Chapter 66 - Hidden Truths

"I wanna go too!" Towa cried out as she refused to let go of her mother's leg.

"Told you that you should've waited for her to be asleep before leaving." Martha joked as she watched her sister try to calm the young Herschel down.

"Towa, your father and I already told you that it's a trip for grown-ups. You wouldn't have any fun there." Umi informed her daughter as she picked her up and cradled her in her arms.

"Don't worry, the trip won't even be that long. It's just a conference in Crossbell." William assured his daughter as he reached over and began to pat her head. "We were even able to get some airship tickets at the last minute. We should be back before you know it."

"Wait, you two managed to get airship tickets? I'm surprised you didn't stick to the train tickets. They're way cheaper, you know." Fred commented, surprised by their uncharacteristically lavish purchase.

"Haha, I see returning home to see your daughter as soon as possible more than makes up for any extra expense." Nayuta noted as he walked over to Umi so she could hand Towa over to him.

"An aiwship? I wanna see the aiwship!" Towa childishly demanded as her mom handed her over to her grandfather.

"We'll tell you all about it when we get back." Umi promised her daughter. "You just have to promise to be a good girl while your grandpa, aunt, and uncle take care of you while we're in Crossbell."

"I pwomise…" Towa replied, still clearly sad about not being able to go with her parents. Especially now that she knew that they'd be going by airship to and from abroad.

"I know, how about we take you to the museum when we get back?" William offered.

"The mewseum?" Towa questioned.

"It's where I work." Nayuta explained.

"Okay! Wet's go to the mewseum!" Towa cheerfully declared.

"Congrats Umi, your daughter is going to become a mini you." Martha joked.

"You say that as if I'm the only smart one, Mrs. Human Calculator." Umi teased back.

"That's enough, girls." Nayuta commented as William and Fred calmed their respective Herschel sister down.

After sharing a quick laugh together, Umi and William excused themselves.

"Say bye to mommy and daddy." Nayuta advised his granddaughter.

"Bye daddy, bye mommy!" Towa shouted as she waved off her parents.

"Bye Towa, see you soon!" Umi and William promised their daughter as they waved back at her while they made their way deeper into the city.

None of them knew that this would be the last time they'd see each other again.


8.24.1206 - Thursday

"Mom.. dad…" Towa muttered as she woke up in the Merkabah's infirmary.

She quickly realized that she had been dreaming about the last time she saw her parents.

"Why am I getting those types of dreams now of all times? Could it be because of what I saw because of the curse?" Towa questioned. "No, it's probably because of everything going on. All of this stress can't be healthy."

Before she could get up to prepare for the day however, she was stopped by a certain someone whose arms kept a firm grip around her torso while he slept.

"I wonder, have you been dreaming about your original home life too?" Towa whispered to Rean as she reached out and began to play with his hair as she wondered what type of upbringing he had while under the care of his biological parents.

It was difficult getting accustomed to his white hair. Even if she'd seen him with it since their school days together whenever he used his ogre powers, she still vastly preferred his original black hair color.

Neither of them had ever really talked about their past homelives with the other, and out of respect neither ever asked the other about theirs. Perhaps because of both of them being taken in by relatives early in life they shared an understanding of not digging into the other's past.

If Towa wanted to know more about Rean's time as an Osborne, she'd have to wait for him to talk about it himself.

"I'd like to say that I have, but my memory of those days is still too hazy to form any kind of dream about them." Rean answered as he opened his eyes.

"H-How long have you been awake?" Towa questioned as she began to blush out of embarrassment for playing around with Rean's hair. Although not embarrassed enough to stop said playing.

"As soon as you woke up." Rean admitted. "I overheard you talking about your parents, and I was worried that you had a nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare per say. Just reliving an old memory." Towa explained as she thought back to how innocently she waved off her parents all those years ago. "Nothing you have to worry about."

Staying silent, Rean let go of Towa's torso. Before she could protest, he raised one arm and began to pat her head.

"I'm here." Rean whispered to Towa as the pair continued to play with the other's hair.

