Till We Meet Again

by Crimster

They started their lives with nothing. Caelus started his life lost and without a purpose, and AR-26710 only had one objective to live for. With each other, though, they gained new purposes for their lives. If it meant having to wade through hell and back to realize those dreams, then so be it. No matter what, they'd meet again.

2. Chapter 2

Till We Meet Again | Chapter Two: Learning To Love

---

By now, Caelus was used to sitting in the chair across from Firefly's 'resuscitation' pod.

Not long after their talk, Caelus decided—by himself, for the most part—that he would stay by Firefly's side for as long as he could during his days off. Of course, afterward, Caelus faced a disgruntled albeit cute Firefly who wouldn't let him have it his way, but he wouldn't let the girl refuse a request as simple as making sure she wasn't alone when she woke up that easily.

The furthest Caelus let her get was saying something about her being a bother to him, which only made the man refuse the sentiment flatly. The reaction he got from saying that to her would be one he remembered for a long while.

So, with that being said, their time together increased suddenly—even if one of them was unconscious for most of it.

Frankly speaking, the time they spent together before he started watching over her seemed minuscule compared to how long they spent together now. That was mainly because when he'd be without a mission for about three days, Firefly would be stuck in her room for two, trying to recover whatever entropy she'd lost.

That didn't even account for the times when Silver Wolf asked Caelus to play a game he'd never heard of before with her. Or the somewhat infrequent and odd requests from Blade to enjoy a drink with the man—Caelus still couldn't understand the swordsman's infatuation with Baijiu. Still, Caelus figured he wasn't in any position to complain about the man's preferences for alcohol, considering he had none.

Then there was Kafka… He didn't want to think about all the scars he'd received from their 'outings.'

So, just like that, the amount of time that Firefly and Caelus were alone was few and very far between. He could only wonder if that was why the girl had seemingly gotten closer to him as of late after their talk. Not that he minded the attention from the girl anyway either, so the least he could do was appreciate her for being so understanding about their conflicting schedules.

That brings us to one of the few silver linings of their talk from that day.

Whenever Firefly had to return to her room for a much-needed recovery, he would stay and silently sit in a chair she had so kindly gotten him for such a purpose. Even if she protested at first, Caelus could tell she was much more receptive to it than she let on.

Unfortunately, it usually only took an hour of skimming through his phone or reading a book he found online for the man to get bored sitting idly on a chair beside her.

It wasn't like watching Firefly was boring, but he could only really stare at the girl in obvious discomfort as she rested for so long before he needed to preoccupy his mind with something else. Her so-called 'medical cabin' seemed much more like a coffin to Caelus, but semantics he posed.

As much as her room felt like a nurse's office sometimes, she at least had more than enough exciting things to catch the eye.

One figure on a shelf, in particular, reminded him far too much of a mechanical warrior he'd seen frequently bathing entire battlefields in flame. "Did you really DIY a Gundam to look like you?" He knew she couldn't hear him, but he figured filling the air would at least drag his mind away from thinking about anything else.

"Yeah, I helped her with that one." The sudden, unamused voice from behind sounded out, and with it, Caelus jumped forward, almost smacking the shelf he'd just been admiring in the process.

"Fuck, Silver Wolf!" The scream he'd let out was met with an overly smug grin from the shorter girl, her hand brought up into a mock finger gun.

"It isn't custom for us Punklorde hackers to knock before we enter. Besides, you should check your flanks more often if you're worried. If this were an FPS, you'd already be dead three times over." Whatever small apology Caelus had hoped he'd receive was thrown to the wind by the short girl as she brushed him off.

Caelus watched Silver Wolf for a while as the Punklordean hacker paced around the room; she obviously wanted something from one of them. Otherwise, she'd use her little free time to play games in her so-called lair.

"What are you even doing in here?" The girl seemingly ignored his question as she kept perusing.

"You two are awfully close nowadays. Firefly's been happier than I've ever seen her recently." Silverwolf continued to look around until she found a shelf that piqued her interest. On it was a singular picture with their motley group on it. He'd remembered that day. It was one of the days everyone was on base and had too much time to kill. If he remembered it correctly, it was Kafka's recommendation. One that Firefly quickly forced everyone to fulfill.

"Just answer the question, Wolfie." The girl didn't bat an eye to the nickname. He was one of the few in the entire cosmos she'd let call her that.

"Did you know that Kafka had to practically beg her to buy that suit? Apparently, Firefly has a stigma for gifts." The suit she was referring to was the one the girl wore in the picture, with a peace sign pointed toward the camera and a smile on her face.

As if Silver Wolf owned the place, the girl nonchalantly walked over to the sole closet in the room and swung its door open, revealing a plethora of outfits. Dresses, suits, casual clothing. Every article was seemingly placed there with extreme care, as if the owner deemed every piece of fabric equally important, no matter the quality. "Now look at her." The girl whistled. "She's practically swimming in all the clothes you and Kafka buy her."

"Don't look at me. Kafka's the one that gets carried away." The girl shot him a skeptical look, quickly pulling on a white and green dress with a brown blazer and a bell that resembled a firefly's light on the back of the waist.

"Care to explain this then." She had him there.

"I just thought it would look good on her." The girl grimaced at his remark.

"You two are so gross for each other." Silver Wolf already seemed exacerbated at their conversation. "It sucks for Firefly that her little Caelie leveled affection before awareness." She scoffed as she spoke, almost like the thought of something hilarious came to her.

"Are you just here to poke fun?" Irritation was a useless feeling when dealing with Silver Wolf. It was like throwing gasoline on a fire. No matter what you did, you'd only fan the flames.

Still, Caelus couldn't get too annoyed at Silver Wolf's antics. It was like she was a little sister who constantly pestered you but also knew just when to back off.

"When aren't I?" Her brow raised as she looked back to Caelus.

"Fair point." He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his throat as he spoke.

The two stopped speaking. Silver Wolf's gaze fixated on Caelus, almost as if she was trying to read his mind. "I'm gonna ask you a question, Caelie." He didn't budge as she walked up to him.

Even though the top of her head didn't even reach his shoulders, he could tell she meant business, which was odd considering that he was talking about Silver Wolf here.

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna run outta here when you start talking. You're not Kafka." When he tried to meet the girl's eyes, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Was he really being interrogated in Firefly's room, in all places?

"What's your deal with Firefly?" The girl's stare stayed fixated on him, the same flat one she always had as she continued. "Like you guys fucking or something?"

If any straw could break a camel's back, then that was it.

He stared back at her for a while, just trying to process if what he'd heard was what actually fell out of the shorter girl's mouth. Then, when Silver Wolf started to look impatient, waiting for his answer, Caelus exploded. "What the hell, Wolfie?!" He couldn't help but shout at the top of his lungs.

Them? Firefly and him? Where would she even get that idea—who's he kidding? He knew who.

"What, I won't judge. A girl has needs." Compared to his attitude, Silver Wolf looked like she was as calm as a lake on a summer night. Which kind of pissed him off, given the circumstances.

"We're not anything, Wolfie! We're just friends! That's it. Nothing more." Silver Wolf took one step back for the first time since she had arrived.

"Jeez, sorry then. Don't get your panties in a bunch." With an eye roll, Silver Wolf looked toward Firefly's pod.

"All she ever does is get herself in trouble. I'm sure you know that by now." A slightly arrogant tone took over the girl's voice. "No matter what I tell her, she never wants to do things the easy way and always ends up in run-ending scenarios." Silver Wolf's fingers brushed against the glass of the pod. A feeling of familiarity hit Caelus as he watched her. "I've had to pull her to this pod more than a couple of times because she couldn't walk after a mission." Now, that was a history he wasn't aware of.

"She didn't want to use Sam?" Caelus didn't know why he asked that. It was a question he already knew the answer to.

"You know how she is. She doesn't want to rely on her cheat weapon too often. At least that's what she's been like for as long as I've known her." Silver Wolf continued to look at Firefly through the glass. Firefly was utterly unaware of everything outside her medical cabin as she fought through her entropy loss.

Caelus couldn't help but stand next to Silver Wolf. "That's how I met her."

"Aeons, you two do need help."

The girl scoffed again. "Look, Caelie, I'm not gonna tell you how to do this, but this isn't a turn-based multiplayer game you can play till turn hundred. You're dealing with a girl who's speedrunning on hardcore with a debuff to her HP." You know he could understand that first part, but then she totally lost him on the return.

"If you want me to understand something, it would be a lot easier just to tell me what you mean."

"I'm not one to spoil a game's ending when I know the outcome, so it's up to you and your dialogue choices to discover the good ending, baseball boy." The girl patted his back,

"Was this some really roundabout way of asking me if I want to play that game you've been hooked on for the past week?" Her pleading eyes were the only answer he needed.

"Later, Wolfie." Caelus nodded toward the pod. "After Firefly wakes up." The girl groaned.

"You're such a buzzkill. To think I used this time to nudge you along when I could've been grinding." With the vitality of an eighty-year-old man, Silver Wolf dragged herself to the door. Her shoulders slumped in seeming defeat.

The door opened again, letting the fluorescent lights from the hallway into the comparatively dimly lit room.

"You're the kind of protagonist I hate the most? The dense archetype. You don't realize how much you mean to Firefly, do you?" With those faint words that fell from the Punklorde hacker's lips, she disappeared behind the closing door.

Then there was silence.

Caelus stood there for a moment, looking at Firefly inside her pod. At some point, she'd finally managed to succumb to her sleepless slumber. She wasn't grimacing in pain or discomfort anymore. She was just sleeping peacefully with nothing to bother her.

What would she dream about if she could like the rest of them? Would it be of fantastical sights? Even sightseeing on some faraway mystical planet?

Knowing Firefly, though, it would be something mundane like going to school or the beach with friends during summer vacation. If he had to guess what kind of dreams she would have, they would have to be those.

Would he be part of those dreams, too? Would he be next to her even in her dreams?

Some part of his heart hoped he would.

"Sometimes I wish I could understand how I feel about her too, Wolfie." Caelus hated how the heart he'd been given worked.

---

Caelus was left alone in their hideout today. From what he'd heard, Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Firefly had a mission they were all required to go on. That meant he was left to his lonesome. As always, Elio was working on future scripts, but other than him, Caelus was alone.

To be honest, Caelus appreciated the peace from these rare occasions.

That was until he received a knock on his door and was met with the imposing figure of their moody swordsman after he went to open it. Blade's permanent scowl couldn't tell you much by itself, but the bottle of Baijiu in one hand and two glasses in the other gave Caelus all the necessary information.

That was how Blade ended up in his room, the two sitting across from each other at the small table Caelus had, with a glass in each of their hands.

