Progress

Time Frame: Before Mary's recruitment

"Behind you, Moguzo! Look out!"

The bulky warrior took heed of Haruhiro's warning just in the nick of time to avoid being skewered clean through the abdominal area by a small green goblin's spear from the back. He had been too preoccupied by the larger goblin, this one a dirty blue who appeared to be the leader of the group with its size and stature and the way it directed the underlings with grunts and gestures that sent them rushing to comply.

As both groups disentangled by unspoken consent to take stock of their injuries and re-strategize, Moguzo gave his leader a harried glance filled with gratitude before returning to eye the goblins with a wariness that they had earned through their fortitude and stubborn determination to survive. "Thanks, Haruhiro. You saved my life."

Haruhiro waved it off. "You would have done the same for me."

"This is all really touching," Ranta snapped from his sitting position on the ground, rubbing tenderly at a large gash on his elbow. The rest of him, Haruhiro noted with much relief, appeared relatively unscathed besides for minor scratches and grazes here and there. He functioned as their secondary tank, and now without a Priest to heal whatever damage sustained by Moguzo, they needed him more than ever to step up and inherit that role from time to time so the big warrior can retreat from the frontlines and guzzle down a potion to recover. "But we're in a middle of a fight, for crying out loud. Save all the kissing and making up for when we return home, idiot."

Yume who was guarding their flanks pegged the back of the boy's head with one of her trademark glares. Not that Ranta could see it, but Haruhiro was sure he could feel it.

He always did.

"Don't be rude, Ranta. Haru just saved Moguzo's life, and he's grateful so he wants to thank him. You should try that sometimes."

The black-haired Dread Knight swivelled around to look at Yume with distaste. "I'll do whatever I want, thank you very much. How about you focus on landing one of your arrows instead? Perhaps then you'll be more of a help to the party."

Yume stiffened, her expression morphing from irritation to one of indignation. "I can't help it if the goblins are moving faster than I can aim – "

"That's the problem! You can't help it; you can't help us! What are you even doing here then?! HUH?"

Yume was about to rebuke when Haruhiro stepped in, cutting the two of them off. "That's enough," he shouted with finality, causing everybody to pause and look up at him. With all of their expectant eyes on him, he floundered a little, feeling heat creep up his neck. He never was very good at dealing with attention, but if he was to succeed Manato as party leader and replace that gaping hole both physically and mentally, he would have to overcome this fear of his. "Look, I know we're all nervy and on edge because of today's disappointing haul" - Shihoru nodded mutely in agreement from where she was standing at the back while Ranta snorted and went back to tending to his wound - "and I think there's no sugar-coating it. We're an uncoordinated mess. At this rate, no Priest in the right frame of mind will want to join us. But, we just have to keep at it, find that rhythm we fell into so naturally before Manato's... ah, before that setback. We are getting there - I can feel it."

"Yeah," Moguzo said quietly, "it's only going to get better from here."

Ranta snorted again, but didn't offer anything more. His armour clanked noisily as he got to his feet slowly. Even though he didn't complain, Haruhiro knew from his pale complexion and thinned lips that the wound was taking its toll on him.

Not for the first time that week, Haruhiro felt as if the burden thrusted onto his shoulders was more than he could bear. He was leading a party dangerously low on morale and motivation, and he was utterly clueless on how to lift their spirits. Throw his incompetence and lack of confidence into the mix, and they had a one-way ticket to confusion central.

Furthermore, without a healer in the party, they had to be even more cautious than before, which meant more strategies, formations and switching and whatnot. Planning was never really his forte, and it showed in his ever-changing tactics.

He was literally just trying out every trick in the book until one worked to a certain degree, to which he'll then expound on it and make certain tweaks so that his party could utilise it to its fullest potential.

His friends not once grumbled or groused about his constant change in orders, but it was only a matter of time. He felt pressured to step up and fulfill his responsibility as the party leader. To soothe their unease with words of comfort, to gain their absolute trust through flawless execution of his iron-clad plans.

To prove to them - and himself - that he has what it takes to bring them forward.

Lost in his musings, his wandering gaze seemed to automatically seek out Yume who smiled encouragingly at him despite how obviously tired she was. She mouthed the words "good job" - no doubt in light of the little speech he had given them a minute ago. He gave her a small smile back in return, his cheeks warming.

"Get ready. They're coming again." Moguzo's words stirred the group from their zombie-like state. Stumbling to their feet, Haruhiro watched with heaviness in his chest as his party members picked up their scattered gear with jerky, fatigued movements.

They wouldn't be like that if I was a better leader. Bitterness swept over him in a crushing wave, stealing away his ability to breathe.

He shook that thought off just as the goblins gave one rallying cry before charging forward as one. Moguzo responded with an impressive roar of his own, one of the many skills in his arsenal. Several goblins on the frontline froze abruptly, losing their wits from sheer terror, which in turn caused their comrades behind to collide into their backs, sending many sprawling onto the ground.

There was no better opening than that, and everyone knew it. By unspoken consent, with the big warrior spearheading the attack, the party of five sprang into action with their weapons brandished, ready to stain the ground red with the blood of their foes. The two groups met again in another fierce clash of magic, weapons and will, and this time it was one to the death.

Dinner was a quiet affair, each and every one absorbed by their own thoughts about the day's happenings. The raid didn't go down as badly as Haruhiro initially thought it went; they did manage to procure reasonably decent loots that went for a respectable sum of a silver.

