It was lunch time, a week after the incident with Van. The group sat together, though Sync was mysteriously absent.

"He said he wanted to talk to someone, but he'll be along soon," Ion explained.

"Who would he want to talk to?" wondered Guy. Tear and Natalia shared a glance then continued eating. Of course - Ion, Sync and Jozette were part of Daath. There was every chance that Van would try something using them. They may even have to fight them eventually, though Tear hoped it wouldn't come to that.

As if on cue, Sync entered the hall with a pink haired and eyed girl following behind him, the same from their Seventh Fonist class. She clutched a doll to her tightly, and looked shy. He stopped at their table, gave an irritated grunt, then sighed.

"Guys, this is Arietta. Arietta, this is Tear, Natalia, Luke, Asch, Guy, Jozette and Aslan."

A plethora of greetings assaulted Arietta, and she seemed to shrink more into her doll.

"H-Hello..." she whispered nervously.

"I was wondering if it would be okay for Arietta to sit with us," Sync explained.

"Sure, I see no reason why not," Aslan agreed, smiling at the shy girl. Sync nodded, slipping into his seat and looking at her. She sat down next to him, looking around at the group nervously.

Tear looked at her from the corner of her eye, taking her in. She seemed genuinely shy, but...there was no way to be completely sure.

"When did you meet her?" asked Jozette, surprised.

"A little while ago," Sync replied vaguely.

"Oh. Are you good friends?" asked Guy, a smirk coming to his lips.

"Good enough," Sync replied, not meeting their gazes.

"Uh huh...How long have you two been going out?" Guy asked. Sync nearly choked and Arietta went red, hiding in her doll.

"Wow Sync! I didn't realise you and Arietta were going out!" Ion said with a smile.

"Sh-Shut up!" Sync replied, growing red.

"It's adorable when the younger generation discover love," Luke teased, laughing as Sync grew flustered.

"O-Oh yeah?! Well, what about you and Tear?!" Sync demanded, and now Luke and Tear went red.

"We aren't going out!" Tear denied.

"Course you're not," Sync teased, regaining some of his composure now that he wasn't the one being interrogated.

"We aren't!" Tear yelled.

"But you want to?" Ion asked, and the group laughed as the two of them went even redder, Luke now the same shade as his hair. Even Arietta gave a little giggle, and Sync glanced at her, his eyes softening slightly.

"Oi! Shut up! Some of us are trying to eat!" somebody yelled from across the hall. The group glanced at each other then laughed even louder, ignoring the various glares from the rest of the students.

Tear was sitting on her bed, reading through the papers that Yulia had given her. Having managed to translate most of the first song, she could understand more of the second one, but some bits were still confusing. Taking an idea of what it could mean, she cleared her throat.

"Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue.."

Nothing happened, and she sighed, crossing out something on a different sheet.

Gazing at the words, she played around with them a little. "So...maybe... Protect?" she wondered. An idea formed and she tried again.

"Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue.."

This time, a barrier appeared around her, and she grinned. "Great! So that's the first and second songs...now, the third...mmm...Maybe Heal."

Reaching for her pack, she pulled out a knife and lightly cut her finger. Wincing briefly, she calmed herself and sang the third verse.

"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."

Nothing happened, and she sighed. "Okay, not Heal..." she muttered, beginning to write on the sheet to try and consider what the sentence meant while absently healing the cut on her finger.

Her phone beeped, and she jumped, picking it up and pressing the symbol.

'Hey Tear. Are you alright? Been kinda distant lately. - Luke'

Tear gave a half smile. Trust Luke to notice. She considered, trying to think of an acceptable excuse.

'Yeah, I'm okay. Just trying to work out the meaning of Mum's Hymns :S - Tear.'

'Oh, okay. Was just a little worried. - Luke'

'Sweet of you, but I'm okay. Really :) - Tear'

'Are you being patronizing or sarcastic? :/ - Luke'

'Neither. I was being nice. You should try it sometime ;) - Tear'

'Ha . Fills me with confidence. - Luke'

'Glad to be of service! - Tear'

Tear could almost hear Luke laughing, and settled back, scanning through the sheets again.

"Rest...No, that's not right, it's too vague...Um...Energy? No, it's a mixture, so...Re-energise."

Placing the sheet on the bed in front of her, she closed her eyes.

"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."

She felt fidgety, a weird tingling going down her body. The oncoming cold she could feel faded, and she grinned. "Well, that's the third," she said happily, glad that she was working them out so fast. They'd be helpful if anything did happen, at least.

She entered the classroom for Fonic Artes, slipping into her space between a girl from Malkuth and where Luke usually sat. She was a little surprised he wasn't here already; Fonic Artes was one of the only lessons he really enjoyed.

Glancing around the room, she saw Asch at his usual seat next to Natalia, and reached over to tap his shoulder. He glanced back at her, confused.

"Where's Luke?" she asked.

"Oh...He's ill. Didn't he tell you?"

"No. When did he get ill?"

"Well, it's been coming for a couple of weeks, but really hit him yesterday. He's been completely exhausted, so Dad said he should just stay and rest for the next few days until he's feeling better."

Tear frowned. "That seems a bit sudden. He looked fine when I saw him the other day," she said, thinking about lunch a few days ago.

Asch shrugged. "He just is," he replied.

Jade walked in and Tear sat back in her seat, mind still thinking about Luke. 'Honestly...why didn't he just tell me he wasn't feeling well?' she thought to herself, a little irritated. Of course he would have hidden it, pretending to be alright so that no one would worry.

A/N: The prelude to something more serious...The serious stuff is starting now :|

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