He wanted to say more, to ask her more of the people who loved and cherished her. But Rean knew that it wasn't his place to force those types of memories out of Towa. How could he do such a thing to her when she'd respected his own past? Even when his father was the man whose actions were bringing destruction to not only the empire, but the entire continent.

Even if she did, he'd have little to nothing to share. He'd only just recently recalled what his mother looked like.

It was a line he wouldn't cross. If he wanted to learn more of Towa's past, he'd have to wait for her to talk about it herself.

"Any plans for today?" Towa asked in an attempt to move the conversation elsewhere.

"Going to look around the ship to see if anyone needs help with anything." Rean informed Towa.

"That sounds like you. I was planning to help out Alisa by looking over some of the data she got from Renne." Towa explained.

"And that sounds like you. Mind if I help?" Rean commented.

"Don't worry, I can handle it by myself." Towa replied.

"Haha… Well, if you say so." Rean chuckled to himself as he got out of bed.

Towa was taken aback by how quickly Rean backed down from helping her. Usually he protested whenever she tried to do any extra work by herself.

"Shall we go have breakfast?" Rean asked as he offered Towa his hand. "Might make myself a coffee while I'm at it."

"Teehee, yeah. Mind making me a coffee too?" Towa answered as she took Rean's hand.

"Sure thing, extra sugar?" Rean continued as he lifted Towa up.

"You know me so well." Towa noted.


"Oh heeeey, there's two computers here. My, how awfully convenient. Maybe I should stay and help you out with that data after all." Rean commented as he joined Towa in the computer room. "Things would go faster if we divvy up the work."

It was only then when Towa realized that she'd fallen for Rean's trap.

"Y-You don't have to do that, Rean. I know how busy you must be." Towa argued. "I'll find the to-"

"To do everything on your own? That's a bad habit you're going to have to kick." Rean interrupted. "I know a thing or two about using a computer. Just tell me which part I should work on."

"Oh, Rean… You're the last person I want lecturing me about taking too much on…" Towa pointed out. "Still, I really would appreciate the help! Go ahead and take a seat!"

With that taken care of, Rean and Towa got to work. Carefully looking over file after file at a decent pace. Neither said a word other than giving the other an update on the progress they made. If anyone saw them working in sync now they'd assume they were more machine than human. Obviously, they were human, and thirsty ones at that.

"Nice work there, Towa. Here, I got this for you." Rean greeted her as he pressed a cold cocoa can on Towa's cheek to get her attention.

Towa had been so focused on looking over data that she hadn't noticed that Rean had briefly left to go get them some refreshments.

"R-Rean!? W-When did you- wait, is that cocoa?" Towa questioned as she turned around to find Rean holding a drink in each hand.

"Help yourself. I know it's a favorite of yours." Rean insisted.

"Your treat then, huh? Thanks, Rean." Towa commented as Rean handed her the drink. "You got black coffee for yourself, though? That's no fun!"

"Sorry. I'm not really one for sugary drinks." Rean admitted.

As the computers analyzed the files Rean and Towa inspected, the two decided to have a proper break and moved their chairs closer together so they could chat while having their drinks. It almost felt as if they were school kids hanging out in their classroom together after school.

"Ah… This feels like it did back in school. Sitting around the Student Council room…" Towa noted as she took a sip of her cocoa.

"You guys helping me out... me lending you a hand in return…" Rean reminisced as he thought back to his first year at Thors. "Looks like it happened all over again. I really am glad you're all right, though."

"Aw, Rean… Thanks." Towa replied. "Still, we have a whole mountain's worth of problems left to get through. We still don't know where Elise is, or the rest of the academy personnel, at that. Sure, Angie is back… But George… And Crow… No matter how cheerful he acts, he's still…"

"Towa…" Rean called out as he watched her worry about the others.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop. I'd be in for a real hair-ruffling if Crow heard me whining like this. And I'm sure Angie would just take that as a challenge to start rubbing herself against me." Towa assured Rean.

"I think that might end up happening anyway." Rean joked.

"You're telling me… Those two are just the same as ever, aren't they?" Towa commented. "I bet George is, too. Somewhere, way deep down…"

Just then Towa's computer notified them that its analysis was complete.

"Oh! I think it's done! Now we just have to check the logs." Towa responded as she and Rean got up and checked the computer.

