Chapter 76: Fearing Answers

The young melodist roused from her sleep to find the sun's warm rays filtering through the window. The light that cast over her bed warmed her and Tear found herself reluctant to leave the confines of her covers. Laying there, her eyes half open gazing lazily at the ceiling, she wondered if everything that had happened last night had been no more than a dream. It had been perfect enough to be one, but it wasn't so fleeting as the images that were otherwise scattered throughout her sleep. No, the melody of Luke's song still danced in her ears, the warmth of his arms still held her. It hadn't been a dream at all, and that realization made her heart soar.

Sitting up and discarding what remained of her sleep-induced haze, Tear slipped out of bed. A casual glace out the window put the sun much higher in the sky than she'd expected. It must be close-to, if not lunch time already. Yet this realization didn't startle her as it once had. She smiled; Luke's laziness must be rubbing off on her. She could no longer find the purpose she once had in being awake at the crack of dawn each and every day even when there was no reason to do so. If there was no need for punctuality, she didn't see the harm in sleeping in; especially when she had been up well into the morning hours. So while she still preferred to be up early rather than later, the small lapses didn't leave her berating her own weakness. She had a reason, after all. Running a brush through her tan hair, Tear couldn't wipe the smile from her face. If Anise was to bug her and try to imply that she and Luke had been up to other things so late at night, let her. Tear seriously doubted anything could ruin her mood today.

It was an old habit, being so strictly punctual, one leftover from her days as an aspiring soldier. Rising with the sun, to bed as soon as was reasonable to ensure strength and endurance for coming encounters; she had placed such value in so many such empty gestures. Consistency and obedience to rules whose purpose she realized now she had never really understood. It had been through those rules, that persona of the perfect soldier, that she had defined herself, given herself meaning, but not anymore. No, she wouldn't trade her encounter with Luke last night for anything, least of all for the mannerisms of a position she didn't even know she wanted anymore.

The thought caught the melodist off guard, and for the first time, Tear realized she really didn't have any intentions of returning to the Oracle Knights. With everything that had been going on, thinking of the future beyond their journey's end wasn't something she'd done at any length; so much was involved to just get through, if they even would, that beyond that was too much to consider. Yet the certainty with which the fact that her days as a soldier were behind her existed in her mind left her wondering when she'd subconsciously decided her future.

Perhaps it wasn't that she'd decided, rather she'd simply lost the reasons that had once driven her to pursue that path. Ever since she'd been young she'd wanted to become an Oracle Knight; but why? Tear had always known the answer; she'd done it for Van. She wanted to follow him, to be able to help him in any way that she could. To become a support for him like Major Legretta and Major Cantabile were, and to support the ideals of the Order she had grown up a part of. Then after she'd discovered his true intentions, Tear held fast to her position, knowing it was the only thing that would give her the freedom to stop him. What had she believed back then? What had she planned to do once she'd stopped her brother, saved the Outer Lands from his folly? Nothing. It was a simple as that. She'd never made any such plans; she'd expected the quest to claim her life.

Was that why she'd so readily accepted her fate when the miasma had contaminated her? Was it for the same reasons Luke had so simply accepted his fate at the Tower of Rem? She who had no future, no life once her brother was gone was the perfect sacrifice. Nothing would be lost; she'd planned this from the very beginning. Luke had been right; she was a hypocrite. But things were different now, so completely beyond anything she could have envisioned that dark night when she'd first decided she had to stop her brother, no matter the cost. She never dreamed she would have her friends... she never dreamed she'd have Luke. They could find themselves a future together. They would carve themselves a place in this new world they were about to create.

Thinking of Luke, of spending a future together with him set lose a swarm of butterflies in her stomach and her reflection in the mirror took on a soft pink hue. Catching herself wondering what Luke was up to, she could have laughed. It wasn't so far gone that she'd forgotten all the times she'd watched different members of the Order with their love interests. The times she'd rolled her eyes at the way they foolishly went on about each other every waking moment; the times she'd mentally chastised their laxness with protocols just to spend an extra few moments together. Idiots, fools, stupid, lazy, smitten... she'd called them all these things; yet now she could understand completely where they were coming from. Maybe they were foolish, maybe she was too; but if it was between being called a fool and choosing not to see Luke today, they could call her what they pleased.