Drinking with Blade was never going to be something Caelus got used to.

The quiet that Caelus had longed for stayed, but now it was being shared with a man he'd spoken about ten sentences with. For some reason, however, he felt even more relaxed than he did before. It was either the alcohol getting to him—which was unlikely—or Blade had some sort of calming effect whenever he wasn't doing something incredibly edgy.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Blade. Any reason?" Caelus's comment was met with a quirked-up eyebrow.

"A gamble I wagered looks to be going in my favor, so it seems I'll be receiving quite the payout soon." After finishing, the man took a practiced sip of his drink, the quiet between them resuming not long after.

"I didn't take you to be a gambling man."

"Only when I know I'll win."

Then, their silence returned.

Was it weird that Caelus felt like he was more at peace just relaxing in his room with a man he barely knew anything about as they drank alcohol together? Maybe that was the bro code kicking in.

"I don't mean to pry, Blade, but there has to be a reason you do this, right?" Finishing another sip, Blade met Caelus's eyes. Caelus could tell the man's expression had softened in the little time he had been there, but Blade spoke before he could inquire about that.

"It's because you're simple, Caelus," Blade answered flatly. His countenance was unmoving as he spoke.

"Like simple as in stupid, because I can't disagree with you there." With an awkward chuckle, Caelus scratched the back of his neck.

With a grunt of amusement, Blade continued. "Well, you are correct, but that's not what I mean when I say simple." With a motion, Blade picked up the bottle, signaling Caelus to return his cup to the man for a refill. "Kafka has her proclivities, and I sometimes find talking to her draining. I don't understand a word out of Silver Wolf's mouth half of the time, and if I ever talk to Sam, we always end up in a philosophical debate about the meaning of life for at least a few hours." Blade pushed the cup back toward Caelus, returning to fill his own with the liquid. "You, on the other hand, are simple. You don't talk too often. You have your quirks, but so does everyone, and most importantly, you're easy to talk to. You're the only one I could sit down and drink with without worrying about a headache."

The man's expressionless face didn't change as he continued speaking, even as he swirled the drink.

Caelus felt a grin pull at his lips. That was a compliment, right? He had to mark this day on the calendar as some sort of holiday or something.

"I'm sure you'll experience many things from now on. You'll experience things you'll regret and find things you'll cherish. You'll meet people who go from friend to enemy and enemies who become your closest friends. You'll experience love and loss, and through it all, you'll come out the other end a changed man." Blade tipped the cup to his lips, Caelus matching him, letting the spicy, fruity liquid pour down his throat without restraint.

"We all have different objectives we want to reach, but while I'm here, I will not allow anyone to die before me." Caelus couldn't read Blade as well as Kafka could. She was better at that than anyone, but if Caelus could guess from the look on Blade's face alone. He was thinking of something from his past. Caelus decided it was best not to ask. "If there is anything you should learn from Kafka and myself, it is not to live your life like we have." With that, Blade stopped speaking, showing no impression of continuing from there.

Caelus could only nod along.

With another sip of his baijiu, it was Caelus's turn to speak. "Is now a good time to mention that I know you and Kafka have post-mission sex?"

A long, tired sigh escaped the swordsman at that moment. "I take back everything I said about you earlier."

Blade was a funny guy.

---

A year had passed since his sudden lifestyle change. From being a test subject to a part of the Stellaron Hunters, the most wanted group in the cosmos, Caelus tried his best to wrap his head around it. One might think that the change would leave him winded, but Caelus could say with a clear conscience that he wouldn't want it any other way.

However, even after all this time, the man still didn't know where he belonged in their rag-tag team of misfits.

To Caelus, every member had something they were good at. Blade was an expert swordsman who was good at finishing jobs without issue and, no matter what could never fail, considering he was immortal. Silver Wolf could break into any place in the cosmos she wanted to like she was a kid in a candy store. Kafka could solve any troublesome job with her wit and, quite frankly, terrifying control over people. Then there was Firefly, who could reduce an entire planet's surface to ash.

On the other hand, Caelus had a bat that he got from Blade by bribery, and he could swing it pretty well, but nothing else he could do better than the others came to mind.

He knew his purpose was to hold a Stellaron and that at some point he would, but after a year of being a Hunter and moving from menial to more critical jobs, he felt that he wasn't of much use to the rest of them. He thought that whatever he was supposed to be contributing to the group was missing.

When he told Firefly his feelings on the matter, it didn't slide well with her.

"No one thinks you're useless, Cae." The firm tone of her voice and her hand gripped around his made Caelus sure that Firefly believed her own words. That didn't mean he believed what she was saying, though.

"I'm not that great, Fly. All I can manage is take down a few fragmentum soldiers and whatever other goons Elio pits me against… I'm not like the rest of you." Caelus didn't like thinking about his life in an objective matter much, but there were moments when he felt his attention drifting into the past. Whenever he thought of dragging the others down, he couldn't help but imagine himself being tested on in that room.

Would anything have changed for anyone here if he had just stayed there? Surely not.

The girl's grip only tightened in response. "Everyone has something they're good at, Cae. You may never be as good at creating diversions like Silver Wolf or manipulating people like Kafka. Or even be able to do jobs like Blade or me, but you can do things only Caelus can." The sunset of her eyes gleamed in the pale fluorescent light of the lounge.

"What would that even be?"

"You tell me. You're the one who always cracks the stupidest jokes whenever you're fighting something that could kill any grown man for so much as moving infront of it, and you're most certainly the only one that can make rummaging around in a trash can look so appealing." Firefly's smile continued to beam as she continued on about him. It was honestly enough to make even him embarrassed.

She certainly had a way with her words when cheering him up.

"But you're also the only person I know I can come to whenever something's bothering me. You're the only one that I know can comfort me." The soft hues of her eyes sucked his attention in, threatening never to let him go again as he continued to stare into those orbs he found so tantalizingly beautiful at that moment. "So, please don't change Caelus. I like you just the way you are now."

That phrase didn't go unnoticed by Caelus, nor did Firefly's blush, but if he couldn't even decipher his feelings, there was little reason to try to decrypt what was happening with her.

All Caelus knew at that moment was that there was no other person in the entire cosmos he'd rather spend his time with than Firefly.

---

There were only a few things Caelus would consider perks to being an artificial human.

One was that his metabolism was as good as possible, so he could realistically eat whatever he wanted without fear of gaining weight. Another was that his body seemed to heal injuries quicker than whatever could be considered normal.

The most crucial difference, however, was that he didn't need to sleep too often.

When you take that into account, alongside the fact that Firefly herself didn't need to rest frequently either, the two of them usually got up to something late into the night.

"You want to go stargazing, Cae?" It was a harmless request from Firefly that started it.

"Sure, why not?" Then, with Caelus's approval, they wrangled up some blankets and a couple of pillows and headed up to the roof.

Finding a good spot for their outing wasn't the most challenging thing they'd done, but when you consider that their 'base' was actually a ship, there wasn't much of a comfortable area for them to lay down.

Still, they managed all the same.

Setting the blankets and pillows down made it a little more comfortable, but there wasn't much they could do about the cold. However, they quickly tried to circumvent that by getting cozy underneath their shared comforter.

"Don't like the cold, Cae?" Firefly's question was playful. It was like a girl making fun of their friend for something to which she already knew the answer.

"Hate it." He hated being cold. He was always cold. Ever since that one test the researchers did to him, his sense of warmth has been fried. An open flame is the only thing that lets him get a tad warmer. It was a miracle he hadn't been burned yet by Firefly's, but she'd already stopped warning him about how hot her fires burned by this point.

"Same." He could feel Firefly scooch closer, her body pressing into his. Her warmth made his cold body just that much warmer. "Let's keep each other warm then." Firefly's face was already beet red.

Caelus was used to this as well by this point. Firefly always liked doing these embarrassing things, even if she wasn't ready.

He didn't mention it. "You like stars, Fly?" The girl's eyes reflected the stars, and they sparkled above as if responding to his question.

"I used to stargaze a lot back in the day." She meant when she was a soldier then. "No matter what happened, the stars never changed. They just continued to stand in the sky, twinkling forever and ever. Some would disappear—I would never notice, though—then hundreds more would surely take their place. It reminded me a lot of my life. Of the cavalry." The smile on her face grew just a tad more somber, but it never crossed the line of being sad. "No matter how many familiar faces were lost to The Swarm, unfamiliar ones would fill those vacant spots in no time."

He didn't need to see Firefly to know when she wrapped her arms around him.

"I constantly think about what my future will be like, Fly." Caelus kept his gaze fixated on the stars above them. "I've seen what Stellarons can do to worlds. They really do fit the 'World Cancer' description." The sights he'd seen with the Hunters had stained his memories. He knew what Stellarons could do to worlds. He knew the destruction they would bring. "So I've been wondering what I'll end up like after one's in my body." Firefly jostled slightly at that, her worried face now uncomfortably close to his.

"Nothing bad will happen to you, Cae! Elio wouldn't do something like that to one of us!" Her face screamed betrayal, but Caelus knew she was about as worried as he was. A person housing a Stellaron in their body was a completely foreign concept to the cosmos. The only natural consensus you'd be able to find among the masses would be that the person would die an excruciating death. Yet, for all intents and purposes, their all-knowing leader just knew that Caelus could take it.

You could say Caelus had doubts, but he also knew Elio had plenty he kept secret from them.

"I don't like Elio's methods, Fly, and I never will. But I do trust the man. I'm sure I'll be able to manage for some reason. The incessant whispers will be annoying, and Kafka nagging my ear off about trying to use a part of it as an impromptu nuclear baseball will be even worse, but I'll manage." A chuckle escaped his throat, and an uneasy giggle escaped her.

Caelus looked down at the girl next to him. Firefly's face still painted a complicated picture of the thoughts running around in her head. So Caelus simply put his hand on top of her head in an effort to try to ease her mind, if only a little.

"So I'd appreciate it if you could stay by my side even after everything." The girl's silver hair was soft and silky as he brushed it. "The whispers won't mean jack shit if you're there with me." Even with the starry expanse above them providing little to no light, Caelus could still tell that Firefly's face was a few shades of scarlet.

"You really don't know when to stop, do you?" A sharp pain that made him wince erupted from his side as the girl pinched him. His lousy 'sorry' he mouthed seemingly meant nothing to the girl as she let go of him.

Then, there was only the tranquility of the night between them and the armies of stars that never stopped glowing up above. "Stars remind me a lot of you, too, you know? Fireflies are a lot like stars in the skies. The only difference is that they glow even brighter than any star could hope to. Then, as soon as daybreak hits, you lose sight of them."

