he was going to provide food, why let it go to waste? It irritated her that she agreed with the mocking words of the ward on the plate. She began eating, but after noticing she was using the fork, she scowled, bent the fork in half, and threw it into the bushes. After she finished the food, she thought about how to get back at him. 'I could burn the blanket and break his plate, maybe.'

It sounded childish, and she shook her head. 'Wait, how is there a ward on that plate?'

She was shocked by this revelation, as it meant that whoever it was that was messing with her could use magic. She examined the rune on the plate, and it looked poorly drawn. A self-taught magician, perhaps. Maybe her tormenter was actually the phantom half-elf. Maybe she could just confront him. If she could find him, of course.

That night, as she sat near her fire, thinking of what to do, she heard a noise. It was snoring.

'Ha! He got careless and fell asleep! I'll go take a look at this guy up close, then.'

She grabbed her dagger and went to investigate. She found him sleeping against a tree, and closely examined his attire. He wore Tethe'allan armor, complete with an officer's seal on the breastplate. This guy was no half-elf. He was most definitely a soldier. She was working for Sylvarant, so just wearing this armor meant she should kill him, even if it wasn't her target.

"Hehe, got you, bastard."

She pulled out her dagger, but she had no urge to stab him. Even though he'd been toying with her the past few nights, she didn't feel that he had actually meant her harm. It almost felt like it was being done by a kid who just wanted to have fun. On closer examination, she was shocked to realize that he looked to be her age, probably at most in his very early twenties. She kept staring at his face, and, sure enough, her resolve to stab him completely vanished when she saw how peaceful he was sleeping. He looked like he'd been enjoying himself when he drifted off, as the remnant of a smile was still on his face.

"Damn it all!" she yelled, which startled him awake.

"Crap!" he yelled. He started to jump up, but he noticed that her dagger lay in the dirt at her feet, and she was leaning against a tree, covering her face. She had no idea what was wrong with herself.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"What's it matter to you?" she said, not looking at him, too ashamed of her lack of ability.

"Well, I just wanted to-" he tried to say, but she cut him off.

"Shut up! What're you trying to pull, eh? Acting all nice like that." She was flustered. She had no idea who this guy was, or why he'd been messing with her.

"Acting? I just gave you a blanket and some food."

"Exactly! I've been trying to kill you! And then you do that? Is there something wrong in your head?"

"I've been told that," he responded, and she gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Anyways, your 'attempts' weren't very successful, but they did give me something to do, so I suppose I should thank you."

"So I was just entertainment?" She had been right. He was bored, and found messing with her amusing. Just like a kid.

"Well, you were trying to kill me. I just happen to be very good at not dying. It's a curse, really."

"Ha ha," was all she said.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know why I was helping you. It's just this… feeling I've got in my chest compels me to. For some reason, I just wanted to be sure you were safe."

"So what, you saying you've fallen for me? How does that make sense?" she said as she turned to look at him. Absurd. He'd seen her face once, and fallen in love? That only happens in stories. Then she remembered the look he had on his face when he had stolen her mask and looked at her.

"I have no idea. I've never felt like this before, though, so I don't know if I've fallen for you or not. Pitiful, I know." He rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what to say, and she just looked at him. He seemed awkward in the current situation. Of course, she didn't feel spectacular at that moment, either.

"So, um, you probably know this, but my name is Xylek. What's yours?"

"You are Xylek? Don't joke." She stared at him, drilling him with her icy blue eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you can use magic. Xylek is no half-elf. He's a captain-"

"Was a captain. I was a captain. Not anymore, though. I deserted my post."

This surprised her. Was he telling the truth?

"Why would Xylek, a captain who struck fear into the hearts of his enemies, leave?"

"I would leave when following orders would mean slaughtering an entire village of half-elves. I left after I killed the General of the entire Tethe'allan army, in addition to my own men, the elite 'Armor Knights.' I could no longer play as a human. I took my revenge on the people that slew my family nine years ago, and left. I expect they are also trying to take my head. For my sake, I hope their assassins are about as competent as you."

She was shocked. He was saying that, not only was he Xylek, but that he was also the "phantom half-elf." He looked human, but then again, so did she. Her mother had been a half-elf. It then struck her that he had insulted her with that last sentence.