Maybe she would go see if Luke felt like taking a walk in the gardens with her.

Taking one last glance in the mirror, Tear deemed herself presentable. She'd never been much one for embellishments; accessories, make-up, all those other things that Anise and Natalia seemed to live for at times seemed like such a waste of time. Still... Tear's hand kept fingering her bangs, fighting with some strands that wouldn't stay put the way she'd like them to. A knock on the door nearly made her jump; startled, she quickly settled and felt excitement consume her. Maybe it was Luke?

The flash of crimson hair when she opened the door sent her heart fluttering for only a split second before the realization crashed on her with the weight of his heated gaze: it was definitely not Luke.

Natalia stretched her arms as she walked down the hallway, suppressing a yawn. It had been rather late when they'd gotten back last night and she'd yet to adjust to the change in time between the two capitals. That her lack of sleep was the only thing the young princess could complain about, however, was something for which Natalia was very grateful. She wasn't happy about having just dumped such a massive mess onto her father's lap while he was still recovering, no matter how glad he was for the excuse to finally break the bed rest his doctors had him under; but it was something that truly couldn't be helped. None-the-less, it wasn't a topic anyone should have to handle at the best of times; but it was one that was, unfortunately, completely unavoidable.

To say the subject of shutting off the Planet Storm was a political mess didn't even begin to do justice to the complexity of the matter and the sheer number of meetings and debates she'd attended was enough to do her lack of sleep justice. She wasn't the only tired one; Asch had likely dealt with as much, if not more than she had for the duration. It did him well though; at least it had put to ease concerns from many of the advisors who had objected to his decision not to take on the responsibilities of the throne when her father had taken ill. After everything he had done in the past couple weeks, no one could doubt his dedication to Kimlasca's future.

The entire thing had been quite the ordeal, but from what she'd heard from Jade, there had been just as much chaos in Malkuth's courts. She had to respect the Colonel for his ability to manage court affairs without actually being a member of the court. It had been difficult enough for her, and she was the princess. She couldn't even begin to fathom the challenges he'd encountered; he had Peony's support, she supposed, but a challenge it must have been none-the less.

For all their efforts, however, they had finally managed to produce results and both countries had come to the same conclusion. They would allow the shutting of the Planet Storm; likewise they would join forces in seeking ways of conserving fonons and developing new energy sources. The details of the latter had yet to be worked out, but it would be a joint operation on the scale of which neither country had seen in a very long time.

All that remained now, would be the actual stopping of the Planet Storm which may be more of a challenge than anyone could have anticipated, if such a method even existed. Surely, though, when Yulia had created it, she must have had some method of stopping it should things have gone wrong. It was finding such a method that would be a challenge. If they would find it anywhere, though, Natalia was certain it would be in Yulia City. If nothing else, Tear would be happy for the chance to return home; for all the time they'd spent in Baticul and Grand Chokmah, they'd really little reason to return to the melodist's home and she'd been away for a great deal of time.

All those thoughts were brushed aside, however, when Natalia came across Anise. The former Fon Master Guardian had her ear pressed up against a closed door and Natalia had to stifle a chuckle.

"Really now Anise," Natalia tit tatted. "If you're going to eavesdrop you might try being a little less obvious about it."

Having been facing the other way, and being far too engrossed in her spying to notice Natalia's approach, the dark-haired girl almost jumped at the statement, covering her mouth to muffle the startled yelp that escaped.

"Geez, Natalia! Don't do that!" She hissed under her breath.

"What could possibly be so interesting that you aren't even on the lookout for people approaching?"

"Didn't you hear? Didn't you hear?" Anise chirped excitedly, her eyes glowing at being the one lucky enough to share whatever bit of gossip was about to escape her with the princess.

"Hear what?" Natalia willingly took her bait.

"Luke confessed last night!"

"Really?" Natalia asked playfully. "And who did he kill?"

"That's not what I meant!" Anise said with a pout. "He confessed to Tear!"

Natalia's smile widened, having taken the meaning the first time Anise had said it. It was about time those two got off the starting block.

"That may be the case," Natalia replied. "But seeing as I'm quite sure I saw Luke getting lunch on my way over here, who are you listening in on?"