"Well, I won't ever let you lose me." That sounded like a promise.

A moment later, the girl snapped her finger. "That's actually how I got my name! Did I ever—"

"I already heard the story from Kafka." The story the girl was going to regale him with was popped like a balloon as she deflated, falling back underneath the warm interior of their blanket, a pout on her face as she did so.

"Damn party pooper… Is there anything you don't know about me at this point?" The girl's sheepish grin pointed at him, making his smile grow slightly wider.

"There's still a whole lot I'd like to know."

"Well, we still have a couple of hours till dawn, so?" Firefly's quizzical gaze was met with a shrug from the person beside her.

With laughter audible from the roof, neither of them slept that night.

Unfortunately for them, they both forgot about the mission they had that morning.

---

It was a typical day for the Stellaron Hunters.

Caelus went on a mission with Blade and returned a few days later. It wasn't his usual pairing with Kafka or Firefly, but it went all the same. Then, after sharing a drink with the man, as was customary, Caelus returned to the hideout to find Firefly.

The text telling him she was free for a movie marathon when he returned was all it took for him to start "Working like a madman," as Blade put it, but Caelus wouldn't let the man's words dampen his resolve.

By the time he could go to the lounge, Firefly had everything set up for the two.

The couch was prepared to be extra comfy, the movies were selected, and all he was expected to do was enjoy whatever the girl had decided to watch that night and be a good pillow.

He was aware of how close they were. It wasn't new, but he wasn't stupid enough to say he was used to it. It wasn't like he would tell Firefly it was an issue, either, because truthfully, it wasn't, but it was also because it was just Firefly.

He was the one to promise her that she didn't have to be alone anymore. He was the one who said he'd never leave her alone that day. So, saying anything now would just make him feel like a hypocrite.

He felt the most comfortable on these kinds of nights.

So, in all, it was a typical day for the two. However, if there was something Caelus hadn't expected, it had to be the unusual amount of a particular genre they had queued up for the afternoon. "No action or big robots today, Fly?" The question made the girl stiffen just a little.

The list of movies for that night was only one thing.

Romance.

Maybe she was on a rom-com binge again. The last time that happened, it lasted for a while. Something about her just being in the mood for it.

"W-Well, you like these kinds of movies. So I thought it'd only make sense to let you watch what you like after finishing that job you were on." The awkward laugh she let out after finishing her blatant lie made the man silently laugh in his head.

Caelus was stupid, but not nearly stupid enough not to realize that she was one hundred percent hiding something. Whatever she had planned wasn't going to damper his mood, however. They were well beyond the point of keeping secrets, and if it was something Firefly herself didn't feel comfortable sharing, he wouldn't push. "I've been in the mood for some shitty rom-com recently anyways. Good picks, Fly." He was glad he had someone like her in his life.

Throughout Caelus's time as a Hunter—and more importantly, his time with Firefly—he realized that he particularly enjoyed mystery and romance films the most. It probably wasn't the best thing for his character, but he learned a lot from them about how 'normal' people might act in scenarios.

One fascinating revelation he received from them was that the weird emotions bubbling from his heart started becoming understandable.

"Well, you remember what I always like, so it's only right that I'd do the same." The girl's small smile made Caelus's mouth upturn all the same.

Just like that, the two fell into a mutual silence as their marathon started.

Caelus appreciated the quiet time the two could spend together, and Firefly likely felt the same. Maybe it was because of how close the two had gotten, but Caelus felt the safest when he was next to the girl. She was unlike Kafka in that regard—not to say that he didn't feel safe around the woman—but something about Kafka always made him feel like he was walking on nails when she was around.

Firefly, however, had no such feeling. Even if he had seen Sam do his fair share of carnage by eviscerating, burning, and impaling all manner of foes. Caelus could never be scared of Firefly. That could have also had to do with his feelings about the girl.

They both knew the other's boundaries well by this point. Caelus knew it was okay to get closer to Firefly if she was the one who started to close the distance first. Firefly likewise knew getting closer to Caelus if he reciprocated was okay. It was like this that the two would slowly but surely get closer. They were comfortable losing every pretense of personal space with each other and simply enjoying the other's presence.

It took Caelus until the third movie—when a relatively dry spot hit—to realize how close the two had honestly gotten.

At some point, Firefly had rested her head on his chest, her body nestled into his side. He would've blamed her lack of defense if he hadn't noticed the betrayal of his arm that had somehow draped itself over her body.

Caelus was a total idiot.

He had known for a long time that the two of them had breached what would be expected for friends to do. He could, at most, chalk it up to them being comfortable with each other, but even then, that wouldn't necessarily validate their closeness.

Caelus just never wanted to admit it. He liked what they had. He had always enjoyed Firefly's company, even more so after she told him about her past and let him be her confidant. He wanted to continue to be her comfort.

He liked being with her more than anything.

He knew how he felt. He had known for a while, but something kept warning him that anything more would be squandering what he already had. Something that he felt like he never earned, to begin with.

If it weren't for Firefly thinking differently, he wouldn't know when to stop looking down on himself.

She always told him how much he meant to her, how much she appreciated him, and how much their time together meant to her. Maybe that's why he'd found himself feeling restless recently. Perhaps it had to do with the fear of losing what they had.

"We're awfully close nowadays, aren't we?" As passive as it was, the comment came as a bolt of electricity to the girl, her body seemingly tensing at his question.

"You think so?" The girl's skittish behavior was as clear as day to Caelus. There was absolutely zero chance the girl could even try to hide it, considering the two were so close to one another. "Maybe it's just because you're comfortable? Like a teddy bear?" He wished the answer was that simple.

"Hey, Fly?" Caelus spoke in a whisper.

"Yeah, Cae?"

"How often do you think about the future?" That question had been plaguing his mind for far longer than he could ever care to admit. It was something that the two talked about frequently. They didn't like delving into their pasts. Instead, they enjoyed looking into their futures, trying to find any silver lining or optimistic outlook they could.

"All the time." The girl didn't move. "My mind drifts there sometimes, but if you're asking what I want from it, that'd be to find a cure for myself and to make sure the life I lead won't be one I could regret… So when I die, it can be as Firefly. Not Sam." She chuckled at her words. "You've already heard all of that before, though." With those words, she fell silent for a moment, and Caelus felt tempted to grab hold of her, but Firefly gently laid her hand on his chest, a silent plead for him to leave it be. "Then maybe after everything is over, you and I could go somewhere together and not have to worry about my condition every other hour." With none of the previous weighty air around her, Firefly smiled as she scratched at her ear.

He didn't want to leave her words like that, but hearing her say that, nothing else could've made him happier.

"I'd love that." Firefly's view on her future was straightforward and to the point. "You might think it's stupid, but before Elio made Kafka come pick me up, I never thought about it much." Two years ago, Caelus never thought he could say these words—have this freedom. Back then, merely living to the next day was good enough for him, but knowing the Hunters—knowing Firefly, the girl who wished to dream but couldn't. It gave him the courage to want to dream of a future he never thought he'd have. "Whenever I think about it now, I can't imagine it without all of you guys. If anything, I'd like to spend the rest of my life with everyone here. Especially you, Fly." He wanted to dream of a future with Firefly standing next to him.

The unnamed man of two years ago didn't feel much and pleaded to whatever Aeon would listen to give him an excuse to keep moving forward in his cage. That man was gone now; in his place, Caelus had grown because of the people around him. But even then, he was and still is Caelus. That would never change, no matter how much time passed.

"Hey, Fly?" The scene on the screen was something Caelus had seen more than enough of by this point. The climatic confession that led to a passionate kiss underneath a romantic backdrop. While he liked these scenes in movies, he never saw himself wanting what they had. He didn't need that.

They didn't need what they did. They had everything they needed right within their grasp.

"Hmm?" The girl's blush held no signs of going away as her grip on the man tightened—by this point, Firefly must've figured out what the man would say. She'd have to be as idiotic as him not to, and Firefly was no idiot.

"I love you."

There was no stutter. No build-up. No dramatics. It was just an honest confession from Caelus to Firefly.

Surprisingly, the words weren't even embarrassing for Caelus. He thought he'd at least get a little flushed, but maybe it didn't affect him because it was just the natural truth to him. He was in love with Firefly. He knew that. He'd known that for a while now, and even through all the strife those feelings had put his mind through, he said them without a shred of doubt.

Now she knew how he felt as well.

Caelus held back a chuckle as he saw Firefly's face flush. He met the girl's gaze with a soft smile. Not losing sight of her eyes even as she slowly and deliberately unlaced her arms around him to face him with all her attention. She continued to look at him, an expression that could only be described as contemplation and pure, unadulterated embarrassment. No words were spoken. Instead, their gaze, her sunset, his gold, replaced words.

Still, it wouldn't be good if neither of them spoke at all. "I don't want to be that guy, but are you gonna leave me hanging all day, or should we take a raincheck—"

She pouted outwardly toward the man for his words, her face still red. A fist playfully hitting his chest with a weak tap. "That's not fair, Cae."

"What's not?" With the cheekiest grin he could muster, Caelus responded.

"I wasn't ready for it yet." Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, Firefly spread her arms for the man.

Infront of Caelus sat an unguarded Firefly in all her pouty beet-red face glory, offering him a hug. He didn't need any more incentive to close the distance between them and embrace the blushing woman.

It was a pleasant hug. Firefly was soft as she held him, and he could feel her heartbeat against his. The most important part to him was that she was warm—burning hot even. It told him this wasn't a dream—they were both rooted in reality. That this moment was indeed as real as it could get.

"I love you too." Her words tickled his ear as she clutched onto him—tight enough that if she was wearing Sam, she would've already reduced him to a pile of broken bones.

"I see." He couldn't remember when he started feeling the way he did for Firefly. It could've been from the start when he met Sam that day, or it could've started when he met that sickly girl in the hallway, dragging herself along the railing.

Right now, though? Those thoughts didn't matter. The exact moment he started loving her didn't matter. Not anymore. "I'm glad." He couldn't help but cling to Firefly as the words slipped out his mouth.

For the first time in his relatively short life, Caelus was truly happy.

Firefly's hand slowly cradled his head into her neck, their embrace growing ever more profound in a moment neither wanted to let go of. "That's my line." Her voice sounded as sweet as any oak cake roll they had ever shared in that moment.

Their peace was ruined about a minute later by Silver Wolf.

"Gross! This is worse than that one time I walked in on Blade and Kafka in that bathroom—bleurgh—even thinking about it will make me vomit." The hacker held her mouth as she watched the two on the couch from the doorway, sounding her disgust with brutal effectiveness. "Do you two even know how much Baijiu I owe Blade now?! I'm gonna be broke for a month! That's all of my gacha pulls gone!" The girl caught the now lovebirds unaware as they scrambled apart from their hug to look at the irate gamer.