"Shut up!" she said, thinking of nothing else to say.

"No. I know you're a half-elf, too. Why would you be working as an assassin?"

So he'd detected the magic on her mask that made it perfectly mask her breathing.

"I need to support my sister, so I take jobs like this. I work for Sylvarant's assassination squad."

"But, this is your first mission, isn't it?"

"N-no! I've killed plenty of people!" She crossed her arms, and she realized that, to him, she probably didn't look particularly dangerous.

"I doubt that. You don't seem like a killer. I've met people who kill. I'm one of them." His bright green eyes darkened as he seemed to brood over something.

"Yes, I know you're a killer, especially if you really are Xylek. You don't seem to like it very much, though. I've heard of soldiers who have lost to your little group of elites. They say that you wash over the battlefield like a storm, destroying all who resist. But, unlike other commanders, you allow wounded soldiers to escape, and even treat some of them yourself."

She had learned that the rumors of killing innocents had been a lie. The Armor Knights were actually highly respected in Tethe'alla, known for their honorable and honest disposition. And she was now talking to the man who had most likely trained them to be like that.

"Well, if there are survivors, perhaps my reputation will force my enemy to surrender, since they know I will not harm those who surrender. Funny way of winning a battle, eh?"

"No… that's how a kind-hearted person would try to win. To win a war without bloodshed…" She no longer looked at him with irritation, and she was now genuinely curious about this strange person who had, supposedly, fallen in love at first sight with her. Why had he been in the army in the first place?

"Yeah, so, shall we try this again? My name's Xylek. What's yours?" he held out his hand with this question, and she looked at it, and then at him. She saw the genuine smile on his face as he stood there, looking directly into her eyes, and she flushed.

She held out her hand, and grasped his. His hand was huge compared to hers, and for some reason that comforted her.

"I'm Setsuna."

"Oh, Setsuna? That's a beautiful name. I suppose it's obvious you would have a beautiful name, though."

Her face became even more flushed.

"So, Setsuna, I have a question."

"What would that be?"

"How long are you going to hold my hand?"

She hadn't noticed it, but she was indeed still grasping his hand. She quickly yanked it back and turned away.

"Setsuna."

"Wh-what?" she managed to spit out.

"Are you hungry?"

She punched him in the nose.

"Ouch!" he yelled, grasping his face. "What was that for?"

"You. You're an ass," she said, annoyed with him for his carefree attitude. "Stay out of my camp tonight, too."

She turned to go to her camp, and then something soft hit her in the back of the head.

"What in the-" she turned with mild irritation, and looked down. It was a blanket.

"Take it. You don't need to get sick. I have a feeling it'll be cold tonight," he said, turning and walking off into the trees.

She looked at the blanket, and then shouted into the trees, "Thanks!"

'I don't want to seem rude,' she thought to herself, as she was actually quite thankful for the blanket.

…

The next morning, she awoke to find Xylek messing with something over the fire.

"I told you to stay out of my camp!"

"Yes, you said 'tonight' though. It's morning now, so I'm not breaking any rules you set."

"You should consider the fact that your love is unrequited, so making the person you like angry is probably a bad idea, if you want to have a chance."

"So I have a chance?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't deny it, either. Anyways, as fun as the word games are, breakfast is ready. I hope you like eggs."

"I'm not picky enough to deny food given freely," Setsuna said as she sat down, ready to eat. Her guest was rather interesting, but she wondered how her employers would react to the current situation.

"Who said it was free?"

She coughed on the bite she had just taken, and looked at Xylek suspiciously.

"What do you want?" she asked, wondering exactly what was going on in his head.

"I want to be able to follow you. I can't very well allow something to happen to you before I've won you over, now can I?"

"So, what, you want permission to stalk me?"

"That's a harsh term for it. How about 'permission to be your bodyguard.' And, now that I think about it, I'll also be doing the cooking."

"Just so you know, I'm heading back to Sylvarant. Over there, you aren't the most popular of individuals, and I'm not taking any responsibility for you."

"Fair enough. Is it a deal?"

"Is what?" She was enjoying being selectively obtuse towards him.

"I'm serious."

"Yes, fine, it's a deal. But, you aren't allowed to do anything… weird."

