TWO UPDATES IN ONE WEEK, HOLY CRAP: Did I not promise you a much longer chapter this time around? Well, as luck would have it, I made really good progress on the next chapters so you guys get an early update! What luck!

Being the first to arrive at the laboratory the following morning was not something Kyoko anticipated. As Ren had a reputation for always being on time, she assumed he had an early appointment elsewhere. It was possible he had forgotten to inform her of it the night before. Therefore, she decided to take the initiative and begin going through the list on his desk, leaving hers in its place for when he arrived.

He arrived an hour later, trudging slowly throw the door with stooped shoulders. Kyoko eyed him warily when he entered as she sensed something was off. When he dropped, gracelessly, into his chair and stared blankly at the sheet she left on his desk, she knew this was not normal. She approached him slowly, like a shy animal, so as to not startle him.

"Are you alright?"

"I am perfectly fine," he waved a hand dismissively. "Why do you ask?"

"Your face looks a bit flushed," she squinted at him. "Are you sure you are not coming down with something?"

"Impossible. I never get sick," he shook his head vigorously. "I'm just a little tired."

"Then, why are you suddenly sweating?" she deadpanned.

"I am?" he mumbled dazedly.

Kyoko appeared at his side with what seemed to him as almost inhuman speed. He watched with clouded eyes as she scrutinized him closely. Mumbling a quick apology, she tentatively reached out a hand to rest the back of it lightly against his forehead. A sigh escaped his lips as he felt the touch of her cool hand on his skin. He found he was strangely disappointed when she removed it shortly afterwards. Looking up at her again, he saw her lips pursed in a grim line.

"You have a fever," she said with a slight frown.

"And that means?" he prompted.

"Your body is raising its temperature to fight off an infection," she saw his eyes glaze over and looked at him again pointedly. "It means you have a cold."

"Impossible," he repeated. "I never get sick."

"You keep saying that and yet, here you sit, with pale, clammy skin and a fever,"

folding her arms, she sighed. "How did you even walk in here without someone else noticing?"

He let his head bow forward until it touched his desk and wrapped both arms securely around it before letting out a frustrated groan. This was the last thing he needed and the timing could not be worse. They only had a few more days left to complete the project with minimal progress made thus far. His head shook back and forth while she watched him with a peculiar expression before walking to the water pitcher on the small table near the door.

Activating the draft to refill the pitcher, she pulled a crisp, white handkerchief from her cloak and carefully poured water on to it. A quick chilling draft made the cloth in her hand suddenly ice cold. She turned back to him with the now-dampened handkerchief in hand. The morning sunlight must have been particularly bright streaming in through the laboratory windows, as she noticed it caused Ren's hair to appear almost golden in color. It faded the instant he raised his head off the desk to look at her.

"…you're the first," she heard him mumble.

"What?" she stopped momentarily on her way back to him.

"You're the first person to actually see me this morning," he explained. "I have a way of getting here without ever setting foot outside."

"How?" she stopped beside him and looked confused.

"I made a portal calling draft that connects my front door to this lab so I can come directly here every morning."

"Remind me to be impressed by this later, because I have a number of questions that are not really important right now," gently tilting his head back, she placed the handkerchief on his brow. "Are you able to return the same way?"

He nodded slightly, then stopped when he felt the cloth slipping down his face.

"Good, then let us go get you home and back in bed."

"You'll have to stay here."

"And trust you, who tried to come to work with a fever, to take care of yourself?" she asked incredulously. "No deal."

"It's my draft. I'm the only one who travels through the portal."

Her hand forcefully met her face and Kyoko chided herself internally. Of course he would be the only one to be able to travel through it. It would be terribly insecure otherwise, leaving a portal that opens directly to a private residence. She looked back at him with a sigh and he continued to stare at her. Did his eyes look a little green just then? Shaking her head with the assumption that she was seeing things, she looked instead to the bag sitting on her workspace.

"Then, there's one thing you need to do before you go back," she moved towards the bag and reached inside it.

"What's that?"