Anise's grin widened and leaked a mischievous energy. "Who do you think?" She didn't await Natalia's reply before once again gluing her ear to the door. "You wanna listen too, or what?" She asked when Natalia was simply staring at her.

Natalia knew she really shouldn't; after all, it was none of her business, but between Anise's energy and her own insatiable curiosity about such affairs, she just couldn't resist...

To be perfectly frank, Tear had absolutely no idea what had hit her when she'd opened the door to her room less than an hour ago. She'd gone from hoping for a chance to have a good long talk with Luke to being in an almost empty room halfway across the palace and feeling like she'd taken a huge leap back in time. Sitting at a small table on an uncomfortable stool with a clear set of distrusting, almost hateful emerald eyes on her, Tear felt like she was suddenly back on the Tartarus after being arrested in Cheagle Woods. What was going on?

Racking her brains, Tear still couldn't fathom what had Asch so angry with her. Cold and closed off, fiery and defiant; this was the boy she'd met over a year ago when he'd known nothing of her except that she'd kidnapped his replica and tried to kill his instructor. Going over every possible explanation, nothing would fit. Surely the fact that she was Van's younger sister wasn't only now becoming an issue. Could he have heard something in Baticul that had him questioning her loyalties? But what could he have heard? And from whom? Tear knew she hadn't done anything even remotely questionable, and she wouldn't discredit the young noble enough to think he'd actually believe anything the God-Generals would tell him. He knew better than to give any more consideration to their efforts than an attempt to create chaos.

Asch barked another question and Tear felt herself reflexively answer, not even giving thought to the words she gave him, flustered as she was by the sudden turn of events. She had to admire his interrogation tactics. She wasn't even thinking before blurting out the truth, barely even registering the question asked or the purpose of its inquisition. He never let up the pressure, never stopped asking questions and so they continued. The faster she'd answer, the faster he'd ask. Tear began to wonder if Asch had been studying with Jade. Either way, the longer they went on, the more she began to fear what was about to come of this. She knew her innocence, but Asch was making her start to doubt it.

Just when Tear thought this would never come to an end, silence hung in the air. Asch's next question never came, and Tear hadn't noticed she'd been scarcely breathing for the entire duration. Trying to be discrete as she caught her breath, Tear heard the table creak as Asch sat on it with a sigh. She spent a moment letting her eyes trace his profile, the way the sun fell on his burdened expression. There wasn't the youthful energy she always saw in his younger counterpart, nor was there the bright carefree aura surrounding him, just a teenager weighed down by the unseen obligations on his shoulders. Though he was just under a year older than she was, he felt so beyond her at times. She opened her mouth twice before gathering the courage to make a sound.

"Umm, Asch?" Tear tried unsuccessfully to hide her hesitancy. Asch didn't even acknowledge her; he didn't turn her way or even open his eyes. "Is there something you'd like to discuss with me? What- What was all of that about?"

This time, Asch did turn to face Tear, but where she expected to see a harsh glare, she found a mischievous, almost fond smile, and an energy that seemed almost foreign to him.

"You didn't honestly think I'd let anyone date Luke without passing by me first, did you?"

What? Tear didn't need a mirror to know she was redder than her inquisitor's hair. If she thought she had been flustered during the questioning, it was nothing like she was now, her heart thrumming in her throat while her mind frantically tried to recall every question he'd asked, every detail she'd unknowingly given him. It hadn't even crossed her mind! How easily she kept forgetting; their guise as siblings was so much more than a cover for Luke's secret. Asch was Luke's big brother, through and through.

Tear opened her mouth, ready to spurt out some half formed defence-apology-excuse but she was silenced by Asch who was trying his hardest not to laugh outright as he shook his head. The look in his eyes, his posture; Asch didn't need to say a thing. Whatever she'd said, it was fine; he was completely supportive.

It was a rare glance, a stolen window to a side of the young noble she'd never really seen before. It was like the wall surrounding him had come down, no matter how temporary and she could see a bit of what made up such an incredible individual. For he was incredible, to accomplish the things he had, do the things he was required to do, and to have wit enough to challenge even Jade at times, there had to be something, someone, beneath all that. A person she'd never truly met, but that she suspected Luke knew completely.