"Me? I'm offended."

"I'm sure you are. Well, let's head out, then. I have to go try to explain something to my employer."

Honestly, she was wondering how she was going to say that, instead of killing Xylek, she went and allowed him to become her bodyguard/personal chef.

…

"Oh, you survived? I win the pot!" Laurence said as Setsuna walked into her place of employment.

"You made bets?"

"Yup, and I was the only one who bet you'd survive."

"How… reassuring. I need to see the spymaster," she said.

"I'm right here," he said, coming out of his office in the back. "Glad to see you've returned. And in good health, too."

"Yes, I survived. You weren't in on the gambling, were you?"

The spymaster laughed and shook his head. "I don't find the possibility of losing a friend a particularly good thing to bet on."

"Aww, the boss is sweet on Setsuna," Laurence said, taking a drink of his beer. The building they worked in also happened to have a bar.

"Aww, Laurence is jealous of the old man," someone else said, and Laurence turned and threw his beer mug at the offender. "Stuff it!"

Everyone started laughing, but it got quiet when the doors opened and a rather large hooded figure walked in.

"I told you to wait outside," Setsuna said, irritated.

"People kept looking at me weird. It's not like coming in here is going to get me killed…"

Xylek's words trailed off as he noticed the shady people seated in the establishment.

"Hey, buddy, I don't know who you are, but not just anyone comes in here," Laurence said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not from around here."

"We can tell," the spymaster said, examining their guest with a healthy bit of suspicion. "Of course, if Setsuna knows you, I'm sure it'll be okay for now. You're quite the big one, too," he observed, as Xylek easily stood over 6 feet tall.

Xylek was also closely examining the spymaster, looking intently at his face.

"If I might ask, sir, did you have any siblings?" he asked, surprising Setsuna and the rest of the people inside.

"Why?"

"You look like someone I once knew. I just felt it would be incredibly ironic if you were related."

"I did have a brother, but he died around… 9 years ago, I think?"

Xylek's face froze. The spymaster furrowed his eyebrows at his response.

"Was his name Albert?"

This time the spymaster's face froze.

"It seems you are his brother, then. The world is truly small," Xylek said with a mild chuckle.

"Indeed. How did you know him? I was rather distraught when I heard he had been killed in a scuffle with some soldiers."

"Oh, he saved my life. I was a, well, I had just obtained the status of 'orphan' when he found me wandering around. He let me work for him for a bit."

Setsuna was shocked. Then again, having known the spymaster's brother would make things a lot easier to explain, since it seems that Xylek had been a friend. She shook her head at such a coincidence.

"Ah, you must be that little rag-tag boy he found. He wrote me a few letters mentioning you."

"He never told me about any of his family, just that they were scattered all over."

"Well, since it seems that my brother took care of you, I can also extend the favor. Welcome to the Sylvaranti Assassination Squad's headquarters. I am the spymaster, Allen."

"I'm not going to call you 'Al,'" Xylek quickly said.

"Well, just address me as 'spymaster' or 'old man.' Everyone else does," he motioned to the various people who had been watching the exchange.

"What should I call you, then? My brother never did mention your name in his letters."

"Ah, well, my name… umm, you can call me… Zenryu," Xylek said, knowing that his own name would not be something good to give in the middle of a group of people who killed for a living.

"Zenryu it is!" the old man said, slapping him on the back. The loud clang of armor rang through the bar. "Ouch! What do you have on under that cloak?"

"Yeah, exactly how do you know Setsuna, 'Zenryu'?" Laurence said, walking up to Xylek.

"It's okay, Laurence. He helped me while I was out on the mission." Setsuna tried to position herself between the two men, who had taken to glaring at each other.

"Oh yes, the mission. How did that go?" the spymaster asked.

"How was the mission phrased?" Xylek asked, and the spymaster raised his eyebrow at the question.

"It was 'The elimination of the Tethe'allan officer known as Xylek' if I recall."

Xylek smirked, and Setsuna realized that she had, indeed succeeded in her mission. There was no longer a Tethe'allan officer named Xylek.

"The mission was a success," she proudly said.

"I win that pot!" the spymaster yelled, and everyone else in the bar groaned.