"I'll help. Let's split it up." Rean informed Towa as he placed his and Towa's drinks on the nearby bookshelf.

The pair quickly pieced together the computer's findings and reconstructed the secret document. As it turned out, it contained information about an incident from around 17 years ago. Even though it held no relevance to the current state of things, the two still looked through it. Making a startling and unexpected discovery.

"This is…" Rean thought to himself as the puzzle pieces began to fit into place.

"It's some previously-unknown information about an airship incident from 17 years ago." Towa said before she froze.

She had realized it sooner than Rean, the document was about that airship incident she was all too familiar with.

"The one with the international ship that ran between Crossbell and Haliask, up in North Ambria…" Towa continued while she clenched her hands as she struggled to keep herself composed. "There was a problem with the orbal engine… Everyone onboard died in the resulting crash."

Rean could only stay silent as he questioned the odds of Towa herself being the one to uncover this information.

"But the truth is, this was no accident… It was an attack, one resulting from a secret battle between the Erebonian and Calvardian intelligence divisions." Towa revealed. "Most of the passengers were Crossbellan citizens, with the state having become independent two years prior. But there were also a few Erebonian citizens aboard as well…"

"I see… Like your parents." Rean solemnly noted to spare Towa of having to say those words aloud herself. "They were on their way home from attending an academic conference as political science and economic specialists, right?"

"Right... I was pretty young then, so my memories of it are very faint. My grandfather told me the conference was about seeking out possible methods of economic revitalization for North Ambria." Towa explained as she thought back to the day her grandfather had given her the grim news.

"Towa…" Rean responded as he placed a hand on her back.

"H-Haha… And of course, the people of Crossbell were livid. But they were never paid any real mind, compared to the major powers whose squabble they'd gotten caught up in. I feel like I'm only now getting a real sense of how outrageous all of this was." Towa continued as if she was choosing to ignore what she had lost because of the attack.

"Towa…?" Rean quietly questioned as he watched her wipe away the tears forming around her eyes.

"Each of these events of the past is invariably chained to the situation we've found ourselves in today. That goes for this incident… and for Hamel, too." Towa bluntly stated. "Sure, the Empire's curse may be the underlying cause, but that cause is nothing without people to act upon it. That's why we can't afford to look away. We have to face what lies ahead of us."

"You're right, Towa…" Rean reluctantly said in agreement. "But even so, I-"

"Thanks so much for your help, Rean! I don't know what I'd do without you." Towa interrupted. "Now then… Let's get all this analysis data sent over to the other teams."

It was obvious to Rean what Towa really meant. To ignore what they'd read, to forget about the past. To her, to face what lies ahead meant that they'd have to turn their back on what happened before.

"Yeah… Let's." Rean replied as he looked at Towa with worry.

He'd have to leave her be for the time being. He didn't want to, but clearly Towa's mind was set in stone. It worried him seeing her like this, denying herself of her own emotional well-being. If things kept up the way they did…

"Oh Rean." Towa said as she snapped Rean back to reality. "On second thought, I think that I can handle the remaining data by myself. You should go elsewhere and see who needs your help."

"Sigh. If you insist." Rean replied as he begrudgingly accepted Towa's request.

"Don't give me that attitude, Rean. If anything comes up, you'll be the first to know!" Towa assured him.

"Alright, I'll go do a lap around the ship then." Rean informed Towa as he bent down to give her a quick kiss on the top of her head before exiting the computer room.

Now alone, Towa took her seat as she readied herself to wrap things up. She wasn't as efficient as she normally was, it proved rather difficult being able to focus on her work with so many thoughts going on in her head.


As he stood on the opposite side of the door, Rean could hear Towa silently type away. Never stopping her work even when there were more personal matters at hand. He wanted to help, but how could he without crossing that line both of them were weary of?

No. Rean had had enough of this. He'd need to cross that line, now. For Towa's sake.


Author's Note

Long time no see. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Apologies if the wait was longer than expected.

Had fun writing that flashback scene, even if I knew how things were going to wind up going.

Special thanks to ZetianWu and CrowgoesCaw for beta-reading this chapter for me!