Pulling a jar out of the bag, she presented it to him, "You need to eat this."

Peering dubiously at the jar of what looked to be vegetable soup, he shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

"I'm going to guess that you haven't eaten at all for the morning," his lack of protest confirmed her suspicion and she continued in an authoritative tone. "Therefore, your body needs energy in order to heal. You will eat this and then go home and rest. Got it?"

He realized it was useless to fight back and, reluctantly, picked up the now-opened jar and the small wooden spoon she set beside it and began to eat the contents. It was either still warm or she had warmed it with a draft while he was not paying attention. Nevertheless, the mild flavor soothed the irritation in his throat he only just noticed. He kept eating, under her watchful eye, until the spoon scraped the bottom of the jar. She promptly took the jar away from him and replaced it with a glass of water.

"Drink," she commanded and he obeyed silently. "It's important for you to stay hydrated.

Once he finished, she nodded at him and motioned towards the door. Taking that as his cue to leave, he slowly got up from his chair and walked over to the entrance and placed his hand on the knob. Mumbling a strange phrase and tapping it twice with his thumb, it glowed with a bright white light before it changed to one of pulsating green. He looked back at Kyoko before turning the knob.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome," she matched his tone. "Go get some rest and I will get you some medication from the nearby Healer clinic. I'll leave it here by the door for you and then go inform the Grand Archweaver of your condition. Check back here in an hour or so, alright?"

Nodding again, he realized her handkerchief was still perched precariously on his head. He reached up to remove it and return it to her when she stopped him with a raised hand.

"Keep it," she urged. "You'll need it."

The door softly clicked shut after his departure and Kyoko let out a long sigh and placed her hands on her hips as she looked around the empty laboratory. Thankful that she decided to bring soup for lunch, she picked up the empty jar and placed it back in her bag and returned the glass to the table next to the door with the pitcher. After searching for a scrap of paper, she wrote a short list for herself and tucked it inside her cloak. As there was no point in delaying any further, she swiftly left the laboratory to visit the Healer clinic.

An hour and a half later, a head with shaggy, straw-blond hair poked cautiously through the laboratory door and looked inside. Breathing a sigh of relief after noticing Kyoko was not inside, the upper half of a body followed the head inside as it craned to see the small paper bag sitting on the floor just inside the room by the door. Picking it up, they saw a small note was attached to the bag with familiar handwriting;

Drink one of the vials now, and the other in 10 hours. I also included another jar of soup that you should eat between doses. Remember to drink plenty of water. Do not attempt to take any work back with you. I will know and I will not be happy. Your priority is to rest so we can finish this together. I hope you feel better soon.

~ KM

A smile graced the face of the reader and they opened the bag to find two small bottles, each containing a milky liquid, and a large jar of soup. Looking around, they noticed Kyoko's bag sitting on her workspace and assumed she was still in the building. They quickly ducked back through the partially open door, taking the bag with them.

In the meantime, Kyoko fidgeted in the plush chair across from Grand Archweaver Takarada's desk. While she felt somewhat brazen for waltzing into his office on her own without a prior appointment, the present circumstances did not allow for such formality. She watched him quickly write a note before sealing it with wax. With a word and a touch, the sealed letter fizzled into nothing; on its way to the intended recipient. Lory looked back at her with a grim smile.

"I have explained the situation and requested an extension from the Defenders," he saw the look of relief on her face. "But I would not get too comfortable. They could very well deny the request depending on their timeline."

"What happens if they deny your request?"

"I would have to re-assign you to another Archweaver to complete the project as you have knowledge of what was already researched," her face fell as he spoke. "I know it will be difficult starting over with someone different, but another guild is counting on us to deliver and we cannot disappoint them."

"I understand, sir."

"I will have another Archweaver on standby just in case," he admired her commitment but could sense her unease. "But I hope, for everyone's sake, Ren is better by tomorrow."

"As do I, sir," she rose from her seat and bowed. "I will take my leave and get back to work."