"You bet on that, too?"

"Why of course. I had total faith in you, though. I'm even going to split the winnings with you," the old man said, grinning. She looked at Laurence, who scratched the back of his head.

"You didn't bet that I'd succeed?" she inquired in a teasing tone.

"I just didn't bet on that one," he said. "Like I said, I only thing I really wanted was for you to not get killed by that brute."

Xylek coughed, and Laurence looked up at him.

"I don't particularly like you, buddy. The name 'Zenryu' didn't seem like your real name," Laurence said, regarding Xylek with suspicion. "And, what do you have under that cloak of yours?"

"That would be a suit of armor, considering my choice of profession."

"What would that be?" Laurence inquired.

"I'm a chef-" Xylek started to say, but Setsuna smacked the back of his head. His attitude was starting to grate on her. He would have said it with a straight face, too.

"He's a bodyguard for hire," she said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Doesn't seem like much," Laurence said. "Why would he have followed you here? It's not like you hired him, or anything. Or did you?"

"He's currently offering me his services, free of charge. If you want to ask why, you may inquire him, though I doubt he'll give you a serious answer," she said.

"I think I will ask. So, 'Zenryu,' why did you offer Setsuna your services for free? Not much of a way to make a living."

"It's because I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her face."

Setsuna froze, and the people around the bar simultaneously stopped and looked. Everyone knew that Laurence actually had a thing for her, and the appearance of a 'rival' of sorts would cause a bit of trouble.

"Haha, you're right, Setsuna. He won't give me serious answer. Well, I have things to do, so I'm off. Say hi to your sister for me," Laurence said as he grabbed his things and walked out.

"Oh, yes, you should probably be getting over there. She's been inquiring as to how you were doing, and I was afraid what would happen if she found out what kind of mission you had gone on. Here are your wages," Allen handed Setsuna her payment for a successful mission, and he then walked off to his office and closed his door.

…

"You have a sister?" Xylek asked as they walked towards the dojo.

"Yes, and, from what I can tell, you're going to fall in love with her at first sight, too."

"What?"

"Well, since, for you, love seems to be something that happens based on sight, you'll fall in love with her as soon as you see her. She's much prettier than me," Setsuna said. Everyone always complemented her sister on her good looks, while she herself was rarely mentioned in the same breath.

"I'm sorry you think that," Xylek said.

"Think what?"

"You think you're the first pretty girl I've seen? Did you forget my previous position? I had women chasing after me whenever I went out in public. Of course, they were all as shallow as a person could be. You are the first girl I've met that has given me this… well, it's hard to describe. It feels like my chest will explode whenever I look at your face. It's a… nice feeling."

'This guy might actually be serious,' she thought to herself. 'That's the first time anyone has said something like that to me, too.'

"Enough, we're here," she said, changing the subject. It was a small dojo, but it was well built. She could hear her sister inside, yelling at several students. There weren't many students, so Yukimaru was sure to make the ones she had excellent, whether they wanted to be or not.

"Setsuna!" Yukimaru yelled as soon as she set foot in the dojo, stopping the training. The students all quickly sat down, glad to be given a breather. "I'm so glad you're safe! I didn't hear anything about your mission, so I started getting worried."

Xylek stepped in, and Yukimaru's reaction was rather abrupt.

"You said you'd have something to show me in your note, but you brought back a guy with you?"

"Well, he followed me."

"A stalker!"

"Now hold on a second-" Xylek tried to say, but it was futile.

Yukimaru immediately launched into the air, and attacked Xylek. He blocked her first kick, and proceeded to block and avoid the following flurry of attacks. Yukimaru wasn't holding back, yet she wasn't landing any damaging blows. The students were amazed to see their master go all out on some stranger, who was keeping up. The fighting stopped when Setsuna yelled.

"Knock it off!"

Both Yukimaru and Xylek froze mid-fight, and then backed away from each other. They were both breathing heavily.

"Your sister… *takes a breath* is very good," Xylek said, catching his breath.

"This guy is *also takes a breath* pretty good, too. Class is dismissed for the day." She was also somewhat winded, and she looked embarrassed that she had reacted to a guest in such a violent manner.

The students left, and then Yukimaru demanded a detailed description of what happened on the mission. Setsuna explained.

