~ I don't know why all my chapters are being italicized lately. Ugh! XD

~ Please Review people! :)

Chapter Sixty

They had made camp for the night, they were all tired and there was no use going any further than they had already. They didn't need to be tired if they were going to fight the nether realm. They relaxed as best they could in the woods, they decided against staying on the main road after Kayura had attacked him. Baroness disappeared into the woods, hopefully not to far away and Rowen laid his head back against a soft patch of grass.

Sage was trying to lean back against a tree, "we need our armors, we can't keep doing this!"

"I agree," Ryo groaned as he tried to coax White Blaze over to use him as a pillow. The tiger just sort of scratched around in defiance. "This sucks!"

Kento rolled onto his stomach trying to get comfortable, "is this what Mia and Yuli felt like?"

"Exactly," Rowen grumbled as he placed his hands behind his head.

"I hope Cye is okay," Kento sighed as folded his hands under his chin. "Is Baroness okay?"

"Why," asked Ryo as he finally gave up and went over to Blaze as sat down next to him. The tiger walked away, and Ryo groaned and the tiger chuffed in laughter.

"I don't know, but I could have sworn I saw her crying," Kento said with an eyebrow raised. "But that couldn't be right..."

"You saw her crying," asked Sage in disbelief.

"It was just a moment when she got back, but there were tears in her eyes," Kento said softly. "Maybe, I'm wrong."

Ryo sat back against Blaze once he finally found a spot, "maybe she was in pain?"

"Doubt it," Sage grumbled, "she doesn't seem like the cry when you're in pain type."

Rowen nodded in agreement and rolled over as they talked some more. He really didn't care if they talked about her some more, but soon their chatter grew quiet. However, he found himself restless. He leaned back and groaned because he couldn't sleep. He sat up in frustration and looked at his friends, they were asleep so easily. He hated trying to close his eyes, he only remembered Hoshi even better at night.

Rowen.

He heard her voice giggle in the woods and felt himself getting up. He was gonna ignore it, but he heard her again. He grimaced, he hoped it wasn't a nether realm trick. However, she had visited him earlier. He decided to risk it and followed after the voice. The giggles were soft and he recognized them so well. Hoshi made those giggles when they made love and he felt a craving for her, followed by a soft sadness.

"Hoshi," he whispered but he only heard her whisper his name, and her giggles kept moving deeper into the woods. Finally her voice vanished and he was convinced he was losing it, "this is what happens when you don't sleep, Rowen. You are becoming crazy."

He kept walking a little ways and decided to turn back but he heard soft sobbing. He decided to follow it despite his worry about nether realm tricks. He came through the trees and saw Baroness softly weeping into her clawed hands. He wanted to leave, he really felt no sympathy for her, but he was curious what she upset about.

"I know you're there, Strata," she said looking up from her hands. Her red gold eyes were still glittering with tears.

"I was just walking through," he answered, trying to avoid the topic of hearing voices in the woods or his insomnia. He turned to leave.

"Hmph, surprised a beast like me feels sadness?"

"I'm not surprised you feel sadness, but do not cry for the life you took," he said harshly to her.

"What for the greater good? Haven't you ever had to do anything for the greater good in your battles? I'm sure your hands aren't clean either."

"I have never killed a person intentionally," he answered crossing his arms. She was trying to provoke him. "There is blood on my hands from mistakes though, but that is not the same and don't make it out to be."

"Must be some awful coincidence of Fate then."

"You could have helped us, instead of doing what you did..."

"The only way for the Light to appear is if the armors grieve," she told him as he came up. He looked down at the Trickster who still had tears on her furry face. "They grieved because you all loved her."

"Yours must be grieving still," he replied sternly, he really didn't like where their conversation was heading.

"Perhaps, my virtue is compassion."

He barked out a laugh, "you're kidding me."

"No," she answered truthfully. "Perhaps that's why I am always sad but the armor never tells me why."

"Do you really feel sad or is it just some fake emotion that you're feeding off of people."

She starred up at him and turned away to look up at the moon. "Why don't you just go back to sleep like your friends, I don't need your criticism for trying to make up for my mistake."