Lory watched her retreat from his office and wondered if she noticed the current state of her amulet stone. At first he thought the angle at which he was looking caused it to appear as such but, even as she moved, it remained a dull amber color.

"Curious." he mused to himself.

Upon her return to the laboratory, she noticed the bag she left by the door was now gone. She allowed herself a small smile at this before turning to inspect Ren's desk. Before leaving for the Grand Archweaver's office, she rigged the desk with a draft that would notify her if anything was removed from it. Everything appeared to be the same as she left it and the draft was never triggered. Satisfied that he actually heeded her warning, she resumed her work from earlier in the day.

After completing her second look at Ren's list and several unsuccessful practical experiments with the mannequin, Kyoko reluctantly wrapped up for the day and wandered back to the dormitory building in low spirits. Nothing she tried worked well enough to claim it as a finished product. She tried desperately to come up with something—anything—that would solve the problem. All she could do now was hope Ren would recover by the next morning. The last thing she wanted was to be re-assigned to someone else. She doubted anyone else would treat someone of her rank as an equal.

When she finished changing out of her cloak, blouse and slacks in her room, she sat, defeated, on her bed. Closing her eyes against the glow of the lamp on the desk across from her bed, she tried to will away the negative thoughts circulating in her mind. The sound of shuffling feet outside her door caused her to open her eyes before a soft knock resonated through the wood. Opening the door, she saw her best friend standing before her, she gave her a tired smile.

"I thought I saw your light on in here," she gave her friend a worried expression. "Let's go grab a bite to eat and catch up."

Their favorite dining spot was a fairly long walk from the Spellweaver campus, which suited them just fine as it usually meant it was rarely frequented with other Weavers than themselves. This allowed them to talk openly in peace. Not to mention, the food served there was some of the best in the city. After placing their orders, Kanae looked seriously across the table at her friend.

"Okay, spill," she demanded suddenly. "You looked like someone tried to wound a defenseless animal in front of you when I came to your door earlier. What happened?"

"It's nothing," Kyoko deflected. "Besides, much of it I can't talk about anyhow. Confidentiality and all that."

"Don't make me force it out of you, Kyoko," she threatened but continued with a pout. "I thought we were friends, after all."

Her eyes softened and she splayed her hands out before her on the table. A deep breath prepared her before she began to tell her friend everything; about being assigned to work with Ren by the Grand Archweaver, about Sho's random—and irritating—appearance, about being suddenly thrown into uncertainty all because of a cold and an impending deadline. She felt physically and mentally exhausted after recounting her tale. Thankfully, their food arrived at an opportune time, allowing her a small reprieve before the questions she knew Kanae had began.

Kanae pushed a spoonful of the stew sitting before her into her mouth with a flat hum, considering her first question, "So, what exactly are you upset about? You were essentially forced into this anyway so what do you care if you have to work with someone else?"

"Because this is the first time I've worked alongside an Archweaver as an equal. Not as a Scribe, not as an errand girl, an equal, Kanae," she clenched her fist and pounded it lightly on the table before letting out an anguished groan. "Not to mention the fact that I may have to start all over again from scratch on the research. If they even let me help, that is. They'll probably just order me around."

"You're really heartbroken over this," the other girl mused.

"Of course I am!" she all but shouted. "I was given an opportunity to do real, meaningful work that showcased my talents and it could all be taken away tomorrow."

"Well, maybe Tsuruga will ask to work with you for another project later," Kanae shrugged as she loaded another spoonful. "If he's as impressed by you as you say he is, I'm sure he'll ask for you again."

"You're right," she sounded resigned, but hopeful as she idly pushed the food in her bowl around with her spoon. "I'm sure I can deal with whatever happens. Goodness knows I've dealt with worse," she shook her head sadly. "I guess I'll just miss him—well, working with him," she corrected.

Kanae raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk,"Uh-huh."

"Don't look at me like that, Kanae," she rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."

"Hey, I'm not blind, Kyoko," her friend shrugged. "He's attractive and he treats you with respect. I wouldn't blame you for getting a little moony-eyed over that."