"It seems like I'm gonna have to steal that coat I was looking at now, too. What a bummer." Kafka, not a moment later, appeared behind the pissed-off girl. Her ever-present grin was still on her face as she spoke.

Blade appeared behind them a moment after, only offering a thumbs up to the two—the faintest smile gracing his permanently scowling lips.

"That's what that bet was!" Firefly's shout and subsequent donning of Sam made the rest of the Hunters scramble.

That day, Blade earned enough baijiu to last a man his lifetime, and all it cost him was more than a few smoke alarms going off and a couple of deaths.

Totally worth it.

---

It wasn't like their time together magically increased, and there wasn't suddenly some awkward air between them either. Instead, they seemed to grow even closer than before.

Caelus loved every moment of it, and Firefly seemed to as well.

Luckily for them, everyone else seemed to be unbothered by their relationship. Sure, Silver Wolf would grumble whenever she saw them together—often flirting, mind you—but her invites to play video games in their off-time together hadn't decreased, though, for her sanity, they didn't increase either.

On the other hand, Kafka couldn't seem to get enough of the two, probably because of her odd doting nature toward them, and Blade was, as always, just Blade. He showed no interest nor disinterest in them, which Caelus found oddly comforting. At least he wasn't going to be losing his drinking buddy out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, Elio remained utterly silent about the matter. So, at the very least, their relationship didn't mean the doom of the ultimate plan as the Stellaron Hunters.

So, with the mutual indifference of the relationship from their teammates, the two decided—well, Firefly decided, with all her wisdom—to make Caelus move in with her.

"Do we really need a bed this big?" So, of course, one of the first things Caelus did was buy a bed big enough for three people.

Firefly should've probably been able to tell in advance that something like this would happen, but now the time for discussion had long since passed. All she could do now was gawk at the size of the bed Caelus had managed to pull into their room and set up within the hour.

"Well, you're the one that was so adamant about me moving in, and considering I'm the one that's gonna have to force you to use it, I figured getting the most comfortable one I could find would be a good incentive." Without another word, Caelus fell onto the bed, a long stretch following as he comfortably appreciated his handiwork.

It didn't take long for the girl to give in to her desires and fall onto the bed beside him, letting the plush surface envelop her. "You're lucky that you're comfortable to sleep with; otherwise, I'd think that was a jab at me." Firefly let herself sink deeper into the mattress with those words.

"Don't let Kafka overhear you say that. She'd get the wrong idea." He didn't even have to look at the girl to know there was a pout on her lips.

"You know what I meant!" With a light punch to his shoulder, Firefly faced Caelus.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd never be able to tell that the sulky girl next to me is the tactful Sam." Caelus grabbed her hand, rubbing circles onto the back of her palm.

"—And I'd never be able to tell that the stupid guy next to me is the self-proclaimed 'Galactic Baseballer.'" Firefly likewise shot back with her own remark, the pout from earlier still holding firm.

"Touché." Leave it to Firefly to come up with something in the heat of the moment.

"Did you know you only look cuter when upset?" With Caelus's low whisper, Firefly's face grew redder.

"Shut up."

Whatever hesitation Firefly held was quickly swept aside as Caelus closed the distance between them, placing a short, chaste kiss on the girl's lips. One that lasted only as long as he could pull himself away.

As much as he wanted to stay like that for as long as any Aeon would let him, they still had work to do. "We should finish moving the rest of my stuff before we do anything else." With a refreshed mind from their short period of relaxation, Caelus offered his hand to the girl, her hand quickly shooting out to the invitation as she was pulled up from her comfortable confines.

"Yeah." The blush on her cheeks was a welcome sight by Caelus, but he knew he wasn't in any position to point out the girl's demeanor, considering he was most likely faring no better.

With that, Caelus continued moving his few personal belongings from the hallway into the room as Firefly reorganized whatever she deemed to be in the wrong place. Working around her medical pod wasn't easy, but Caelus wasn't about to complain now.

He could, however, confidently say that neither of them had any sense of decoration. Still, it didn't matter with their limited selection of decorations, considering that most of them were mecha. Though that mattered little to the man as well. If it was something Firefly liked, Caelus liked it too.

But in all seriousness, it was mecha, so why wouldn't he like it?

Still, there was almost a concerning amount of them in her room. "It wouldn't hurt to buy something other than figurines, though, Fly." The suggestion by Caelus was met with a gasp of shock and a stern stare from his girlfriend.

"If you want me to stop buying them, you'll have to forget about that mini trash can collection you wanted."

There really was no winning against her, wasn't there?

---

"So…" A hail of gunfire followed Kafka's speech. In the process, the volley blew a group of fragmentum bats apart. Nanook's foot soldiers tried using the chance Kafka gave them to eject her submachine gun magazines to attack, but they quickly met their mutual ends with either a sharp heel or an effortless slash from her katana.

With the finesse of an acrobat, the woman's foot came down on top of the head of another, her threads quickly binding it immobile. "How're things going with Sammy?" The woman's smirk was devious and sultry in a way Caelus was far too used to at this point.

Without blinking, Caelus spiked his bat toward her, obliterating the skull of a weaver that had grown far too close to the woman for Caelus's comfort. His action was just met with the same grin from Kafka; it was as if she knew he'd have her back no matter what happened.

Catching her comrade's weapon as it bounced back, Kafka swiftly passed it back to the man as if she were in a baton pass. "That's between me and Fly, Kafka." With the bat back in its owner's hands and without hesitation in his step, Caelus pivoted around. Then, with a deadly charge, he began to ravage another group of fragmentum soldiers with lethal efficiency.

Kafka, for her part, sat back and whistled at the sight. "Look at you learning from the best… It's enough to make a mother cry." Kafka wiped fake tears from her eyes as she stood idly watching the man work.

Of course, she'd long since noticed the beast behind her, ready to pounce. Unluckily for her foes, no matter the situation, no one would ever get the drop on the Pterugean Devil Hunter Kafka.

Thus, as if a matter of course, the beast was torn to mincemeat by her threads a moment later, not leaving even a speck of dust on her coat afterward. The good news was she was right on time for Caelus to finish spraying the last monster's brains—or whatever resided inside their heads—onto the nearest wall.

"How would you feel if I asked you about what you and Blade are up to?"

The woman replied with a smirk. "Does Caelus-boy wanna know?"

"How about not." With a kick to a decaying corpse, making sure it was well and truly dead, Caelus made his way back toward Kafka. "Fly and me are doing just fine. We plan a movie night once we return from our missions, so I'd rather we finish this quick Kafka."

"Listen. Don't worry. It shouldn't be much longer until we wrap this job up." The woman's calm and collected words rang through the man's spine.

Caelus shook his head in discomfort a moment later. "Do I look like I'm Mara-Struck to you? I don't need your Spirit Whisper for the littlest things." The woman's tendrils quickly receded from his mind.

"You looked antsy." Kafka continued walking as if what she said was her form of apology. "You've got someone to go back to now. I get it, Caelus. Right now, though? You're with me, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep your eyes peeled. You'll make this old woman jealous." The woman's continuous seductive tone went in one ear and out the other.

Caelus had heard from Blade that no one survived long working alongside Kafka. Currently, he's the one who has the most completed jobs working alongside the woman, and his record was pretty much unrivaled from what he knew. Not even the other Hunters had worked as many jobs with Kafka as he had.

Caelus could understand why.

Kafka wasn't someone you could tie down. Nor was she someone who did anything by the books. Frankly, it was more likely she'd get you killed than someone who actually wanted you dead. Caelus was keenly aware of that now. When he first started, it was do or die. Either he adapted to whatever Kafka tossed his way, or he perished.

It just so happened that he liked that way of teaching. That's the only reason he's still standing today.

Sure, he and Blade worked relatively well together. Silver Wolf, too, for that matter. He and Firefly obviously gelled together effortlessly. No matter where either of them were, their teamwork would shine through. She'd just toss one of her swords to him if he lost his bat. No matter where the other was, they were never in trouble as long as the other was in earshot.

Kafka and Caelus, however? They fit together like puzzle pieces.

Caelus can still remember the look on Firefly's face when she saw the two in action for the first time.

"Just make sure you keep your head in the game then. I don't want mine rolling on the floor by the end of this."

An uncharacteristic snort came from the woman, her hand coming up to wipe away a real tear from her eye. "You've gotten a lot funnier since we first picked you up, but you're still a couple years shy to tell me anything like that." The woman composed herself as if the scene from a moment before had never happened.

"And?" Caelus prodded further, almost as if he was egging the woman on.

The woman laughed. "Never change, Caelus. Never change." Kafka turned at that and walked away from him, a giggle suspended in the air as she did so.

The most crucial factor as to why Caelus was able to live underneath Kafka's thumb until now, you might ask?

She enjoyed his company.

That was all.

---

Something about lounging on a comfy bed with someone you loved made all the worries Caelus had accrued seem meaningless.

Needless to say, he thought his purchase was the best one he had ever made.

"What are some things you wanna do, Cae?" Then Firefly spoke, her voice cutting through the peaceful air, causing Caelus to open his eyes to look at the girl next to him, her attention drawn elsewhere.

"Where's this coming from?" Maybe it was because he hadn't bothered to look at what she had been doing for the past hour, but now he just felt himself becoming curious. From what he could tell, it looked like it was something she didn't want to be bothered with, so he had just let her be. Simply allowing the sounds of pen and paper to drift him into sleep.

"I dunno. I was just thinking about things I want to eventually be able to do." He rolled once to close the distance between them, Fly, for her part, simply letting him do so without argument.

Then, he realized what Firefly had been working on for the past hour.

"Are you writing a list? Are you finally getting into bucket lists? At your age?" Honestly, it couldn't even be considered a bucket list. From what he could tell, it spanned most of the notebook she had written in.

The girl didn't even seem to buckle at his comment. "Like you're one to talk; you keep a list of all the trash cans you've scrounged through." For her record, his list of looted trash cans would end up in a museum one day as one of the modern day's finest historical pieces.

"You know right where it hurts, Fly." It still stung a little, though.

Moving on from the dagger in his heart, Caelus scooted closer to the girl to get a better view. The action, for the most part, was yet again disregarded by Firefly, besides a swift peck on his cheek, which he, of course, reciprocated in kind.

He'd add it himself if there wasn't some point that said she'd marry him.

That thought quickly got swept under the rug when he saw one that piqued his interest. "What's this one? 'Board the Astral Express at least one time.'?"

