A/N : Hello! Here is the chapter 4 of Memories, and I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm...Not really sure about this one, through. Especially about the last part; I don't know, it is kind of like...Weird? Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it, through.

Disclaimer : Tales of Xilla doesn't belong to me. But my dear Leo does and you can hug him! (Huh? No? Why?)

Oh, also...! The xx means that it's the same point of view but in different time and/or place. :)

A Present

She woke up and rubbed her eyes. Then, she left bed and, without thinking much, she went to the living-room. Like always, it was a quiet room, and she stood there for a while, trying to be awake. When she finally was, she heard Alvin's voice in the kitchen, and she frowned. Was he talking alone? Curious, she went to the kitchen and she saw him talking to a...strange thing. She didn't know what it was, but from what she could see, Alvin heard someone talking on it.

She heard him saying "rendezvous" and "affairs", and she thought he was talking to Yurgen, or, at least, he seemed to. Leia shrugged and went near of a cupboard to take a cup; but her clumsiness caught her and one of the cups fell on the ground in a big noise. Alvin looked at her, a bit of "I knew it" on his eyes, whereas Leia tried to clean up. Why did she was so clumsy?

"Huh? No, don't worry, it was only my little sister who destroy one of my favorite cup."

Leia looked at Alvin with black eyes, more offended by the "little sister" than by his grin. If he was talking with Yurgen, he would probably say her name, so, it meant that he was talking with someone else, but who? She was curious but wouldn't ask him: if he wanted to tell her, then, he would tell her.

Some minutes later, whereas Leia was preparing some hot chocolate and a cup of coffee for Alvin, the man gave up his strange thing and sat down. Leia put his cup in front of him and she sat too, holding his own drink.

"So, you finish killing my poor cups?"

"I only broke one!" She declared, a little bit angry. "...I'm sorry."

"No problem. I was just joking."

"It's not funny at all."

"If you say so."

They didn't talk for a while, drinking. Leia wouldn't complain about it; she didn't know why but she was in a bad mood, and Alvin who tried to avoid her eyes wasn't helping either. She would like to say something, but every time, she found herself stuck: it was like if a wall was between the two of them, preventing them to talk like friends often did. Are we friends? Leia thought, taking a little bit of her chocolate. Alvin was avoiding her eyes, as they did before being in Trigleph, six months ago. Even if they made peace – and peace was a big word for that – it was like nothing changed. She sighted. She would like to talk to Alvin like before, but she still wasn't feeling alright by his side.

"What is this sigh for?" Alvin interrogated, still avoiding her.

"Nothing important."

If Alvin didn't believe her, he didn't show it.

"What will you do, today?"

Leia opened her mouth and replied without think:

"Seeing Leo."

It was like an evidence for her to tell that, and she was astonished herself. Even if she knew that Leo was against Rieze Maxia, she couldn't help but liking him.

"Leo? Who is he?"

"A friend of mine."

Alvin looked at her, suspiciously, before continuing:

"Only a friend?"

"What?"

Puzzled, she looked back at him and for the first time since a long moment, their eyes met. It was strange looking deep in his gaze and seeing all his feelings: sadness, suspicious, wonder were dominant. And then, she understood what he wanted to say.

"Even if he was more than a friend, it's not your affair at all. "

"I don't care. I just don't want him in my apartment." He replied with a grin.

"Don't worry, I won't bother my big brother with my love story." She said, emphasizing the "big brother".

She was sarcastic, and she wasn't sure that Alvin wouldn't like it, but for now, she didn't care. The young girl didn't like when he called her "little sister". She wasn't her sister; she didn't even know what they were for each other. But not in a brother-sister relationship, not even in a friend relationship. Of course, she knew his story, and he knew hers as well, but she couldn't say they were friend. Not since Hamil.

"I see. Well, big brother goes to work now."

Leia mumbled something when she saw the grin on Alvin's lips and watched him leave the apartment with a wave. The young girl raised her eyes and put her cup in the sink, before going to take a shower. When she finished preparing, she went back on her room and took the envelope on the desk. Inside, there were a little map with an address, and a word saying to destroy that envelope once they knew where the general headquarters were. Of course, she already reproduced them and sent them with a rapport to Rowen. She hoped that the carrier pigeons wouldn't have any problem and that his friend would get his letter soon.

She looked again at the map and, with a sight, she left her room then the apartment.

Serious things began now.

"Again!?"

He was completely blasé about this story. It was again and again the same thing. He stopped to read the piece of paper that his partner gave him.

"Unfortunately, yes. They think that we'll be by their side about Rieze Maxia."

