"You really like it out here."

Ruggie glanced over his shoulder, unsurprised to see Yuu standing a short distance behind him. His ears had picked up the sound of her footsteps, but he hadn't smelled her since she was downwind. She was getting better.

He shrugged at her question. "No more than you do."

He'd seen her, too, walking along the edge of the field in her spare time. She wasn't the only one keeping an eye on her surroundings. Occasionally, the two of them would make eye contact and there would be some sort of acknowledgement in the form of a nod or a polite wave, but that was usually as far as they went. They got along well enough, but Ruggie never went out of his way to hang out with her.

Yuu closed the distance and dropped down beside him, offering a friendly smile. "Any luck with your foraging?"

Ruggie froze. Food was a sacred subject to him. He wasn't about to share information about food sources with just anyone. Most likely Yuu had brought it up as a conversation starter, but he still felt the need to be careful. He gave a disinterested huff.

"It's okay."

She nodded and Ruggie hoped she would leave soon. Not that he disliked her. No. Yuu was pretty cool for standing up to the housewardens, especially Leona. That in itself was a feat that no one had dared to attempt, and it was something that had earned her his respect. Besides, had she not stepped in during Leona's overblot, he would have been reduced to a pile of sand.

He remembered the horrible dry feeling as his skin began to crack and crumble. With no way to defend himself or even fight back, he had been completely at Leona's mercy, and the Prefect, Yuu, had stepped in without thinking of her own safety and had literally knocked some sense into Leona. Ruggie would never admit it to anyone, but he was grateful to her.

Even if she was cool and good company, Ruggie wanted to finish his foraging and hurry back to his dormitory before Leona got cranky.

But the Prefect made no move to leave, rather, the opposite. She laid down on her back and closed her eyes.

Ruggie ignored her and went back to gathering the last of the dandelions. He quickly picked them and stuffed them into his satchel along with the other plants he had harvested that evening. The sun was low now, its rays casting a deep glow over the field, wrapping the pair in a warm embrace. Faint shadows began to emerge from the tree line, slowly creeping outward as the animals began to return to their nests, dens, and burrows for the night.

"Ruggie?"

He glanced at her briefly. Her eyes were still closed, but her face was twisted into an inquisitive frown.

"Yeah?"

"What drives you?"

The question itself was simple, but Ruggie had to pause and think for a moment. What drove him? He tore up a handful of grass, sifting the blades between his fingers as he searched for the right words to answer her.

"I dunno. Survival, I guess. I wanna be here tomorrow, so I have to do what I can today to make sure that happens."

"Hmm."

"What drives you?" he shot back. And he was genuinely interested. Yuu was quite a puzzle for she wore her heart on her sleeve and managed to keep a wall up at the same time. She was open with her beliefs and opinions, but her private life remained a mystery. Every now and then she might mention a fact or a snippet of her life and Ruggie couldn't help but listen with interest. After all, she was from another world.

"What keeps you from giving up?" he added.

Yuu shrugged. "I-" she opened her eyes. "Home. My family." Her eyes held a melancholy look, but only for a second before they cleared.

Ruggie nodded. "Makes sense." Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't the question he wanted to ask, and it wasn't the answer he was looking for. He chewed on a grass stem eyeing her thoughtfully.

"Why do you help people?"

That was it. That was what he wanted to know.

"I don't just mean your friends; I mean others too. Why did you help Riddle or Leona or Azul or any of the others when all they did was knock you down?"

Yuu gave him a strange look, as if surprised by his question, and sat up with a heavy sigh, resting her chin in her hands. When she spoke, her voice was low, almost hesitant, but she spoke with conviction.

"Because if I hadn't, no one would have." She looked down. "The one thing I've learned here is that very few people are willing to help others unless they get something out of it. I don't know if it's pride or selfishness, but it's disheartening. No one does anything for the sake of helping their fellow student, they only care about what they get. They're manipulative and demanding, and they either don't realize it or don't care. I wasn't raised that way. My parents taught me to help others regardless of who they are or whether they deserve it. No one here does that."

"No one except you." Ruggie offered.

"Someone had to. How can I expect them to do something if I'm not willing to do it myself? Someone has to set the example, but sometimes I feel like I'm not making a difference."

"I see." Ruggie was surprised by her candor. He wouldn't have spoken so freely in another's presence. Why risk being vulnerable around someone who could easily use it against you? Now he understood what Yuu meant.

The students of Night Raven College were proud and selfish. They didn't care who fell as long as they rose higher. It didn't matter if they hurt or manipulated someone as long as they got what they wanted in the end. They would take your weakness and use it against you. But Yuu, of all people, had managed to evade many such attempts. She was able to be open and honest in a way that left no room for the threats and insults that were thrown her way.

Ruggie couldn't help but admire her courage. She had the guts to do the things that most wouldn't, and by simply sticking to her beliefs and never lowering her standards, her actions had begun to affect others. The people around her changed for the better. They were kinder, more thoughtful, genuine, open, contented, courageous, and happy.

How was it that one person's actions could change the lives of so many?

He shook his head and muttered softly. "You've made more of a difference than you know."

"What?"

"Nothing." He plopped down on the grass beside her, feeling strangely at ease. She wasn't going to stab him when his back was turned. No, she was...kind. That was the word. Kind.

Despite her temper, she would go out of her way to help others, even if she needed it herself.

Ruggie had seen it more than once. Helping her friends with their homework when she could be studying for hers, listening to others' problems when she had so many of her own, sharing food and other necessities when she barely had enough for herself. That was something that shocked him more than anything else. Food, the basis of survival, and she shared it without asking for anything in return?

Unbelievable.

He thought about her answer to his first question - home, family. She must really miss them. It had been almost a year since she had shown up and Crowley was no closer to finding her a way home than he had been at the beginning of the school year. Ruggie felt sorry for her. If he had been in her place, he would probably have given up a long time ago.

He picked a round, fluffy dandelion and held it out to her.

She took it with a small smile that made Ruggie even happier. Then she blew on it, sending the seeds across the field before turning to him. "Your turn."

Ruggie frowned, wondering what she meant, until a dandelion was thrust into his hand.

Ah. He understood now. He lifted it to his lips and blew as hard as he could, watching the tiny white seeds float away as he made a silent wish. A wish that for the first time was a completely selfless one.

Please. Find Yuu a way home. Let her be happy.