"You don't know about The Nameless?" Firefly seemed more worried than perplexed at his question than anything.

"Of course I do. They're the guys that go around helping people with their problems." With his answer, Firefly let out a sigh of relief.

He was stupid, but how would he not know about The Trailblazers, of all people? At least give your boyfriend some credit. "Do you look up to them or something?"

Firefly adopted a contemplative look, tapping her cheek with the pencil in her hand as she did so. "I can't say I've never wanted to be a Trailblazer before, but I guess my condition has always got in the way of ever thinking about it that way." With a tired sigh, her pencil went back onto her paper.

"It's probably overrated anyway."

A giggle erupted from her throat. "I feel like you'd fit right in with them, though, Cae." Whatever reasoning he was trying to make to have her feel better was thrown out the window.

"Me? Like hell." He scoffed at her words. "I don't want to be anyone's errand boy. Plus, they seem way too easygoing." Of course, that was only met with Firefly's laughter.

"You literally just described yourself." He could feel his face heating up with her words.

"Sometimes I hate that you know me so well."

The girl's face lit up with a smile. "Guilty as charged." It was a damned shame he couldn't get mad at that grin.

The page Firefly was on seemed less important as she quickly turned the page to the next. Without any sign of stopping, the girl continued to sift through the pages until she landed on one that seemed to be one she must've been previously working on.

"You've got a couple of ones crossed off, though, Fly." 'Fly a kite.', 'Go swimming.', 'Watch fireworks.', 'Ride a bicycle.' All of these were pretty normal, weren't they? "'Hold hands on a date.' Seriously?" Caelus wasn't necessarily surprised with that one. Firefly was definitely the affectionate type, but there was no way in hell he would let a chance like this escape him.

Caelus watched with morbid interest as Firefly's face grew to a level of scarlet he hadn't seen in a while.

You could call it guilty conscience, but now Caelus was curious about the girl's other embarrassing quotas in her book.

It only took a glance to realize that some pages were tabbed with sticky notes. One was labeled as 'IMPORTANT!' Could you blame Caelus for wanting to know what that was about?

His hand reached out, quickly finding the first page of the section. Then, just as he was about to open it, his wrist was pinned in a vice-like grip. Firefly's face had lost all embarrassment, now a mask of composure.

"You're not allowed to look at that page, Cae." Her voice held a seriousness that he'd only heard on very sparse occasions.

A single thought crossed his mind then.

How embarrassing is that page?

"Not even a little?" Her grip tightened tighter around his wrist. "Okay, okay, I get it. I won't look." She relented, and he did as well.

He was totally gonna look in it after she was in her pod.

The girl offered her best smile to the man. "If you even think about looking at it while I'm not here, I'll personally kill you." Her voice was the epitome of sweet, but her words were menacing to a fault.

"Will you at least kill me with as much love as possible?"

"I'll be thinking about you the entire time." With a kiss planted on his cheek, she went back to writing.

It looked like he was taking the long road with this one.

He'd figure out what was in that book eventually, anyway.

---

After he and Firefly got off what the man could only describe as a dangerous mission, Caleus noticed something about her.

Something was different. Maybe it was her demeanor or just how she was acting. Or Caelus had conveniently gained an ability to tell whenever Firefly was troubled over something.

But in all honesty, Caelus figured something was up because the moment she suddenly started latching onto him like a monkey while they were at base was very telling.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. She was just sort of like this sometimes. Still, he could feel there was something different about this one.

She was more capable than him. He could only hit people with his bat so hard and crack some one-liners occasionally. She could glass planets. They weren't in the same weight group. So he knew she was scared something would happen to him on a mission.

He wasn't getting anywhere with just sitting there; he was just uselessly wondering what was wrong. But before he could ask, Firefly told him. "Do you wanna do it, Cae?" His first reaction was something very 'Caelus' like.

"Do it? Do what? Play cards or something?" Firefly had to do everything in her power not to start laughing right then and there.

"You know…" She dragged her words. "It." Her eyes locked onto his, an ounce of shame at her words present in her expression, her lips still slightly agape from her suggestion. Almost as if they had just slipped out of her mouth before she could think.

Everything was starting to click in his head now.

This was not the conversation he pictured himself having a couple of hours ago when he was covered in borisin guts.

"Should I even ask where this came from?" No matter what issues Caelus was ruminating about troubling the girl, he would've never guessed it was this one.

"Do you not want to?" The girl's eyes were upturned toward him. The sunset in her eyes perfectly reflected his gold as she looked up, an almost pleading look to her gaze. A look that he had to try his damnedest to pry his eyes away from.

What was she trying here? Was Silver Wolf recording this in the corner or something?

"I mean, I have, but with how your body is, I don't know if it'd even be safe." He wasn't going to start blaming her condition for his inaction. He was just precautious. He never wanted to put her in a position where she felt she had to do anything for him.

"I'm not that fragile, Cae." Firefly's face steeled with her words. "I could handle it." She was more serious about this than he thought.

"…" Kafka needed to stop planting ideas into her head. "I love you, Fly, but you don't need to push yourself for me." Considering the look on her face, she didn't seem satisfied with that answer. She wanted his honest answer. An answer that he was willing to give her. "I'd have to be an idiot not to think about it when I have a girlfriend as cute as you." In response to his words, her face quickly reddened. "Don't start getting flustered all of a sudden! You're the one that made me say it!"

"I just didn't expect such a forward answer all of a sudden." Firefly didn't bother hiding the red dusting her cheeks. Instead, she got closer to him. Nestling herself into his chest was an effortless move, as if the two of them were puzzle pieces that fit just right.

"Seriously, Fly. Is there a reason you're asking this?"

"Do I need a reason to do that with the person I love?" She sounded meek, even more so by being muffled by his shirt.

"Of course not. I just feel like there's something you're not telling me."

"…"

"You worried?" She didn't reply. "I won't be leaving you anytime soon, Fly. There's no need to rush." Something about those words didn't sit well with him. It felt like he was lying without even meaning to.

"I know." The girl's grip on his body tightened. "I know I'm being dramatic." Firefly's voice was on the verge of cracking. "But I just can't help but worry." Caelus could feel the slight vibrations in her body as she pushed herself into him.

Nearly two years had passed since he joined the Hunters. During that time, he'd seen Firefly on some of her worst days. It was bad. He knew it would get worse, too. After all, she was working against the clock while trying to make the life she had left matter.

Then there was him.

He was destined to have a Stellaron in his body. A natural calamity. An object that spelled the doom for countless worlds. While he trusted Elio's words, his scripts always had some sick twist.

All he knew was that the operation would be on Herta's Space Station. Two weeks from now.

Their leader hadn't deigned to tell them any other details about the job. Caelus only knew it was the day he'd finally get his Stellaron. Other than that, the operation was a total blank for everyone except the scriptwriter.

Firefly was nervous. Hell, he was nervous.

He was never nervous.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Even the ever-so-reserved Blade. It was apparent this job would differ from all the others Caelus had been through so far.

Of course, because Firefly had no script for this upcoming play, she was more worried than ever. He knew she'd been worried for a while. He was thankful that at least someone cared for his well-being, but now it seemed like it was getting to her.

Caelus laced his arms around her, trying to comfort her in one of the only ways he knew how. "Is this on your bucket list, Fly?" He didn't want to admit it, but some stress relief would help right about now.

So what if it was dangerous? He loved Firefly. She loved him. They had only so much time left until Aeons knew what would happen to him. Before then, it was up to them to decide what they would do.

The girl's demure nod against his chest was all he needed. "It is."

Firefly replied, seemingly understanding what Caelus was playing at in just a moment.

If they both wanted to, they could. That's what being in a relationship meant for the two. Even if they had to use some stupid bucket list as a scapegoat for their embarrassment. That, too, was fine for them. They weren't like ordinary people, after all.

One was a genetically modified human, made to fight for a now-dead empire. The other was made in a lab, a test subject that was supposed to be long dead.

Caelus rolled over. Landing directly over Firefly. His hands planted on either side of her body, pinning her to the bed. "Today a good day then?" They still had time for a lot of things, but if she was the one obliging, he'd be a fool not to take her up on the offer.

For her part, Firefly quietly laced her fingers with his, her eyes never leaving Caelus's. At that moment, the gaze in her eyes was one he knew was reserved for him and him alone. "Go ahead." Her words were as faint as a whisper, a silent plead that held just a trace of desire.

Caelus didn't need any more incentive to close the distance between them.

Before his lips met hers, he could see his reflection in her eyes. He scoffed inwardly at the sight. He'd never seen himself look that flush before.

He stopped thinking after that. The both of them deciding to let their hearts and bodies do the rest of the talking.

It was late when he next opened his eyes.

When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Firefly next to him. Their blanket draped over the two of them, the only thing covering their clothless bodies. It was comfortable.

"Morning." His voice held a slight rasp from his grogginess.

"It's still the middle of the night, Cae." Her light giggle filled the quiet room.

How long had she been staring at him? Did she even go to bed after? What was so interesting about his face in the first place? Multiple questions plagued his mind at that moment. All of them left unsaid, though. Caelus instead preferred to stare back at the girl next to him.

Caelus could proudly say he'd never felt more at peace than he did now. Their lives were hectic. Constantly bouncing around the cosmos and doing different jobs. They made as much time for each other as possible but knew it wouldn't always amount to much. Now, though? None of that really mattered.

To Caelus, rare moments like these mattered the most. These were moments when they were at peace, not bound by the past or hoping for a brighter future that may never come.

"Cae?" As if to grab his attention, Firefly's hand approached his head, her fingers combing through his hair.

"Yeah?" Did she not realize that when she did that, he could see everything?

"Thank you." She probably just didn't care anymore.

"For what? I wasn't that gentle." The mention embarrassed them slightly, but they were well past the point of fretting over the small details.

"No, you were great, Cae." As if realizing the meaning of what she had said, Firefly blushed.

You don't gotta say it if it's that embarrassing, Fly. Caelus deadpanned in his head.

"I meant for everything else you've done for me." The girl didn't move as she continued to comb through his hair, her other arm still around his body, Caelus's own still clenched around her as if in protest to let her go. The warmth shared between them was something they both desperately craved more of. "You've given me a lot of memories that I'll never forget."

"You say that like I'm gonna disappear." His chuckle was met with an uneasy silence.

Neither of them finished their thoughts on the matter. They didn't want to admit that he just might.

"You've given me more than I thought I'd ever have, Cae. I just wanted you to know that." Firefly's words left Caelus staring at the girl clinging to him. She was just as scared as him, more so even. He was the one person who could care less if she had some disease or was some living weapon. To Caelus, Firefly was simply Firefly. Nothing more, nothing less. She was the woman he fell in love with.