"You can relax," Asch finally said, voicing what Tear had already surmised. "I never really doubted you, but I wanted to be sure. And have a bit of fun myself," he added mischievously.

"Yes... well..." Tear struggled, she wanted to say it aloud, but she was unsure if she could actually give voice to her feelings to someone other than Luke.

"But you know..." Asch said, sliding closer to the melodist until his face almost touched hers, running his finger gently along her jaw line. "I could show you how to have a lot more fun."

"Asch w-w-what are you talking about?" Tear almost hit the marble floor with the force of her recoil, only her reflexes saved both herself and the stool from the tumble. What the-? There was no way Asch of all people had just done what she could have sworn he just had. But when she returned to her seat, she still found him staring intently at her.

"Asch... stop it!" Tear protested again.

This time Asch leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Anise is eavesdropping on us, play along."

"What? No!" Tear violently protested. Asch stood up off the table. "Asch no!" Tear protested again. "I won't do that!"

"Why not?" Asch asked with a mischievous grin. "I promise you'll have a better time than anything you could do with Luke."

"No! Asch!" Tear sputtered, she could feel herself fluster and begin to choke out her words. "That wouldn't be fair to Luke!"

"I'm sure he won't mind, besides, it's not like he'll find out. It's not like either of us has to tell him." Asch's grin, if possible was even wider. He'd reached the door.

"But what if he does? It would be a huge misunderstanding! No! No I won't!" Asch twirled his finger, inviting her to continue. No! Tear refused to play his game, but all her protests were just falling right into place regardless, and the redhead was loving every second of it.

"Asch, stop it! I won't do this!" Tear stated firmly. He had to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter. "I'm not going to- Stop it! Stop doing this! It isn't fair!"

At her last protest, Asch twisted the handle and yanked the door open with all his might. Natalia crashed onto the floor with Anise tumbling into a heap on top of her. He simply stared at the two with one eyebrow raised.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Anise pitched when she saw Tear sitting clear across the room. "Asch you jerk! You played us!"

Anise watched as the most satisfied smirk she'd ever seen on him spread across his face. How had he known she was eavesdropping? The stupid jerk!

"Sounds like your spying still needs some work," Asch remarked.

"Shut up," Anise spat sourly. She hated losing! To Asch of all people!

"What going on over here?" Luke had stopped in the hallway, his toast still in his mouth, staring at Anise and Natalia in a heap on the floor.

"Nothing you'll regret having missed," Asch said with a chuckle, stepping over the girls to join his sibling in the hall. "You want to come with me? I'm going to get myself some food."

Luke pulled the toast out of his mouth. "Sure," the redhead shrugged. "You guys coming, too?"

"We'll pass, thank you," Natalia managed with as much dignity as she could muster. Which wasn't much seeing as Anise was still sprawled out on top of her.

"With you? Not a chance!" Anise shot, sticking her tongue out. Asch just chuckled again.

"Fine by me, but you'd better grab something sooner rather than later," he said. "With everything ready to go, Jade's going to have us off before you know it."

Guy couldn't quite decide what he thought of Yulia City's library as he wandered through row upon row of dust-laden shelves. It was definitely extensive, he'd give it that; so while they were all the more likely to find the information they needed, the actual process of finding it was looking more and more like it was going to be a nightmare. Thankfully Teodoro, who by some stroke of divine luck happened to be back from Daath for a brief time, sent several of his best researchers to help them sort through the library's massive collection.

Figuring out how to shut off the Planet Storm was not going to be an easy task; none of them expected that it would be, but Guy was only now realizing just how difficult. From what he'd surmised already, Yulia had dealt with a lot of opposition in her time, and information on how to reverse the things she'd done was something she'd hidden almost as well as she'd hidden the Seventh Fonstone. Great, with their luck Van had the book they needed.

Plucking a couple volumes that looked vaguely hopeful, the blond began searching for the nearest table. Breaking free of the sea of shelves, Guy spied a spot, and better yet, he saw Luke sitting there alone, pouring over a set of rather complicated looking books. He almost laughed to himself. If someone had told him a year ago, that he'd see Luke like this, he wouldn't have believed it even if had come from Yulia's mouth herself.