"So, this guy is actually the guy you were supposed to kill? And you couldn't do it? Why not?" Yukimaru's disappointment was apparent.

"He was too good. Nothing I did worked on him."

"Well, except for your seductive abilities, it seems."

Setsuna blushed at this. 'Wait, why the hell am I blushing?' she thought to herself.

"Setsuna, you lied," Xylek said.

"About?"

"You said your sister was prettier than you. I disagree."

Setsuna and Yukimaru simultaneously punched him in the face.

…

Xylek was off making dinner, most likely in an attempt to impress Yukimaru, so the sisters sat in the dining room, talking and drinking tea.

"So, what do you think of him?" Yukimaru asked.

Setsuna coughed on her tea. "W-what? What do you mean?"

"It's a simple question."

"Well, he's annoying, for starters. He's a bit of a smartass, too."

"And?"

"What do you mean, 'and?'"

"You are describing him, not your thoughts about him. Stop dodging the question."

Setsuna shook her head. "What do I think about him? I'm not sure if I know yet, myself."

Yukimaru looked at her sister, and she laughed a bit.

"I see. You have no idea what to think when some random guy comes out of nowhere and tells you he's fallen in love with you for no reason whatsoever."

"You do?"

"Well, I am very beautiful," Yukimaru said, mockingly.

Setsuna rolled her eyes.

"Well, I think I'll wait before I form an opinion on him. He's very nice, and he seems completely sincere."

"I'd hope you would at least think that much. I think he's very cute, with the way he acts towards you. Don't tell him I said that, though. As far as he's concerned, I'm the disapproving older sister. I'd like for you to get a good guy, though, and he seems like one."

"Are you cheering him on?"

"Maybe. I'll wait to taste the cooking before I give my final verdict, though."

'Crap,' Setsuna thought to herself. 'If it relies on his cooking, she's going to try to get us married tonight, if she doesn't decide to try to take him herself.'

…

Xylek had been staying at the dojo for about a week, and Yukimaru was content to let him as long as he kept making the meals.

'My sister has no shame,' Setsuna thought to herself.

The money she had earned from that one mission had been enough to keep the dojo open for several months, and Yukimaru had been reduced to tears when Setsuna gave it to her.

"Isn't it like stealing, though, with Xylek being alive?" she had asked.

"Nope. The mission mentioned the Tethe'allan officer named Xylek. There is no longer an officer by that name in the employment of Tethe'alla."

"And you said Xylek was the smartass."

"His words, not mine."

"Well, who cares about the specifics!"

Setsuna was extremely happy she had been such a great help to her sister, but when she finally went back to her place of employment, upon walking in, she found herself face-to-face with several Sylvaranti soldiers.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"It seems that there has been a misunderstanding," the spymaster said. "There are rumors that Xylek is still alive, and has fled to Sylvarant. Specifically, he was supposedly seen around here."

"Who said this?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, rumors of a large male wearing black armor with blue hair have been circulating around a bit. It seems that Tethe'alla seems to think he's still alive, and they are offering a nice price for his head."

Laurence walked up to the group. "You know, that sounds a lot like that 'Zenryu' guy you brought back. He's big, and has blue hair. Didn't see the armor, but he seemed to be hiding something."

"Laurence, be quiet," she snapped. Her response startled her. It had been reflexive.

"They even say he's a half-elf. We don't need any of those around here, either. Disgusting filth."

Setsuna wasn't surprised when she herself turned and kicked him in the nose, breaking it. The spymaster quickly escorted the soldiers to his office, and closed the door. They didn't need to hear what would happen next.

"How is a half-elf anything like 'filth,' Laurence?" she asked, very angry.

"They just are!" He held onto his nose, which was bleeding quite a bit.

"And if one of your friends happened to actually be a half-elf?"

"I'd do him a favor and put him out of his misery."

She abruptly turned and walked out, but he followed.

"What the hell is your problem, Setsuna? I know his name isn't Zenryu. It's Xylek, isn't it?"

"Yes. What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll do what I have to. He's no good for you."

"Who're you to make that decision for me?"

"So you like him?"

"I didn't say that."

"Fine. Let me rephrase that. Do you like him?"