If there was anything Caelus could change now, it would be the atmosphere. He hated seeing Firefly glum. "For a person making so much sound earlier, you sound awfully quiet now."

"S-Shut up!" The girl's shout was followed by a smack across his face. "Don't you know how to take a compliment?!"

"I only like them if I deserve them, Fly." Rubbing the spot she'd hit, Caelus sheepishly spoke to the girl who hadn't moved from her place next to him.

"You do deserve it, Cae." The girl pouted. "You're always helping me, and you always think about me… You don't even care if your girlfriend can't do the things you want to. How could I possibly think you wouldn't deserve a simple thank you?"

"Because we don't have to thank each other for something as simple as that. Otherwise, I'd have a laundry list of thanks I'd have to give you." Caelus brought his hand up to brush Firefly's hair in kind. The girl couldn't help but want to push herself into his hand more. To continue to feel the warmth in his hand for the rest of her life.

Then their door opened. The two—panicking a little—pivoted their heads to it.

The unmistakable silhouette of a woman stood there.

"Can you two love birds quiet down a bit here? People are trying to sleep." It was definitely Kafka, but for some reason, neither of them could possibly ascertain. The woman, usually relatively modestly dressed, was undoubtedly only wearing lingerie.

With her usual grin and a confident strut later, their door snapped back shut.

"Hey, Fly?" Caelus continued to look at their now-shut door.

"Yeah, Cae?"

"There's no way she and Blade were—you know?" Caelus asked the girl beside him, his head never turning away from where Kafka had been.

"Blade just got back, so one hundred percent." Firefly's voice held a finality that Caelus couldn't disagree with.

By the time the realization dawned on them, their moment had been ruined. But the two couldn't help but laugh at it all when their eyes finally met.

The moment lasted a while. Their laughs died as their comfortable silence resumed.

"We better just leave it there for now," Caelus said as if to finish their earlier conversation. "I'm tired, so let's get some sleep tonight." Firefly nodded along, a hint of mirth still traced along her lips.

Finding their respective spots on their bed, and with Firefly in Caelus's arms, the two began to let their drowsiness take them.

"Cae?" Almost as if it was a whisper to the wind, Firefly spoke.

"Yeah, Fly?"

"Promise me that you'll never leave." She grew quieter, her soft breathing replacing her anticipation for his answer.

He smiled at that. "Wouldn't dream of it. Night, Fly. Sleep well." With a kiss planted on her head, Caelus drifted off into sleep after her.

Before succumbing, Caelus decided he'd dream for the both of them.

---

It was supposed to be a simple debriefing. That's what Caelus was told. "You'll need to forget everything. All of us, our interactions, your relationships. Nothing can stay. No exceptions."

This was not a debriefing.

Elio's words weren't a threat. They didn't hold any sort of animosity in them either. Caelus knew that. He knew this was just another part of his endless growing script.

But that didn't subside Caelus's anger one bit.

"I wish it didn't have to end like this." His words passed effortlessly along his lips. He'd long since seen this outcome.

It was then Caelus felt something he hadn't in a long time.

Dread.

He wanted to run. He needed to leave. To get out of here and run as fast he could to Firefly and leave this place far behind. But he couldn't move.

Elio was Destiny's Slave. What happens to Caelus has long since been determined. Caelus didn't even know how far back this was decided upon, but there was one thing he knew. That he was 'destined' to forget everything.

Caelus hated destiny more than anything.

Caelus couldn't leave. No matter what, he couldn't bring himself to. He'd known this was his ultimate objective they'd been working toward all this time he'd spent with them. Caelus knew it was important enough that Elio's plan hung in the balance of it.

All of the previous emotions he felt were gone. Now, the only thing Caelus felt was fear.

Fear of forgetting his 'outings' with Kafka. His drinks with Blade. The late-night gaming sessions with Silver Wolf. The sight of the girl he'd met in a hospital gown in a hallway. The girl who had long silvery hair that ended in a teal ombre. He'd forget her. He'd forget everything about her. Their study session, their movie nights, the pointless arguments that ended in laughter, her laugh, her smile, what she looked like. They would all be gone. Even his love. He'd forget Firefly.

That's what scared him the most.

"You've always hated following my scripts, so consider this your out," Elio said again. His voice was low and relaxed, as if nothing had transpired between them.

"That's not what I'm worried about right now, Elio," Caelus said, his pitch fierce but nervous.

"You'll still be Caelus. That'll never change. Instead, it will be like you never met us. Like you were never at that lab to begin with. You'll be able to live a happier life than you do here—"

His rage returned with a torrent. "And what do you know about my happiness!? You dragged me out of that lab! For what?! Just to do this?! There has to be a reason, Elio! So why?! Why, Elio?"

Caelus's voice echoed across the furnished room. The desk between the two was the only thing separating them. Elio didn't flinch or falter. He simply continued to stare at the man. Caelus's anger gave way to his sadness. His expression lay bare, pained and hurt. "I thought I could trust you, Elio."

Elio frowned. "I'm sorry I've burned the goodwill between us, but I hope you trust my word when I tell you this." Without faltering, the man produced a simple folded piece of paper. "I'll fulfill my end of the deal even after you're gone."

Every member of the Stellaron Hunter had a deal with Elio. Kafka's was to feel fear. Firefly's was to find the meaning of life. Blade's was to die, and Silver Wolf's was to find enjoyment in her mundane life.

Caelus was the only one that didn't have one. Or so he thought. "What is that?" The surprise in his tone was evident.

"You didn't have anything you wanted when we picked you up, so I looked for one at my leisure. Of course, I had to dig into the future to find it, but I assure you it's something you'll have no qualms with." The man offered an eerie smile. "Care to take a look?"

A creeping curiosity crept up his spine, but he smashed it back down. "Don't need to if it's what I think it is." Caelus didn't know what to believe at this point. "You're sure you can do it?"

"These are the promises I make sure to keep, Caelus." Elio wasn't lying. If there was one thing Caelus knew, Elio never lied about his deals.

What more was there to say then?

"Then I guess we're done here." Destiny was the one thing Caelus knew he couldn't fight against. If Elio said so, it had to be. That's just how it went with the Stellaron Hunters.

Nothing Elio had ever said came to be wrong. That's just how it worked.

"The others already have the script." Those words stung Caelus in a way he wasn't expecting.

That saved him some of the hassle… Only some, though.

"Thanks, Elio." Caelus turned to walk out. "You know, for everything. Letting me learn all I did and do as I pleased during my time here." Caelus didn't look back as he let out a sigh. "I'm still not good with this sappy shit, Fly hates it when I do it too, but I just figured I'd let you know."

"You'll find no complaints from me; thanks aren't required in this line of work." Elio simply waved away Caelus's words.

"Yeah, but it's only because of you that I could have this life." Caelus sighed again, memories from the past two years flooding his mind as he contemplated. "I met a lot of good people here, funnily enough. Blade, Wolfie, Kafka. Fly…" Caelus opened the door to the room. Then, with one turn back, Caelus gave his parting remark. "Thanks for giving me a place in your family of misfits."

'Family' was the one word Destiny's Slave never thought he'd hear to describe his band of criminals. It was fitting that Caelus, a man who would do the unthinkable in the future, would leave him with words that no one else would. "I know you're going to, but see her before you're gone. The operation is in sixteen system hours."

Caelus didn't reply to that. Instead, he opted to give the little remaining time he had left to the person he thought deserved it most.

Without a misstep, Caelus headed toward his room.

Their room.

---

It was a door he walked through every time he returned from a mission. One he'd dragged his dead, tired body through after outings with Kafka. One that Blade effortlessly knocked on whenever they shared a drink. One that Silver Wolf brazenly strutted through when she wanted to play a video game with him.

It shouldn't have been any different to go through it today, but it very much was.

Caelus knew who was waiting for him on the other side of the doorway. He knew that she was in there. Any other day, he'd happily open it and proclaim that he was back with a giddy smile, only to be met with an equally happy one from her.

This was harder than he ever thought it would be.

What was she feeling? What would her reaction to seeing him be? What would they do? He had to mull through too many questions with too little time.

He couldn't do this to himself, and more importantly, he couldn't do this to her. They needed to talk.

Caelus opened the door.

Their room wasn't any different than when he had left it. Their trinkets, baubles, and decorations were right where they were supposed to be. The mechas, his trash can collection. All just like he left it. The TV and game console in the corner were untouched. Her medical pod still sat in the back of the room, unmoved from where it had always been. The only thing that had changed was that a girl was now wrapped up in a sheet lying on their bed.

Caelus approached, making his footfalls known, but she didn't move. He couldn't see her face, so he could only imagine, but a small part of him wasn't prepared to see it yet, either.

By the time he sat down, he could hear her sniffling to herself. What was he expecting to find her like? Chipper and upbeat like usual? He was scared of losing himself, but Firefly was even more scared of losing him. That made it hurt just that little bit more.

Firefly didn't move when Caelus wrapped his arms around her. She didn't speak, but Caelus could tell by how her body quaked what was going on inside her head.

"I'm sorry." Those were the only words his mind let him say.

Firefly leaned back, trying to bury herself into him as much as her body would allow. The cracks and sniffles in her voice made his heart break even more than it already was. "I wanna run, Cae." She let the words hang in the air. Her words came out weak and warbled from her crying. It was a clear-cut statement of her desire for one thing and thing alone.

To not lose him.

"I do, too, Fly." Caelus tightened his hold as tight as he could. She didn't complain. She drank whatever physical touch he could give her like a dry sponge. She'd always been like that. She'd never had what they did before. She never had an outlet like Caelus. Now, she was losing that outlet. It was like she was a sailor losing her body of water.

"I hate this." A sob escaped her throat, cutting through the room like a knife. Caelus could only brush her hair, his hand gently combing through it, hoping it could soothe her for even a fraction of her distress. He knew that it wouldn't truly work. He could tell when he finally saw her eyes. It was a look he'd never seen in them before.

He could tell right away that those eyes were willing to throw away everything, even if it meant damning everyone else. He knew that look. He used to have the same look in his eyes when he was stuck in that lab. When he was trying to find any way to escape.

He felt ashamed for trying to toss away her pain with simple pleasantries, but even with her staring at him like that, the only thing that popped up in the batter's mind was a simple, painful question. "Will you forget me, Fly?" Firefly's sunset eyes flashed, and she squirmed out of his grip to face him at hearing those words.