It was almost indescribable just how much his best friend had grown and changed over the past year. His level of maturity was something that even caught Guy off guard at times; so while he could still be a bit of an idiot, he was an idiot with a heart of gold, who was willing to do one thing he probably hated the most because it would help an entire sea of strangers. Luke had never once liked reading, now he tolerated it because he recognized there were areas in which he still had to learn, but Guy knew he still considered it the most boring thing known to mankind, especially the kinds of complicated texts he now had in his hands. Guy chuckled; he still probably didn't understand half of it, evidenced by the dictionary he was trying to hide in his lap.

Setting his own books down on the table, Guy grinned at the startled redhead who returned a disgruntled look before cracking a smile himself. "How's it going?" the blond finally asked.

"Really great," Luke answered cheerfully. "I'd be better if I could find the information we're looking for, but it's kind of cool sitting in such an old library. It's amazing to think of just how old some of these records probably are."

Guy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Okay, who are you, and what did you do with Luke?"

"What?" Luke protested.

"Since when did you become the history fanatic? You've never cared about any of that kind of stuff."

"Yeah well... before I just never really took the time to stop and appreciate it, that's all. These people have all been gone for thousands of years, but I can still listen to what they have to say. That's pretty incredible."

Guy sighed heavily and Luke fell silent.

"Luke, can I ask you something serious?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you holding out on us?"

Luke chuckled. "Believe me," he said earnestly. "If I had found out how to shut off the Planet Storm, I would not still be pouring over these books."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Guy, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Luke, stop it," Guy said solemnly. "You think you're hiding it, and maybe if none of us actually knew you it would work, but I've been around you long enough to know when you're hiding something. You're overly cheerful all the time; you've suddenly taken a keen interest in things that you wouldn't even consider otherwise. You're obviously trying to avoid something."

"But I'm not!" Luke replied. "I was just thinking about it because my mind was wandering while I skimmed through these books."

"I'm not talking about just now," Guy argued. "You've been like that for awhile now, trees, birds, cloud shapes; everything is another excuse to be happy, everything another reason not to think about whatever it is that's obviously bothering you."

"Really Guy... I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Luke, stop treating me like an idiot!" Guy snapped. "I've been your best friend for eight years; I know when you're lying!"

"I'm... I'm not," Luke's voice had become meek.

"Luke, if it's bothering you, then just tell us. We're your friends; I'm your friend. We can help you; don't try to handle everything alone."

"I..."

"Hey you two," Asch interrupted, setting a couple books down on the table. "What's going on?"

"Nothing really," Luke replied. "Guy and I were just chatting."

Guy cursed under his breath at Asch's arrival but neither redhead seemed to notice. The older sibling's all too convenient interruption couldn't just be coincidence. Either Asch had been eavesdropping from the start, or Luke had called him for help; either option left Luke looking all the more guilty, and Guy without any kind of answers.

"Do you really not trust me?" Guy asked.

"I still don't know what you're talking about Guy," Luke replied. "It's really nothing."

Damn; Guy had hoped Luke would fall for the verbal trap but he'd managed to avoid it. If Luke had returned that it wasn't a matter of trust, then he would have confirmed that there was something there. He was sure there was though, and if it was something over which Asch was ready to come to his defence, then it wasn't anything trivial.

"You don't have to stand there so defensively," Guy said sourly to Asch. "I'm not going to jump him."

Asch rolled his eyes, but Guy could see him lower his defences and take a seat at the table. Luke wasn't the only one Guy had spent the last eight years with; he knew most of Asch's mannerisms inside and out too. This secret, problem, whatever it was; they were both involved, and they were guarding it more fiercely than he'd seen them defend anything in a long time.

Guy was going to find out what it was, if it was the last thing he did. Then maybe, once and for all, he could pound it through their thick skulls that they aren't alone in this.

The sun had just crept down, spilling its golden glow across the horizon before vanishing completely, taking the last of the day with it. Tear watched it peacefully, sitting on her window sill. Across from her Natalia sat and both girls leant against the window, watching in anticipation as the first of the melodist's selenias opened their petals. It was a sight that never got old, and that never failed to awe her. The silvery petals catching the moonlight opened in bursts and soon the entire field was aglow. Tear smiled, both at the sight, and at the light on her best friend's face as she watched the spectacle for the first time.