Money was no longer their foremost concern. It had taken a back seat as they found themselves occupied with more pressing ones like finding themselves a Priest and getting their act together. Their teamwork today was borderline shambolic, reminding the brunet of their earlier days, and even though Haruhiro was more than ready to accept the blame due to his sub-par leadership, the others - with the exception of Ranta who declared his performance today as "immaculate" - were quick to admit to their individual errors and spread the blame around. They followed it up with a discussion of how to nullify their weaknesses and bolster their respective strengths, something of vital importance if they were to make the most out of what little they had in their situation.

Haruhiro then gently steered the conversation towards tactical positioning and what he had learnt from the day's events.

Suggestions and opinions regarding it were shared over wine that was quickly downed like water, and productivity slowed to a halt soon after as the mild alcohol worked its magic. One by one, Moguzo, Ranta then finally Shihoru excused themselves to retire to bed, ignoring Haruhiro's protests that it was their day off tomorrow and there was no need to sleep so early.

And that was how Haruhiro found himself alone with a very inebriated Yume at the table.

He would have been worried and unsure of what to do, if not for the fact that she had fallen asleep sometime between him wishing goodnight to Shihoru and his return from placing the dirty dishes in the sink.

He felt the side of his lips tug into a smile as he gazed at the softly snoring redhead, a weird feeling that he could only identify as something akin to affectionate amusement making his chest ache - but in a good way. Yume had her forehead resting against the table, cushioned by her hands she was using as a makeshift pillow. Her fiery red hair looked like a curtain made from the finest silk, soft and smooth, fanning around one side of her head as it freed itself from the confines of her hairpin she must have loosened in the midst of her fidgeting to find a comfortable spot. It brought his attention to the elaborate shape of her pixie ear on the other side, and the stray tendrils that fluttered over it in the breeze. The light from the fire by the oven cast shadows over her petite figure, bathing the side facing the flickering flames in a flattering orange glow.

She looked almost ethereal, he realized. His fingers itched to run through the strands of her scarlet hair he had come to associate with passion and wild abandon; he wanted to wrap himself around her and act as her shield, protecting her from all the dangers in the world. He wanted to capture this moment forever; this fleeting moment of absolute peace and tranquility and store it away in his mind, because as he had found out recently, life is fragile and could be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Haruhiro stayed like that for awhile, watching the shadows dance over her skin, listening to her even breathing and occasional incoherent mumbling. He didn't know what to make of the odd sense of satisfaction taking root, neither did he want to think too much about it.

He was content to just let this... beautiful, growing thing they had going on blossom slowly. He wasn't in any sort of rush, and good things are always worth waiting for.

With that calming thought and a yawn that escaped his lips, Haruhiro got to his feet quietly and padded over to the sleeping girl. Tenderly, almost reverently, he scooped her up and carried her bridal style to the second floor where her room was, careful not to jar her awake with any loud noise or sudden movements. He kept one arm securely tucked under the back of her knees and one just at the back of her shoulders. He was worried that her head would loll without any support, but it proved to be unwarranted as Yume just curled towards him, snuggling close and resting her head against his bicep with a small mew of happiness.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't flush with pride.

He was all too conscious of how warm and firm her skin felt to the touch, and how her plain t-shirt rode up high to show off a smooth expanse of skin around her waist. Even her belly button looked perfect, damn it.

"There has to be something about you that's imperfect," he grumbled unknowingly, did a double take and checked immediately to make sure that she was still asleep. When she didn't move, he released the breath he was holding and kept his mouth firmly shut the whole way up the stairs.

When he entered her room with measured steps, Shihoru was already dead to the world, one hand flung over the side of her bed. Haruhiro stifled a chuckle and set Yume down on her bed. She made a small, gurgled sound of complaint at the loss of heat and turned over to her side instantly, her legs moving up to her chest in a foetal position.

He shook his head wryly as she tossed and turned several times within a minute before finally settling on a downward position with her cheek pressed to the pillow and her hands slotted comfortably beneath it. She wriggled a little more, which made Haruhiro glance downwards at the generous curve of her bottom. Flushing with embarrassment and shyness, he quickly averted his eyes to respect her modesty, but not before he got a good look that he wasn't going to forget anytime soon.

The rush of blood South also informed him that he probably wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon.

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand down his face and mentally reprimanded himself to get his mind out of the gutter. He wasn't like Ranta. He wasn't about to let such basic urges get the better of him.

Using one hand to shield the side of his face so as to narrow his field of vision and discourage any further attempts at peeking, Haruhiro unfurled the neatly folded blanket with a single-handed flourish and laid it over Yume. Once he ensured that everything was in order, he turned and swiftly walked out of the room, grumbling to himself about overactive hormones and stress.

If he had stayed around a little longer, he might have caught how Yume flipped around onto her back and peered furtively towards the corridor from under her blanket, an impish grin on her face as bright as the sun.

A/N: Hello people. I'm sorry for the incredibly long delay between updates. I just have lots to do currently. I'm writing articles on events that are happening for some extra allowance, and I never realized what a fucking chore it is to write 250~300 words because I'm anal about every little thing and keep returning to edit the smallest things. Yeah, fuck that takes a lot of time. And I'm pretty much tasked with one every two to three days, so that limits how much time I have to write such stuff.

ANYWHO. HERE'S SOME HARUME GOODNESS FOR YOU ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FANTASTIC REVIEWS! I literally smile while reading some of them. If you enjoyed this chapter as well, let me know. It's not too much fluff, just a little bit of character development all around to get things on track before the next bit of fluff. So look forward to the next chapter, I promise it's going to be pure yumexharu :)

And... For the people awaiting an update for Zealous, I'm sorry, it's going to take awhile more. I have roughly 3,000 or so words typed out, but I intend the upcoming chapter to be the ENTIRE fight scene, so it's probably going to end up being like 6k ~ 7k words. Yeah. Just give me awhile to type that shit out, yeah?

Till next time!