"How could I ever forget you, Caelus?!" Her embarrassment was worthless to her now. "There's no one alive that could make me forget you!" You could call her childish or that it was unbecoming a woman her age to scream like that, but in all honesty, who could blame her?

Firefly, a person who had never been able to do anything for herself in her entire life, had finally gained her freedom and decided something for herself with that freedom. She had fallen in love with a person. Now, she was losing that to something out of her control. Caelus couldn't understand the pain she was going through. Even if he wanted to, she'd lived longer than him. She had experienced more pain than him. More pain than he wanted to picture in his head. He couldn't imagine it. Now, after a reprieve, she was experiencing even more.

He offered the only thing he could to her.

Comfort.

His lips were on hers at that moment. A simple kiss—a promise, too, if you could call it that. No matter what happens from here on or who Caelus becomes, he wants Firefly to know that this him existed. That he loved her.

"I promise that I'll find you again, Fly. I'm keeping this one even if it kills me." There were far too many broken promises now. If this was the only one he could keep, that was enough for him. "So you better come looking for me, too. Okay?" He was willing to make this promise to her—a commitment that no matter how much he forgot, he would always remain the Caelus who loved the girl in front of him.

The girl's tears started again. "That was really fucking cheesy." Her face was halfway between sobbing and laughter. A stupid smile on her face. One that Caelus hoped would stay.

"When aren't we, Fly?" Unknowingly to him, a few tears escaped his eyes as well. "I kinda get why Silver Wolf is put off by us sometimes. We're kind of too lovey-dovey." He didn't want to start crying right when she got happier.

The hug she gave him was warm, full of affection, and just for him. He couldn't help but laugh, Firefly joining not too long after. Even in this time of strife, when they couldn't fight against their fates, they simply laughed at each other. Their days weren't going to get any easier from here on out. There were going to be days when they didn't want to continue. Where they would feel the weight of the world pushing them down with every step they took. But right now, at this very moment, they still had each other.

"Let's sleep like this tonight." Firefly dragged him down with her to their bed. Her face inches away from his, a longing in her eyes. "I wanna savor the rest of the time we have." Caelus didn't budge as she shifted her body against his as he got comfortable.

"Are you sure your body can handle it, though? You were in your pod for three days straight after—" Caelus was greeted with a weak slap before he could finish.

Could he not ruin the mood for once in his life?

"Not like that stupid." Caelus couldn't help but just stare at her at that moment.

Firefly was a girl who suffered from just being alive and wanting to live. She was a girl who could never dream and enjoy her life as she should.

He wanted her to have a better life. He wanted her to be able to go shopping like an ordinary girl. He wanted her to be able to go out with him without having to worry about collapsing. He wanted her to be able to live her life the way she wanted to. Free and unburdened. Like a bird released from its cage, like a Firefly glowing in the night sky.

That's what he wanted, and if it meant giving up his memories for that dream to come true, then it was a small price to pay.

Caelus could face anything in front of him because he knew what he was fighting for. He knew he had someone waiting for him. For that alone, with the bit of time he had left, he would fight to ensure Firefly was free from her shackles. Even if that meant he couldn't be around to see it. As long as she was okay. That's all he could ask for. What happened to him wouldn't matter.

---

"Walk up, Cae." Caelus's sleep was interrupted by a shake of his shoulder and a modulated voice.

Seeing Firefly inside Sam when he woke up wasn't a sight he'd been expecting, but it was one he was used to.

"Let me guess. It's flaring up again?"

A nod from her confirmed his suspicions.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." The mech stood there looking down at him, its visor glowing a teal blue light that cascaded across the room. "I should be the one apologizing for not being able to see you off properly."

"You're hardly in the position to worry about something like that, Fly." Caelus propped himself up. The soft sheets whispered for him to come back all the while.

This could be the last time he'd sleep in this bed.

This could be the last time he'd wake up in this room.

This could be the last time she'd wake him up.

So many lasts and not nearly enough firsts. Not that they hadn't had many of each other's already, but something about it ending this way was so profoundly melancholic to him.

It was just sad.

Caelus didn't dwell on those thoughts as he shot himself out of bed. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do this right." With as much bravado as he could muster, he moved over to their closet. "Want to pick my outfit?" Caelus shot a smirk toward the armored knight.

"This is hardly the time—" Firefly's refusal was cut short by Caelus.

"I want something on me to be something you left me with."

The two stared for a while. The last remnant of the Iron Cavalry ultimately decided that she'd humor him at the very least.

A loose white shirt, black pants, a black jacket, and some gloves. Caelus was sure he'd worn this outfit more than a few times now.

It was the first outfit Firefly had picked out for him.

He wouldn't start getting embarrassed about her watching him change now, so he did it then and there.

"Look good?"

Sam stood there unmoving, Firefly's reaction almost imperceptible to determine from the man's question. "You already know my answer." With that, she turned to leave the room.

He'd say he would remember this moment for the rest of his life if he weren't having his mind wiped.

"I'll catch up to you in a second, Fly. So you can start heading there if you want." Her visor stared briefly at him as if scanning him for his intent.

"I'll be outside, Cae." With that, she turned and left the room. Leaving Caelus well and truly alone for the moment.

He just needed to do some final preparations before he left.

In another minute, he was outside, and with a glance toward Sam, they were on their way, leaving their room behind as they walked.

It was a quiet walk to the ship's hangar. The air between them was tense, and Caelus couldn't tell what Firefly was thinking with her armor in the way. It wasn't an unpleasant walk, though. They had said everything they wanted to last night. Any more than that might ruin whatever resolve they had built.

Still, it was more than he thought he'd deserved from her. He was the one who always went on and on about how he'd never leave her and that he'd be with her until the day he died. Now, he was doing just that. There was probably a special place in hell for someone like him, but he'd be hard-pressed to not accept that place right now.

"Cae?" The modulation of Firefly's voice exquisitely hid whatever emotions were plaguing her.

"Yeah, Fly?" He looked up to her, the height difference now tipped in her favor. The knight's back was still turned to him, the gate toward the cargo bay just before them.

"I love you." Hearing that through Sam's modulated voice made Caelus chuckle a little.

"I love you too, Fly." He walked past her, a hop in his step all the while. "But save that for the me that needs it."

Forgetting her was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done.

The gate opened, revealing the hangar from which Kafka and Silver Wolf would depart in ten minutes. By that point, they would most likely also be carrying an amnesiac, unconscious Caelus.

Seeing the two ladies waiting by their ship wasn't a shock. Blade was the only person Caelus hadn't expected to see.

Caelus just walked forward at the sight. Offering his most carefree wave toward the waiting entourage. "Everyone's here? What is it, my birthday?" Caelus's tone was met with silence, however. "C'mon, one of you could at least laugh at that." In response to their refusal, his tone grew to a pitiful one. In his mind, he thought they'd have at least appreciated his attempt at easing their consciousness.

"It's hardly time to crack jokes." Silver Wolf spoke her hands on her hips and an annoyed glare in her eyes. Weirdly, Caelus was happy that the girl was taking something seriously for once.

I guess that'll happen when you're losing your only gaming buddy. She'd still have Firefly, though Caelus doubted the girl would suddenly take an interest in games after he was gone. She liked watching more than participating most of the time anyway.

"We thought it'd be nice to give you a send-off to one of our own Caelus-boy." Kafka abruptly spoke. The same sultry tone that always adorned the woman's voice was present like always.

"When did we start getting nice like that? Are there going to be workplace changes after I leave?"

"Nothing of the sort." Kafka's constant smile remained on her face. "We are moving base again, though. Elio says it's for the best, just in case you accidentally leak something." Last time they had to move base, the poor sod that did it ended up on the wrong side of Kafka's gun, Blade's—well blade.

It wasn't even like they had to change ships. They just hightailed it to another mostly deserted, mostly IPC-free planet to hide on. Kafka simply hated the tedium of it.

Not that that mattered right now.

Caelus had long noticed that they were only missing one more person. "Elio?"

"He's busy writing. You know him." That made sense. He'd figured that cat would hole himself up in his room at a time like this.

He would've liked to see everyone together one last time if he could've helped it. But I guess there was only so much he could've hoped for at a time like this.

"I don't mean to rush Caelus, but we are short on time." Kafka's approaching voice dragged him away from his thoughts. His vision recentered on the woman now infront of him.

"You always were a stickler for timings."

"You flatter me." He didn't mean that as a compliment. "Any last words for the rest of us?"

"It's not like you're killing me." His chuckle was met with silence from Kafka.

"The memories make the person, not the other way around. Some could even say the loss of oneself is akin to death. I, for one, believe in that philosophy." The woman stood infront of him idly. Placing but one gloved hand on his shoulder in the meanwhile.

The memories he's made were going to disappear just like that. Every happy moment. Any sad ones, too. They would all be wiped away, just like a rag erased the marker's existence on a whiteboard.

I guess that is like death.

"Then you really were the death of me." It was a minute change, not one most people would be able to discern, but to Caelus, it was unmistakable. Kafka's smile turned just a bit somber. "I guess I do have a few words for everyone." Kafka didn't move; her intention to let him do as he pleased in his last few moments was clear.

"Blade, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm gonna miss sharing a drink with you." The man nodded at that. "I hope you find the death you're looking for out there." It was an odd goodbye, but what wasn't with Blade?

"Wolfie, I'm sorry we couldn't clear that game. But hey, at least I helped you complete that limited-time event." The girl stared at him, an indescribable emotion on her face as she did so.

Then, a moment later, she marched over to him, a clear expression of contempt on her face as she did so. "That's hardly enough payback for all the times I had to scrub your record from the IPC database. You still owe me! You hear!" Silver Wolf drove a finger into his chest as she continued to walk forward into him.

Caelus, for his part, kept backpedaling at her action. "You've really saved my neck a lot. Thanks for that… Just put my debt on my tab. I'm sure the next me will be thrilled to pay you back in full one of these days." The look on Silver Wolf's face washed away at that.

"There's no reason to argue with a guy about to get PK'd anyway." The bitterness in her voice was all that was left as she stepped away from him.

Caelus shifted his glance back to Kafka.

"You don't have to say anything to me, dear." The knowing look she gave him was all he needed.

Sam stood there motionless as he turned toward her.

Even now, she was waiting for him. If he told her to, how long would she stay? Would she wait for as long as she could? Until she couldn't stand? Surely she wouldn't. Right?

That thought didn't convince Caelus. He wasn't going to run away any more than he already was.

"Fly." Her body shifted with his words.

They both stood there for a while. Staring at each other, waiting for Caelus to finally say the words he wanted. He couldn't help but feel the words stuck in his throat as he slowly worked them out in his mind.

No combination felt right. Nothing he thought of felt correct. And something about that felt right.