She and Natalia had been sitting here chatting since they'd all retired from the library earlier that evening without having found any answers. Two days in and they still had nothing. It wasn't long enough to have Tear worried quite yet, but she fervently prayed that the answer would be found soon. Everyone, herself included, was starting to get a bit impatient and anxious to get moving. Every moment they spent here looking for answers was that much more time for her brother to plan ways of stopping them. Tear didn't doubt that they would have much more of a challenge accomplishing this than they did with the miasma. He wouldn't just sit back and watch this time around.

But for now, Tear was content to sit with Natalia and rest, prepare for the coming day. Words on the pages were blurring so closely together that she knew nothing more would get done tonight. They risked finding the answer and skimming mindlessly past it. She enjoyed the time she spent with the Princess, and even their shared silence was something the melodist deeply appreciated.

"Tear," Natalia finally spoke up again. "Might I ask you something rather personal?"

"Of course," Tear answered, wondering where the Princess' wandering thoughts had taken her.

"How did you feel when you found out your brother, one of your own family, had such a terrible plan?"

Tear paused a moment. "To be honest, it didn't feel real; it was like I was listening to a story about someone else. That it was really him, that the things he said were genuine, none of that really got through. I felt empty, completely blank; I didn't even know how to react."

"That sounds like such a terrible feeling..." Natalia mused. "But I think I know what you're talking about."

"You do?"

"Yes... when I first heard I wasn't really Kimlasca's Princess, I felt the same way. But I apologize for interrupting, please continue. What did you end up doing?"

"I didn't want to believe it, so I set out to prove that I was wrong, that what I'd heard was a misunderstanding, but instead I found out the truth. I tried talking to my brother about it time and time again but he would never tell me anything. He kept hiding the truth from me. I still remember when I first confronted him, when I first turned my blade on him; I felt like a cornered animal, blind with fear and anger."

"So you decided to stop him, no matter the cost."

"I did, but now that I look back, I know that I don't want anyone to ever have to make that choice."

"But if it comes to that or saving the world, what other choice is there?"

"I don't want to believe that anything is absolute," Tear replied. "And even if the Planet's Memory turns out to be absolute, I still want to save this world. Yulia read an absolute Score, but Luke isn't anywhere in it. I believe that that, that he is our hope. He's taught me just how much people can change. I've been able to put my hatred of my brother behind me and I think I can start to understand my brother's feelings."

"I don't understand, wouldn't that make confronting him all the more difficult?" Natalia asked.

"In a way, but at the same time, because I can understand his feelings I can also understand why we've come to this point. We both have different beliefs, different values that neither of us can sacrifice. I believe this world has a future and I will fight to defend it, no matter what."

"You're very strong Tear," Natalia commented. "Thank you."

"Not really," the melodist replied. "What makes you ask though?"

"No reason really..." Natalia supplied. "I simply can't imagine how something like that must feel."

Tear eyed her friend and something told her there was more to her inquisition than simple curiosity, but she let the subject drop. If there was something more there, Natalia would tell her when she was ready, and the Princess already looked in better spirits than before. Tear smiled, and Natalia returned the gesture gratefully.

Sometimes the hardest part, was knowing when not to ask.

If Anise had to assign labels to the members of their group she would probably label Luke as the clown. Asch was just anal, Tear was the responsible one and Natalia was organized in every area other than her emotions, which tied back to Asch, so that made plenty of sense. Jade wasn't anything of this world because no human could possibly be that smart, and she was obviously the cute-yet-incredibly-smart-and-witty one that any sane guy would give their left arm to be with. Maybe that was her problem, she was hanging out with a bunch of crazies. Then again, that probably made her a little crazy too. Oh well, it kept her other stunning features in check.

Guy though, Guy she would have labelled the laid back one. Sure he had things that mattered to him, things he got passionate about, everyone did; but for the most part he was really cool about everything and could stop to look at most situations with a level head. So what had possessed him today, Anise had no bloody idea but it was scary. The man was on a mission.