Rowen knelt down next to her and looked her in the eyes, "it wasn't a mistake...Baroness. You knew your actions, no matter who gave them to you."

She looked at him, he thought he felt her anger at him but tears only welled up in her eyes again. She calmly wiped them away, "I'm starting to think she might have cursed me, because every time I see you, I get sad. I also get sad when I see Leea, or any of you in any pain."

"Sounds like a fitting judgment," he replied but he almost yelped as she slammed him to the ground in a quick light gold flash.

Her clawed hands were either side of his head, and she straddled him. Her tail was swishing, but she didn't look angry, she just looked sad, "why do I always get sad when you're around though?"

He starred up at her, his heart racing a million miles an hour, "when I'm around?"

"I understand, I'm a warrior, I shouldn't be feeling like this," she sobbed pulling away from and burying her muzzled face in her clawed hands.

He sat up, and he started to feel bad that he had said anything to her. "what do you mean me?"

"Maybe, she did curse me," she cried into her hands, almost in rage.

"No, she wouldn't do that," he said softly as he looked her over. "She was the most gentle soul there was, fiery but she could never curse anyone for hurting her...even if they killed her. She wasn't even mad at her parents murderers."

Baroness looked at him with her watery eyes, "then maybe this armor is cursed."

He decided to try and change subjects, "how long have you felt like this?"

"As long as I can remember," she paused as she tried to wipe her eyes with hands. "I left the sea of stars feeling this way, I felt this sadness, and knew my mission."

He looked at her for a moment quietly, "you were sad before you met us?"

"I suppose, but it never manifested until I met the warlords," she answered but then she composed herself by standing up and brushing off herself off. "Perhaps the Old Ones cursed me."

"What is it that makes you so sad when you see us though," he asked, he was really curious now. She seemed almost fragile in his company. Not the strong willed, blood thirsty, goddess he knew her as.

"Mostly, its you," she paused turning away from him. "I feel like I'm forgetting something every time I see you, something important."

He came to her side, and saw the the tears running down her face again. "Important?"

"Yes, important, and I get so angry at myself that I can't remember any of it!"

Rowen paused sadly, "maybe, you lost someone?"

"I don't know," she mumbled and took a deep breath. She put her claws at his throat, "you tell anyone, and I'll rip out your throat."

Rowen gulped, but he doubted that her threat was for real. He gently pulled her clawed hand away, "I won't tell anyone..."

She started crying again, "I'm pathetic..."

"No," now he was feeling bad. How did this situation turn on him? She slumped down and started sobbing. He took a deep breath and said, "sometimes the armors work in mysteries. We didn't know our armors were originally Talpa's for the longest time."

She looked up at him, "she was lucky to have born into a time where she could meet you."

"I was lucky to have met her," he replied as she tried drying her tears again, she was searching his eyes for something. He didn't know what he had to give her. She reached up and touched his face softly. He felt her soft fur against his skin, it was a lot softer than he realized what it would be. She ran a single claw down over his jugular, and he shivered, he remembered she was part lion. She could tear out his throat easily. The clawed hand ran over his shirt above his heart. He grabbed her hand softly and she looked up at him curiously. "Don't cry again, please."

"It's not sadness, I feel right now," she said as she glanced away. He felt her push him over again and he closed his eyes. She was going to kill him.

He opened his eyes, she was straddling him but she looked more human like. She sat on his waist, still with a swishing tail, and she ran her hands softly over his chest. Was she taunting him? Playing with him before she killed him? At least he would be with his Hoshi. His eyes snapped opened when he felt her lips on his, it was a hard kiss where she grabbed him by the neck, and he felt how sharp her teeth were against his lips. He felt her large breasts and her hard nipples through her thin dress.

He grabbed her hands and pulled her off, "what did you do that for?"

She starred at him with red gold eyes, and he saw them turn blue for a moment. "Perhaps, I have a reason to fight now," she said as she looked sad. "I don't know what I'm forgetting, Strata, but perhaps its just fighting for someone."

She stood up and began to walk off and he had a feeling he wasn't going back to sleep soon.