"And they want us to help them. Fortunately, they don't know that you're one of Rieze Maxians and that I lived there since I was a child."

"I wonder what they'll say about it. Probably tie or kill us." His friend answered.

"I need to tell them I'm not into bondage."

In response, Yurgen laughed while Alvin threw away the paper that was still in his hand. Pater still tried to be partner with them, writing that they wanted good relations with Rieze Maxia; but of course, Yurgen and he didn't believe in this. They saw the leaflet, they knew that "good relations" was, in reality, something worst.

"Perhaps one day they'll understand that no means no."

Yurgen nodded, a little smile still on his lips. The two men were in a partnership and were trying to find a way to link Rieze Maxia and Elympios. Of course, they already did things; a big boat was passing through the sea from Rieze Maxia to Elympios and vice-versa. But now, they were trying to find a way faster than boat.

"By the way…How is Isla?"

"In the same state as always." Yurgen sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"I already told you it wasn't your fault."

It was another of his victims. If he didn't tell her to still be of his mother, she wouldn't kill her, and she wouldn't try to destroy what she was. But he couldn't. It was like if a big wall was encircled his heart, stopping him to forgive her. In add, he was thinking about what she did to Elize; of course, he knew that she didn't have choice, but the little girl didn't deserve this. Isla's condition was one of his burdens, like his bad relations with Leia.

He was still wondering how he could be forgiven by Leia. He knew that she tried to be fine around him, but he could sense her awkwardness since her arrival; the fact that she mentioned the events of six months ago, or again that she didn't want to talk about his friend were proof that she didn't think of him as a friend. Of course, girls had secrets, but Leia was talkative and talked about anything; the fact that she didn't want to talk with him like before was a sufficient proof that she didn't consider him like a friend anymore. He knew that there would be a long way before the forgiveness.

"Ready for your rendezvous?"

Alvin glanced at Yurgen and smiled, completely forgetting about Isla and Leia. The simple though of his rendezvous made him happy.

"Yeah."

"Try to not mess it up, like the last one."

"What do you think? I'm a gentleman."

"You said the same thing for Rose."

Alvin shrugged. Rose was just a particular case, a strange woman who loved black magic and what turned around that. But even knowing that, Alvin couldn't help and fell in love with her. Until she tried to transform him in a strange thing. Sometimes, he just wondered how he could have been with her for three months.

"Anyway, what about our problem?"

The building in front of her were smaller than the other one, but with the same color and the same sadness. In a way, it was scaring, and Leia wondered if she really had to enter. Suddenly, whereas she was contemplating the building, two hands touched her shoulder and she screamed of fear.

"Ow, sorry. I didn't think you'll be scared."

She recognized the voice and, reassured, she turned to see Leo with a big smile on his lips.

"Next time, tell me you're here before putting your hands on me."

"Sorry Agria."

Agria. She totally forgot about her false name and she was glad that Leo recalled her. It would have been bad if she would have said that her name was "Leia" and not "Agria". She sighed, a thing that the boy noticed.

"You seem tired."

"Huh? Oh no, it's okay, it's just…I had an argument with my brother." She lied. Thanks, Alvin.

"Your brother? You're lucky!"

"You think?" Leia asked.

"Yes. I don't have one, and I'm sure that…" Leo began while Leia thought about Alvin.

She wasn't sure if it was a chance to have Alvin as brother. Well, of course, he was someone kinder than he wanted to show, and he was cheerful, but he was sometimes childish, and scaring. Leia still remembered of his face back in Hamil, and his gun pointed out towards Jude. At this very moment, he was really bad, he was crazy, and she was scared of him. Yes, for the first time of her life, she was scared by a friend, but still, she didn't want to leave Jude alone, and, some minutes later, she was shot.

Sweat fell on his back and she closed her eyes. She made nightmares time to time, where she always tried to help Jude, to stop Alvin, to reason with him. But every time, she was shot and she died. She was dead but she was still able to see and hear and, some seconds later, she heard a gunshot and saw Alvin on the ground, dead as well. And it was always the same nightmare…

"Agria, are you alright?"

Leia opened her eyes and looked at Leo. She didn't noticed that she was lost in her thoughts and she apologized quickly but Leo told her that it was okay, and that if she wasn't feeling well, she could tell him. She thanked him, touch by his words.

"By the way…Didn't you cut your finger, yesterday?"

"Huh?"

She looked at her finger, opened her mouth and closed it. Yes, he was right. She cut her finger with the leaflet, but when she came back at Alvin's apartment, she healed it, having totally forgotten that Leo saw it. Now, she had to find a lie, and quickly.