"I don't have time for getting 'moony-eyed' anymore. This is my chosen profession and I need to work hard if I plan to plan to get anywhere with it. I can't do that if I let myself get sidetracked by… feelings," she spat the word as if it were poison. "That didn't work out so well the last time, if you recall."

"Those are two very different situations and you know it," Kanae warned. "I'm just saying that even if you have a destination for yourself in mind, it can't hurt to enjoy the scenery along the way."

Kyoko shook her head at her friend with a laugh. Thankfully, Kanae changed the subject soon after and they spent the remainder of their meal talking about what each did in the other's absence. They laughed heartily at the recounting of humorous events between basking in the comfortable silence of being in each other's company. Walking back to the dormitories, she noticed her friend's eyes kept drifting down to where her amulet rested. She figured it kept changing in the light as she moved and assumed her eye was involuntarily drawn to it. It was not until they arrived back at Kyoko's door that she decided to address it.

"You've been glancing at my amulet all evening. Is there something wrong with it?" she was about to look down when her friend spoke.

"You mean you haven't noticed the stone?"

"Noticed what?" her eyes widened and her hand immediately went to grasp at the stone.

"It's remained this muddy yellow color the whole time I've been with you tonight."

"Oh," she looked down at it thoughtfully. "It does that sometimes."

"You mean it's done that before?" Kanae was shocked. "Doesn't that concern you at least a little bit?"

Kyoko nodded solemnly, "Yes, several years ago it was stuck like that for days—maybe even weeks—but, it's never affected my ability to use it." she shrugged. "So, I never paid it any mind."

"You said the other piece of it belongs to someone else, right?" Kanae theorized. "What if they, as two parts of a whole, affect one other?"

"Hard to say, since I haven't seen that person since they gave me this," she said in a sad tone, clutching tightly at the amulet.

"Well, when you find them, maybe you'll figure it out," her friend suggested.

"If I ever find them," she sighed hopelessly.

"I was supposed to be cheering you up, not making you feel worse," Kanae consoled. "I'm sorry."

"You did cheer me up," she gave a small smile. "I've resolved to save my worries for tomorrow and whatever happens, happens." leaning forward suddenly, Kyoko gave the long-haired Weaver a grateful hug. "Thanks for coming by. I really needed this."

"Anytime," she returned her hug. "Get some rest, alright? I'll see you again soon."

After they bid each other goodnight, Kyoko readied herself for bed in the hope that her anxieties would not prevent her from falling asleep. Huddled beneath her sheet and soft blankets, she wrapped her fingers around her amulet once more. As her eyes slid shut, she thought that if her stone really was connected in some way to its mate, she hoped to borrow some of the strength of its owner.

Ren's eyes slowly blinked open and he found himself surrounded by darkness. There must have been some sedative in the bottles of medication he was given as this was the second time that he had fallen into a deep sleep after taking it. Pulling the handkerchief—he marveled at how it was still cold—from his forehead, he sat up and looked around the room. The lack of sun peeking through the drawn curtains told him he had slept for most of the day. He had also sweat for most of it as well, if the thin shirt clinging wetly to his torso was any indication.

Scratching the back of his neck with a wide yawn as he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower, he realized the overwhelming dizziness he felt earlier had gone away. His fingers grazed over the cord securing his amulet to his neck in the process and he stopped to remove the item from over his head. Touching the spell lamp inside the bathroom, it sprung to life with a low hum and he looked over the amulet in his hand. He braced his thumbs and forefingers in strategic places on the pendant and, with the right pressure and a slight twist, carefully separated the interlocking pieces from each other to make sure no moisture had infiltrated the seams. When the pieces fell away to reveal the stone underneath, he frowned. The stone, resting gently in his palm, had turned a pale gold.

WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT: Longer chapter, some more plot development and even a number of lingering questions to be answered down the line. Hope this was a good one for you guys. I immensely enjoy the comments and reviews I've been getting. I even use Google Translate on the ones that are not written in English because they're all important to me. So, keep 'em coming!

AUTHOR OUT!