First she sat through an hour of him impatiently fidgeting while reading. Fidgeting she could handle, if she held a book close enough to her nose, she didn't have to look at him, but when he started tapping his fingers on the table, she told him to take a hike. He came back ten minutes later with some new books, seeming to have worn off some of his energy with a few laps around this stupidly massive library. There was still that look in his eyes though, and whatever he was desperate to figure out was still eating away at him.

After having what Anise could only guess was some kind of epiphany from how hard the book he'd been holding hit the table (Geez, were these people all out to give her a heart attack before she hit puberty?), he asked her if she'd seen Jade this morning. No, of course she hadn't seen the Colonel this morning; no one had seen the Colonel this morning. In fact, no one had seen the Colonel in the last three days. He was so buried in books in some dark corner of the library that the God Generals could have picked him up and taken him away for all they knew.

So help her Yulia she was ready to drop a few of the larger texts over the blond's head. He was worse than Luke was for crying out loud! Listening to his chair scrape the floor, he was getting up again for the billionth time in the last 20 minutes to see if he could find Jade. She was never going to get anything accomplished at this rate! And the last thing she wanted was to have to spend another three days doing this crap!

Guy returned from his seventh tour of the library to find the table Anise had been sitting at empty. She'd taken all her books with her, showing that she had no intention of returning. Guy felt a little bad; he knew full well that he'd been grating her nerves all morning, and by all rights he should have been the one to move a long time ago, but this was the only table where he was sure he would be able to catch Jade if he either entered or left the library.

The young Malkuth Noble had spent the better part of the past two days trying to deduce exactly what his best friend was keeping from him. It bothered him more than usual. Guy couldn't explain it, but something told him he had to figure this out. Something about all this wasn't Luke and Asch's usual antics, it was something much more than that, and if he didn't figure it out, he was going to regret it forever.

Why it hadn't occurred to him to consult Jade before this morning, Guy didn't know. If anyone else had picked up on the twins' cues it would be the ever-observant Colonel. He desperately hoped that Jade could give him the piece of the puzzle that he was missing. Once he got it, everything would fall into place, and maybe then Guy could coax Luke from the depression he thought he was hiding. Guy hated feeling so helpless, and that feeling left him restless. He had to do something!

Just when Guy was ready to go off and do another tour of the library, Jade's familiar blue uniform emerged from the maze of shelves. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. Finally! His talk with Luke suddenly felt like weeks ago; he'd definitely done enough worrying to fill a couple weeks and then some.

"Ah, Guy," Jade remarked before the blond could say a word.

"Jade, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a minute."

The Colonel stopped, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise. Apparently Jade had been expecting to request something, not fulfill a request.

"Certainly," Jade replied, taking a seat at the table next to Guy. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Two redheads," Guy replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't see how that deviates from our daily occurrences," Jade replied and Guy couldn't help but chuckle at how Jade said that with such a straight face.

"They're hiding something again," Guy said. "I'm sure you've noticed the way they've been acting lately. At first I just kind of blew it off as lack of stress for once, but now I'm positive there's something they aren't telling us. Do you have any idea what it is?"

"I'm quite certain I haven't noticed a thing," Jade shrugged. "Other than perhaps it's about time we start restricting the amount of sugar in Luke's diet."

Guy froze at Jade's response, taking no amusement in the Colonel's little joke. More than a single red flag popped up; there was no way Jade hadn't noticed anything odd. Guy knew he could be overprotective when it came to Luke; old habits die hard, but there was no way he was dismissing this as all in his head. But why would Jade...

"You know what it is, don't you?" Guy demanded. Jade offered no reply, his face as flat and unreadable as ever. "Jade! You should know better than to be encouraging this!" Guy's voice rose as loud as he dared have it in the silent library. He just couldn't believe it, he'd have expected this of Natalia or maybe Tear but not Jade! "They're bad enough at always keeping everything to themselves without you hiding crap for them. It isn't healthy the way they never talk about what's bothering them; they need to learn to let their friends help them out everyone in awhile!"

Jade let out a heavy sigh. "Guy, I assure you that this isn't anything that you can help them with. No one can, it is simply a fact that they must come to accept. If you truly wish to help them, then act as their support, continue to be the friend you have always been to them."

"But-!"

"It's nice and convenient to get assistance from friends when necessary, but there are personal journeys that we all must take on our own. Of course even such things don't seem capable of separating those two."