"Well…I told you that it was only a little cut, right? It has healed already, see."

Leo frowned, like if he didn't believe her, but he said nothing. Perhaps it was her imagination? She was trying so hardly to hide who she was that she began to be paranoid.

"Shall we enter?" The young boy asked and Leia nodded.

It wasn't by being in front of the building that she could do anything for Rowen. And then again, she wondered why she accepted the mission.

xx

"I'm tired!"

"We did nothing."

"What? Are you joking? We tried to give leaflets all the day long!"

Leo laughed and Leia could only pout, offended. Then, she began to walk in a fast pace and Leo had to hurry up if he wanted to be by her side. He was still laughing a little, she saw, but she couldn't help but smile. It's been a while since she was glad to be with someone. Of course, the young girl loved being with her friends, and she had to admit that she didn't feel so bad around Alvin (even if she wasn't completely at ease with him), but Leia was glad to be able to be comfortable with another people, especially with an Elympian. Well, it would be better if she could tell Leo that she was a Rieze Maxian.

"By the way, Agria, what's your number?"

"My…Number?"

She looked at her friend, confused. Which number was he talking about? Did Pater gave them number to name them or something else?

"Agria?"

"I…Don't know at all of what you're talking about."

Leia blushed when Leo opened wide his eyes, in disbelief.

"I'm talking about your cellphone number."

"A cellphone ? What is it?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all. Sorry."

Leo seemed really astonished that she didn't know what a cellphone was, and she felt ashamed about this. Why did she not search about Elympians' life before? It would have been much easier.

"You come from the countryside?" He asked.

"Yeah, something like this."

Apparently, people in the countryside didn't have things like this one? Well, in a way, it wasn't wrong; to begin, she didn't come from Elympios.

The young boy took something from his pocket and Leia saw the object that Alvin used this morning.

"This is a cellphone."

"Oh…Yes, my brother has one." Leia told when she saw the Alvin's thing-like.

"I thought that you came from the countryside?"

"But my brother lives here." Leia answered, thinking that it was an obvious fact.

"And you didn't know about cellphone?" Leo asked again, shocked.

She shrugged and the young boy sighed.

"With a cellphone, you can send message or phone to people." Leo began. "It's mean that we can write or talk to each other." He continued when he saw her confused face.

That explained why Alvin was talking to it in the morning. It seemed an interesting thing, and useful.

"Where can I get one?" She asked, thinking that if Rowen and she could have one, they could communicate easier than with carrier pigeon.

Leo didn't answer, took her arm and lead her in front of a shop, before entering it. Leia frowned a little but said nothing and entered too. It was a big shop, and it was the first time that she saw something like this. Everywhere in it was filled with all of Leo's cellphone-like, and she could only be amazed about it. She approached of a pink one which had attracted her and looked at the price, his friend always by her side. Oh my…I can't afford it, and I can't believe that Alvin and Leo have one. They're probably rich. Of course, in theory, Alvin was rich. But now, he was only an average business man, and he probably paid his cellphone with his salary. She sighed: he was still richer than her.

"Do you want this one?" Leo asked, showing the pink cellphone.

"Well, it's cute, but I can't afford it."

"I'll buy it for you."

"What!? No, no, it's okay. I can live without that."

"But I would like to talk with you even after...our works."

And, without letting her answer something, he went in front of the cash desk and began to talk with the woman. Leia opened her mouth, closed it and hurried up to come near of Leo, who was already paying.

"Leo, it's—"

"Can you explain her how to use it, please?" The boy asked the woman, without pay attention to Leia.

The woman began to explain how to use the cellphone, while Leo was writing the number on the sheet of paper on the desk. It took a while to have all the explanation, and the more she heard of it, the more Leia found the cellphone useful. When they left the shop, her eyes were filled by stars, and she couldn't stop looking at her pink cellphone.

"Thank you, Leo. I'll pay you back."

"Huh? No, take that as a present for being my friend, or a present to welcome you."

"But…I have nothing to give you."

"Don't worry. Being my friend is far more important to me than everything else."

While he was saying that, he blushed and Leia couldn't help but blushed too. Leo seemed really happy to know her, to be her friend, like if she was the first one.

They continued to talk for many minutes and, remembering that he had something to do before his father came back, he left her, promising to send her a message, pretending that she could use her new cellphone. She waved at him, smiling and began to walk until Alvin's apartment. The young girl thought about Rowen, wanting to tell him about the cellphone things, and she finished by thinking about her mission. And then, her smile disappeared and she stopped to walk.

Was it a good idea to be friend with Leo whereas she lied to him?