"What if I do?"

"Even if he's a half elf?"

"Would you like me even if I was a half-elf, Laurence? Or would you put me out of my misery, like an injured beast?"

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"

'That bastard, he's just like everyone else. He hates people for no reason. He couldn't have truly cared for me,' she thought to herself, feeling hurt.

"Answer the question." Setsuna jumped upon hearing that statement, as it wasn't her that had said it.

They both turned, and Xylek stood, uncloaked, with a deadly serious look on his face.

"Laurence, answer her question. I want to hear your answer." His carefree attitude was gone. This man looked like the one the rumors were about. The cold-blooded warrior he was said to actually be. She didn't find him to be scary though. Laurence, the one under his gaze, on the other hand…

"It doesn't matter. She's not-"

"You're dodging the question," Setsuna said, also irritated at how he was avoiding answering.

"I stand by my previous answer."

So he was willing to kill even her based on her blood.

"Now, let me ask you something, Xylek. Are you a half-elf?"

"Yes. She knew that from the start, though," he said, pointing to Setsuna.

Laurence looked at her, shocked. "You knew?"

"Yes, I knew. It's something he has in common with me."

The rest of the color drained from Laurence's face. It went from shocked to serious very quickly, though.

"I stand by my principles, and I will put my country first. Be gone, filth."

He drew his arbalest from his back and aimed it at Setsuna.

He pulled the trigger, firing the weapon at her from close range.

She closed her eyes, not being able to move out of the way in time. She heard a loud thud and the sound of the bolts sinking into flesh, but she felt no pain. She opened her eyes, and saw black armor in front of her.

"I knew you'd do that," Laurence said, stringing new bolts onto the arbalest.

"No you didn't. You fully intended for those to hit her," Xylek said. "You're just like everyone else, and you thought you were worthy enough to say that you liked her. The moment you heard she was a half-elf, I saw your emotions change in your face. That's the difference between you and me, I suppose."

"What are you talking about? Nobody else knows her secret, so I'll just kill you and take her."

"She's not something you can take. She's a person." Xylek seemed unsteady on his feet.

"Xylek, you're shot! We need to hurry up and get that taken care of!" Setsuna said, as she saw that there was blood slowly dripping on the ground in front of him.

"I'll be fine. He needs to hear what the difference is between love and the emotion he called love. He needs to hear it before I kill him."

"Fine, before you kill me, let me hear your sappy little lecture on a human emotion, you half-elf."

"Hehe," he said through a heavy cough, "I'll gladly tell you. You are a slave to your country. You would sacrifice her for your country's sake. The prejudice that runs rampant in this world is deeply ingrained into your character, too. That's not love. Love is being willing to forsake everything for her sake. I would willingly destroy this country, no, I would destroy everything for her sake, if I had to."

'He's willing to take on the world for me?' she thought to herself again. 'Why would someone do that?'

"Well, at least you get to die for her sake," Laurence said as he leveled the arbalest at Xylek's head. "Goodbye, then, Xylek."

"Goodbye, Laurence," Xylek held up his hand, and as the arbalest began to fire, there was change in the temperature of the air. The firing mechanism froze solid, and Laurence was shocked at the sudden use of magic. He was frozen in fear as Xylek materialized a spear of ice and stabbed him in the eye socket, ending his miserable life.

"Well, looks like you're safe now," Xylek said. He coughed and dropped to one knee. Setsuna now saw that he had two arbalest bolts stuck in his chest.

"I have a quick question, before I probably collapse," he said, and she was shocked to see he had a smile on his face again, despite the pain of his injuries. He coughed again, and a bit of blood came out. One of the bolts had most likely punctured his lung. He needed treatment soon.

"We need to get help. Yukimaru can treat this, I'm sure."

"No, I want to hear your answer. A serious one."

"What?"

"Laurence asked you if you liked me. I want to hear that answer."

"What if it's a no?"

"Is it a no?"

'What are you doing, you idiot?' she asked herself. Did she like him? She wasn't sure. But, when she thought about him dying from his injuries, it seemed to crush her. He seemed completely convicted in his emotions, but what did she feel? She knew one thing, though.

"…it isn't a 'no.'" Her words were barely audible.

"I can't quite hear you."