"Take care of yourself." That was all he said.

No other words were necessary.

"Y—You too, Cae." Sam's robotic, deep voice cracked as she spoke. That was the first and last time he'd hear that.

Maybe it was better that Caelus was losing his memories. Otherwise, he'd have to remember all of these bitter ones. I guess that went for Firefly, too, though.

The wine-haired woman approached him, her grin fainter than he'd ever seen. "Ready?"

He wasn't. But when would he be? Probably never, but there are a lot of things in life you're never ready for.

He wasn't ready to get tested on. He wasn't prepared for Kafka to bust down the door in the lab and rescue him. He wasn't prepared to join the Stellaron Hunters. Truthfully, Caelus probably wasn't even ready to fall in love. Not that he didn't love Firefly. He just couldn't help but think he could do so much more for her if he knew what he wanted in his life.

Maybe what was waiting for him on the other side of all of this was that thing.

He'd have to try it to find out.

"It's been one hell of a ride." The words came out of his mouth without struggle now.

"And it's about to get a whole hell of a lot wilder."

"Yeah." He sighed. "We've got one hell of a family here." Kafka stopped and stared for a moment. Then, a moment later, a giggle escaped her throat. One that sounded not like the lady he knew. It was more akin to a girl's giggle, if anything.

"In all my years in this business, that was the first time I'd ever heard something like that." With a hand to her mouth to stifle further outbursts, Kafka readapted her familiar smile, which he was scarily used to. "Try not to change too much, Caelus." Here's hoping.

"Now. Listen." He could feel her tendrils in his head. The web she was spinning went deeper and deeper into his mind. "Forget." Her soothing voice was the catalyst. Then, it flooded into his brain. Like a waterfall falling onto his shoulders and pushing him into the ground with its weight.

It was odd. Caelus could feel gaps forming. He couldn't remember what, but things were missing, and the longer he thought, the more gaps formed.

It was the most pain he could remember feeling. "Losing everything really is like dying." Kafka's words were the few that rang in his head. He spoke through bared teeth, the migraine in his head like he was having his brain crushed by a hydraulic press. Kafka's expression shifted as he looked at her. Pained was the only way he could describe it in his spotted vision.

"Kafka, he's in pain; why isn't it done yet?" Sam's modulated voice shouted at the woman as the Glamothian Knight approached her.

"He must be subconsciously fighting it. It's not a quick process otherwise." The woman stood there, focusing on finishing her job, pushing her influence further into his mind. The pain only increased.

Caelus kept thinking and forgetting. No matter how hard he tried to do the former, the ladder would always win. There was no resisting. It was simply meaningless. He felt himself slipping. Like he was trying to run up a vertical slide.

Even now, as his head screamed at him, he could hear her in his head screaming back. "Cae! You've gotta get through this, Cae!" The sounds only made him forget faster. Who was it? It had a deep, robotic voice. He didn't know of anyone with a voice like that. Did he? Who did he know?

He didn't even know who he was anymore.

His vision blurred from the pain, and only vague silhouettes of people he couldn't recognize were left. Even through the pain of his brain being pulled apart, a singular thought managed to breach the surface of his dying mind. "I-I promised Fly I'd get her a new dress." The pain of remembering that shot through him like lightning.

Fly?

He didn't know who that was. He felt like he should, but he couldn't bring himself to.

He just remembered silver hair. A sunset. Then, an emotion.

Love.

Then there was nothing.

---

No one spoke. No one dared even react to what happened. They were just silent.

"This kid, I tell you." Even the diligent Kafka wasn't ready for all of it.

"What the hell was that Kafka?" Sam marched toward her, a fury in her step as she encroached on her.

Blade was the one to get between them before the cavalry was close enough to strike.

"I told you already. He was resisting, Sammy." Before anyone could even react, Blade was thrown to the side, a scorching hole put through his chest by Sam's fist.

"Not that." Firefly looked down at the woman, the smile still on Kafka's face. "The last part." She needed to know. She wouldn't let his last words be forgotten so easily.

"That?" Kafka connected the dots quickly. "Caelus came to me about a week ago asking about the time I pulled you out of the vacuum of space." Kafka thumbed her chin as if to remember the exact conversation. "He was pretty particular about the date." With a turn, Kafka went over to prop the man whose torso had a hole blown through it back up. "It's in a week." She didn't look back toward her. "He was going to buy a dress for the day. We even reviewed the selections to determine what you'd like the most… It must've been the last thing on his mind before everything went."

That only made Firefly run even hotter than she already was.

This time, Silver Wolf got between her and the coat-wearing woman. "C'mon, Firefly. Do you think Caelie would—"

"Don't even think about saying his name, Wolf!" The finger she pointed at the shorter girl was laced with vehement anger. Her red-hot animosity was apparent through the modulation.

"Look, Sammy, I won't stand here and say I understand how you feel. What Bladie and I have is purely physical. I've never loved anyone in my life." As if to excuse her comment, Kafka pivoted toward the swordsman.

"I've only ever loved one woman, and that's how it will remain." Blade pulled himself back up to his feet. The hole that was there was gone without a trace.

"If you say it like that, you'll make me jealous—"

"NOT the time, Kafka!" Before she could get any further, Silver Wolf screamed at the woman behind her. Her tiny body was the only thing that kept the hulking knight from pouncing on the woman.

"You're right, Wolfie." Kafka looked back to the knight. "My point still stands. I don't understand what you're feeling right now, Firefly. Truthfully, I may never. What matters now is that we get him to Herta's, put a Stellaron in his body, and drop him off with The Nameless."

"The Trailblazers?" It was hard to pinpoint if there was anger or surprise in her voice.

"You know how they are. Caelus will fit right in with them. That's beside the point I'm trying to make, though. You know what the Astral Express does best, don't you?"

Firefly knew what Kafka was going for now. "They fix Stellaron disasters." It was their silver lining.

Wherever Stellarons were, the Astral Express followed, and wherever Stellarons were was right where they, the Stellaron Hunters, went as well.

"We'll cross paths before you know it." Defuse the situation at hand. That's what Kafka did best.

"So I presume we're done here?" Sam looked down at her. Her fist clenched and unclenched as if trying to relax but failing to do so. Then, slowly, a nod followed. "Good." Kafka collected Caelus then. Scooping up his body as if it was something regular for her to do. "I'd recommend going to your room and relaxing for a little while, Firefly." Kafka walked past her toward the ship that was prepped for their exit. A kind smile appeared as Kafka looked back at the Molten Knight again. "As I've always said, my door is wide open if you need to talk to someone." Firefly stood there motionless again.

She'd been doing that far more often than she'd liked. If she could, she would move. She'd run and not stop running until she was ragged, out of breath, and on the cusp of passing out. But her legs wouldn't move.

She hated that feeling the most.

"Silver Wolf, go get his bat. I don't want Bladie's hard work to be wasted." The woman chuckled as she continued to walk. "He'll need a weapon he can trust where he's going after all."

Silver Wolf ran, a silent curse under her breath at the demand, but her acceptance still carried her feet. Then Kafka disappeared onto the ship with Caelus in tow, the vehicle quickly churning to life soon after.

Everyone was moving but her.

How could they so quickly just get over it like nothing had happened?

A fact so simple in nature quickly dawned on Firefly at that moment. One so laughable that it made her want to fall to the ground.

They weren't in love with Caelus.

Blade hardly talked to him. Silver Wolf only played games with him. Kafka had taught him how to fight, but Firefly had done the same and then some.

Caelus shared his insecurities with her. He'd shared his feelings with her. They shared moments together that the others didn't. They had fallen in love with each other. They had consummated that fact. She knew they loved each other.

The others hadn't done anything they had. So why would they be as upset as she was? They simply wouldn't be. To them, Caelus was nothing more than a friend or a coworker who, unfortunately, had to meet his end.

For Firefly, it couldn't have hurt worse. All the promises they had made. All the wishes they wanted for the other that she'd quickly feigned ignorance on in her mind meant something now. They weren't just mere statements anymore. They were scars.

The one thing in her life that she couldn't control—fate, had taken another priceless thing away.

To the public, the Stellaron Hunters have five members: Elio, the Devil Hunter Kafka, the remnant of the Iron Cavalry Sam, the individual known as Blade, and the Punklorde hacker Silver Wolf. However, only those hunters knew they had lost their sixth that day. One whose name was Caelus.

---

The Luofu was an intriguing place for him. Of course, he'd have preferred their visit to be peaceful and not driven by an unknown and likely hostile woman, but it meant little to the man. He'd stay content as long as everyone else did the talking, and he could keep smacking the baddies in the way with his bat.

"Didn't you get that nifty lance back on Belobog? I've hardly seen you use it since the fight with Cocolia. Do you really like that dingy old bat of yours that much?" The peppy voice of his fellow Nameless, March, called out to him.

Hearing her call it 'dingy' struck a nerve, but he'd let it slide. It was just March, after all.

"It's not dingy, March." He was just gonna play it cool. As if her comment didn't just uproot everything he thought about himself. He'd just let his mind do the talking.

"The girl I love told me a bat suited me better than a sword. So I'll keep swinging it as long as I have the arms to do it." Caelus blinked at that, and March likewise stared at him blankly.

He looked at her like he'd just said something profound. "Did I hear myself right?" He was met with the girl's dumbfounded nod.

He had no idea where the words came from or why he said them. He didn't even remember who this girl was he had spoken of, but something about it felt right to him. It was like his body knew better than his mind—something he thought he could trust.

Nevertheless, by the time March reeled herself back, his words earned him a plethora of questions from the girl.

His words were the only thing on his mind as they finally reached the Central Starskiff Haven.

He had a feeling that one day, he'd figure out who that girl he was talking about was. It was a gut feeling he knew he could trust.

---

Author's Note: Enjoy it? It was a long one. The longest thing I've written so far in my little stint of writing so far in fact. I didn't mean for it to get this long in the process of doing it in the first place. It kind of just happened as I was doing it. The story of Penacony enraptured me a good deal, so much in fact that I literally started playing Star Rail because of it-and now I have an E6 Acheron and E6S5 Firefly to thank for it. This is just my own personal view of the story and what Hoyo could do with the build-up of Firefly's character so far in Penacony. There's still a lot we don't know about the Trailblazer's past after all, so who knows? I'd just hope they don't kill the poor girl off or something before we get a satisfying conclusion to her character. I don't want another Himeko scenario.

So, I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts on what has been written for this story so far. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are in the works, and then after that, I'll most likely stop with Honkai stuff for the foreseeable future. Most likely, until we get more Firefly content (I really do like her that much). Until then, take care.