"Hey, Sting? Have you noticed something's off with Ayva and Rogue?"

Sting looked at Yukino and nodded. "Ya, for some reason the last few days they've been avoiding each other. I wonder if something happened."

"I don't know, but I'm worried. They were getting along so well, then out of nowhere they're like this. Do you think we should talk to them?"

"Ya. I'll talk to Rogue."

"I'll talk to Ayva."

Ayva wandered through town aimlessly. She had been avoiding Rogue the last few days, trying to sort through things.

"Oh, there you are!"

Ayva looked up. "Yukino?"

"I've been looking for you!" Yukino smiled. "Can I join you?"

Ayva shrugged. "Sure."

"Rogue, we need to talk."

Rogue looked at Sting as he came into his room. "About what?"

"You and Ayva have been avoiding each other the last few days, did something happen?"

"So, is everything OK, Ayva? You've seemed off the last few days."

Ayva sighed. "Everything's fine."

Yukino looked at her. "Ayva, please tell me what's bothering you? We're friends aren't we?"

Ayva looked at her, recalling what Rogue and Frosch had told her weeks before. "I don't know what to do..."

Yukino grabbed her hand, pulling her to the nearest park bench. "About what?"

Ayva sat and looked at down at the streets. "Rogue kissed me."

"I kissed Ayva..."

Sting looked at him with wide eyes. "You what? OK, back up. What happened?"

Rogue sighed and looked down at the floor, explaining what had happened that night.

Yukino listened as Ayva told her what happened. "You ran? But why?"

Ayva looked at her, dismally. "I have no soul, Yukino. For sixteen years, I've lived my life alone and lost, nothing more than an empty husk of a person, a vessel forever waiting to be refilled. I had forgotten what it was like to have friends, to be loved, to have happiness in my life."

"What changed?"

"Sabertooth." Ayva sighed. "When I came here, you guys showed such kindness to me, a genuine interest in getting to know me. It scare me at first, but as the weeks went by I realized that there was nothing more I wanted in my life than to know what it felt like to have friends again, to feel loved again, to have even a semblance of happiness in my life again. You guys have given me that, but even still..."

"There's something holding you back."

Ayva nodded. "When I'm with Rogue, it's like I have a soul again. He makes me feel whole. But something keeps telling me that because I don't have a soul, I don't deserve to be happy." She teared up. "When Rogue kissed me, it was a moment of utter and pure happiness. But I got scared and pushed him away."

"I can't get her out of my head, Sting." Rogue said, looking at his friend. "But I screwed up..."

Sting sat with Rogue on his bed and sighed. "Well, I don't really know what to say." He looked at him. "Think of how she feels. She's so used to being cautious around people, keeping her guard up, not letting anyone close. Part of that is probably because people sense that something's off about her and it makes them uneasy. Yet, even through that, she's made it an effort to try to change that. She's come out of her shell since you two started talking. She's become well liked around the guild. But even still, she seems like she's scared to let anyone too close, afraid that not having a soul will get in the way of things."

Rogue listened to Sting's words, going over them in his head.

"I think she's just scared, Rogue. I don't think you screwed up."

"Then what do you suggest I do? How can I fix this?"

"Ayva, not having a soul doesn't matter. You've opened up to a lot of the guild and you're well liked. You've come out of your shell since you and Rogue started talking. We all see that you've made an effort to try not to close everyone out." Yukino squeezed her hand. "It's OK that you're scared, but you don't need to be."

"But I ran like a coward and left him there, alone thinking who knows what about it all. I feel horrible." Ayva said, glumly. "I don't know what to do..."

"I think you should talk to him. Rogue's a pretty nice guy, I know he'll understand."

"But what if he won't listen...?"

"Ayva, look at me."

Ayva looked at Yukino.

"You are strong, beautiful, and kind. You've shown that you can smile and laugh and be happy. When I look at you, I forget that you don't have a soul. And no one in the guild cares because you've proven to us that it doesn't affect who you are or what you stand for or how you do your job. We like every bit of you, regardless." Yukino reached up and wiped away her tears. "Rogue has always been quiet and he tends to keep a calm face and rarely show any emotions. He started smiling more after Sting took over as guild master, but he really came out of his shell after you came into our lives. He's always been protective of his friends and those he cares about. For him to show you such affection as a kiss, you must really mean a lot to him. And Rogue isn't the kind of person to let something like that go."

Ayva was surprised by her words, even more so as Yukino hugged her.

"Talk to him. At the very least, it will make you both feel better to clear the air."

"Talk to her. I mean, you've always been the quiet type, always staying calm and rarely showing any emotion. After things started getting better here in the guild, you started smiling more and opening up to everyone. When Ayva got here, you really came out of your shell." Sting looked at him. "Ayva's a good kid. She's strong, beautiful, and kind. You look at her smiling and laughing, finding a way to be happy despite everything that's happened to her, you tend to forget that she doesn't have a soul."

"I don't care that she doesn't have a soul."

"Then make sure she understands that."