"I don't dislike you."

"That's not a very clear answer. My head's a little cloudy, so could you possibly clarify?"

'Okay, I'll just say the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him,' she thought to herself. He had jumped in front of her to save her life. He'd been constantly trying to cheer her up. She had tried to kill him, but he had only thought to save her. 'What do I feel towards him?' Her heart's answer was crystal clear.

"Fine, yes, dammit! I like you!"

She'd said it. Sure enough, put under enough stress, she had realized her own feelings, and blurted them out.

"Now let's get help before you go and die on me!"

"Yeah, I can't move. I'm probably going to pass out soon."

"What?" She noticed the pool of blood on the ground had gotten rather large.

He collapsed to the ground. His breathing was shallow. She had to do something. Yukimaru was too far away to help. Wait, hadn't they both been taught how to use healing magic? Of course, Yukimaru was always better at magic, too. Setsuna remembered the last time she tried using healing magic. It had managed to reduce a stubbed toe to a dull ache.

'Why am I always so useless,' she thought to herself. 'Why did he go and do something stupid like getting shot? Now, he probably believes I can save him. Why would he put his faith in me like that? Can I do it?'

She pulled on one of the bolts, and Xylek coughed. They needed to come out, though…

Setsuna quickly yanked them out, which caused a large bout of coughing. She placed her hands over the wounds and began chanting the healing magic. There was a flash of light from her hands, and Xylek let out another bit of coughing.

'It didn't work?' she thought to herself, as Xylek showed no signs of improving. 'Try again!' she told herself.

She did so, and the magical energy surged forth from her hands, entering his wounds, but this time Xylek stopped moving entirely.

"Xylek?" she said, wanting to see some sign he was still alive.

"Xylek. Stop screwing around." She was getting nervous. "We need to head back to my sister's so we can get ready to go. We aren't going to be able to stay here anymore without causing trouble. Come on."

He still didn't move.

"Xylek?" She began to panic. Had she been unable to save him? There wasn't anything else she could do. She shouted.

…

"Xylek!"

"What?"

Setsuna sat up and looked over, and saw Xylek lying next to her, with a confused look on his face.

"You okay?" he asked, and she remembered they were in Mizuho.

"I had a rather… nostalgic dream." She stared at her hands. It had been so vivid, like she was reliving her past.

"Oh really? What about?"

She saw the scars on his chest the arbalest had left, and ran her fingers over them.

"I see…" he said, seeing the way she looked at the scars. He reached over and took her hands in his. "Don't worry. Remember, you found out you were better than your sister at healing that day, too. She looked at these injuries and was shocked that I had been healed. It turned out your inferiority complex with your sister had been suppressing your talent. She was so proud of you."

It was true. That day was when Setsuna had finally felt that she had managed to step out from behind her sister's shadow.

"You know, it was a happy day for me, too, of course."

"What?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Why would that day be happy for him? He'd been impaled by two large steel spikes.

"That was the day I finally got you to say that you liked me. Even though it took me getting shot and almost dying…"

She punched him in the chest. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Jerk."

"Like I said, I'd fight the world for you. That day, I knew I could fight through hell for your sake."

She looked at him, still held tightly in his embrace.

"Yes, but remember the promise I made you make." She poked him on the nose.

"Promise? What promise?" The gem around his neck glowed red. He remembered, but she still felt like reminding him.

"I said you could fight the world for my sake, but only on the condition that you come back."

"Ah, that promise. Remember, I have a bad habit of not dying."

"Please don't kick that habit, then."

"Kicking is your area of expertise."

She elbowed him in the stomach, and they both drifted off to sleep together, smiling.

…

The next day, everyone was anxious. They were going to be flying to the Ginnungagap. They would have to confront Xegros one more time. This time, though, they weren't going to be exchanging greetings with him. No, they were going to destroy what was left of Xylek and Setsuna's friend. They were going to fight the embodiment of hatred and rage that had replaced the foolish idealist Xegros had once been. Not all of them may be able to come back from this fight, either.

Xylek: Man, I write a lot for flashbacks.

Tiger: At this rate, your back-story will be longer than the normal story.

Xylek: What about this story is normal?

Tiger: I knew I should have used a word other than normal with him…