"I get that, but I don't see why it has to be a secret."

"It is their decision to keep it that way. I would think you of all people would understand why."

"They don't want to be a burden," Guy concluded. "With everything going on, they don't want us worrying about them. Don't they get that we worry more when they don't talk about it? We'll be there for them, they don't have to do it alone."

"And they are aware of that. They know you are their friend, and if they need support they know they can turn to you. As long as they know you are willing to be of assistance, should they falter and need your help, they know they can turn to you at that time."

"I guess..."

"Do you trust that Luke would turn to you when he truly needed help?"

"Of course I do."

"Then try not to concern yourself too greatly. I suspect they will conquer their personal demons and be more themselves sooner rather than later."

"I wish I could be a sure of that as you seem to be," Guy commented sceptically. Something about all of this still didn't seem right to him. He could see Jade's perspective to some extent though. Continuing to hound Luke like he had would only leave his best friend feeling ostracized, and then if Luke really did need help, he wouldn't be able to ask. Still he couldn't get rid of the little voice in the back of his mind that was making his stomach turn.

If even Jade will defend them... just how serious is it?

Then Guy had a thought he wished had never crossed his mind.

"Guy, would you mind fetching the others?"

"What?" Guy snapped out of a daze. Jade was waving an especially old looking book in his hands.

"The others, would you mind gathering them?" Jade repeated sternly, a sign he was slightly annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "One of Teodoro's researchers has just found exactly what we need."

Whatever had been eating away at Guy from the inside out had obviously been dealt with by the time the blond had come to fetch Anise to join everyone else, but she still wouldn't say he was back to his normal laid-back self. Sitting at the table with everyone else, now he just seemed distracted; his meeting with the Colonel must have given him quite a bit of food for thought. Her brain, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to shut down for a little while and go into sponge mode. Jade had found their answer, now she just had to focus on absorbing it.

"So, Jade," Asch inquired, "What did you find?"

"Our earlier theories about Sword and the Jewel of Lorelei and their ties to the Planet Storm seem to be accurate. From what we've managed to surmise, to dispel the Planet Storm, the Jewel's power must be activated at the same sites where Yulia used the Sword to initiate the storm in order to shut it off."

"That would certainly explain why she took great care in hiding the Sword and Jewel," Natalia pointed out.

"She gave them back to Lorelei," Tear pondered. "Locking the key in the cage, an interesting tactic."

"So where is it that we have to go? Do we know where the Planet Storm was initiated from?" Natalia asked.

"Where else?" Asch pitched.

"The Absorption and Radiation Gates," Luke concluded.

"Correct," Jade confirmed. "The fonic glyphs that power the Planet Storm should be located at those two passage rings. We will first shut off the Absorption Gate, and then the Radiation Gate in order to try and minimize fonon loss."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to get stuck with just one gate sucking in the fonons," Asch agreed. "I'm sure Van would just love that," he rolled his eyes.

"Not really, I imagine that would put quite a kink in his plans too," Tear pointed out. "He needs a lot of fonons for his plan to work."

"All the more reason he's going to try and stop us," Guy stated. "We should be ready for the worst."

"I have a question," Anise piped up.

"Yes my dear Anise," Jade responded tauntingly.

"Just how big are these glyphs?"

"From the documentation we have, quite large; hundreds of feet at least."

"Am I the only one wondering where these massive things are supposed to be? I mean, between all of us getting separated last time we were at the Absorption Gate, we must have seen every inch of that place. Correct me if I'm wrong, but no one saw anything remotely close to what you're describing."

"That's true," Natalia agreed. "I don't recall anything like that."

"Me neither," Luke agreed.

"Actually, it seems that they are supposedly located below the passage rings themselves," Jade replied. "We wouldn't have seen it as we hadn't gone far enough in."

"You mean that crazy place goes even deeper?" Anise exclaimed.

"Now that you say that, I think I do remember seeing some kind of passage further down," Guy mused. "I can't quite remember it though, I wasn't really paying attention. There were more important things going on at the time."

"The only way we'll know for sure is to go look," Luke pointed out.

"Luke's right," Jade stated, setting the text down on the table. "We had best be on our way as soon as possible," he added. "Time remains, as it has always been, on General Grants' side."