Counting today, we have maybe five filler chapters left. Today will be...interesting. I feel the need to apologize to some of you in advance.

Sorry.

Oh, and before we get into it and I have to insert a random authors note at that scene, I checked the wiki and it had some food from the restaurant's menu. That shit isn't made up, I swear to God. look at the wiki.

Enjoy!

"Calm down, Nashi...Calm down. It's okay, it's okay..."

Nashi repeated these words to herself as she walked down the street, trying to slow her heart rate as best she could. She really did need to calm down, she couldn't go through her day acting crazy.

If she wasn't so out of her element maybe she wouldn't be like this. But unfortunately, here she was. Out of it.

Nashi was currently in Hargeon, the port city. Now, one would wonder why she was there. Was she on a job? A mission? Was she currently looking for a escaped convict on the run from officials and she had been tasked with catching him?

If only.

No, Nashi was in Hargeon because Michael wanted to come here when he'd asked her if she was free the week before. He hadn't given her any real reason, but at least it wasn't someplace they were likely to run into the others. After all, they'd just get the wrong idea about it all, and she didn't want that whatsoever. It was no date.

If it's not a date why'd you spend all morning finding a different kind of outfit, you idiot?

Nashi paused where she was and looked down at herself, wondering the same thing. That morning as she'd gotten ready to slip out and come to Hargeon, she'd gone through the trouble to wear something a bit different.

It was at this point she finally cracked open her birthday gift from Simon and Damien, which she'd neglected to really do so since she'd heard they'd gotten them from Bella. This made her scared to open it to some degree. And now that she had and swallowed her pride to adorn it, she knew past her was right to be nervous about the gifts.

The outfit consisted of a (way to tight) pink t-shirt, frilly black skirt that barely reached her knees, and black sandals.

She was no fool, she knew she probably looked great, but therein was the problem. She felt stupid, too.

Not to mention...

As if on cue, Nashi's bangs fell from the side of her face and into her vision, so she angrily brushed them back into place. Her hair had gotten longer than she liked to keep it recently, and she wasn't sure if the rapid aging and sudden de-aging process from time travel had had anything to do with it. Though she guessed it did to some degree. As she on a time limit to get out unseen, Nashi hadn't had any time to go find her mother so Cancer could give her a haircut. So she had to improvise and the her hair up in a ponytail. It wasn't anything she'd done before, so it didn't help her feel less antsy at all.

Maybe coming like this had been a mistake.

Then why'd you spend all morning trying to look good, stupid?

Nashi really wanted the logical side of her to shut up, and she came pretty close. She just didn't want people to stare at her like she was crazy. She wasn't Damien, who seemed to like talking to himself.

I just need too take a deep breath, I'm being stupid. This is nothing, we've hung out before.

Yeah, well you've never put this much effort into your image. For him, no less.

What's that got to do with anything, though?

I think you know as well as I do.

"Oh, shut up!" Nashi hissed under her breath angrily.

"...Was today a bad day?" A voice asked. Nashi's eyes widened and she looked up to find Michael smiling quizzically at her. This caused her face to go red. He'd heard her.

"M-Michael!" She exclaimed. "H-How long were you standing there?!"

"Not long." He replied, still smiling. "Long enough to hear you tell me to shut up when I greeted you."

"O-Oh no, I wasn't...That wasn't directed at you!"

"Who were you talking to, then?"

"Uh..." Nashi struggled to come up with a logical excuse for her behavior, but nothing came to her that sounded like it made any sense. "I wasn't really paying any attention, so..." Nashi couldn't come up with anymore words that sounded good, and the longer she faltered the redder she became. After she struggled for another few seconds, Michael chuckled and closed his eyes.

"Whatever you say." He said, ending the conversation. Nashi nodded weakly, grateful for that being the end of it. Michael looked up, and Nashi watched as he made a face.

"What?" She asked. Michael didn't reply right away, but he smiled warmly again.

"You're looking dressed up." He noted, which made the heat return to her face quite quickly. "Why the drastic style change?" Nashi, thankfully, had some sort of answer for this.

"I wanted to try something new." She replied, not looking his way. "And I thought maybe it'd help be a little less noticeable."

"Maybe you should have ditched the scarf, then." Nashi looked up before she realized that yes, she'd worn her scarf without a second thought. That would make her recognizable, if anything would.

"Ugh..." She said. "I know I know, I look stupid. I just wanted to try something and this was all I really had, so..."

"Stupid? Who said that?" Nashi paused and looked up to find Michael still smiling smoothly. "I think you look fantastic."

"...R-Really?" She asked weakly.

"Yeah, absolutely." He replied without missing a beat. "The ponytail especially. Makes you really cute." Nashi felt like she needed to do something quick before she passed out from all the blood rushing to her face. God, she was a mess. What the hell was wrong with her? "Haha, sorry. Looks like I embarrassed you, didn't I?"

"W-What did you expect..." Nashi murmured, looking down at her feet. "You don't just say stuff like that, Michael..."

"Why not? It's the truth."

"Maybe so, but..."

"Aw come on, don't be so bashful!" He said, laughing. "I'm complimenting you!"

"That's the problem..." Nashi just waited, wallowing in her embarrassment as Michael continued to chuckle.

"Well, if you're done being all flustered, wanna get going?" Nashi just nodded, and followed Michael as he began to walk away down the street. She caught up and remained silent, still trying to calm her heart.

"S-So..." She said, trying to make conversation. "What're we going to do today?"

"Hm. I dunno." Michael answered. "All i know is that I want to eat. I'm starving." he turned to look at her. "Anywhere it particular you want to go?" Nashi made a face.

"Not really sure." She said. "8-Island is good."

"That place an old council member founded?" Michael asked, Nashi nodding. "Never been. Know the way?"

"I think so. Follow me."

"This place is...Interesting." Michael noted as they were shown to their booth by a waitress. The female uniform was incredibly revealing, and Nashi was somewhat grateful Michael's eyes were elsewhere at the moment as he watched the waitress walk away.

"You can say that again." She said, sighing. "I'd forgotten about that."

"You been here before?" He asked. Nashi nodded.

"It was when I was little, so I don't remember a whole lot." She said. "But know I vividly recall that outfit."

"Hm..." Michael said, resting his head on his hand. After a second, he smirked.

"What?" Nashi asked, curious.

"I was just wondering how you'd look in that outfit." He joked. And just like that, Nashi's face went red once more.

"W-Would you stop it?" She asked. "I know that was just to get a rise out of me." Michael laughed.

"Damn, caught red handed." He said. Nashi rolled her eyes and looked out the window, watching people go by in at attempt to sooth her heart.

"...If you were just going to make fun of me, why did I agree to this?" She asked weakly. Michael frowned.

"Aw, don't be like that." He said. "I'm just teasing you. Lighten up." Nashi wished she could. She'd be doing what he was if she wasn't so out of it at the moment.

"I know..." She muttered. "It's still embarrassing."

"That was the point, but I"ll stop if you want me to."

"Thank you." Silence came after this, but it felt a little awkward now that Nashi had said what she did. Thankfully Michael didn't miss a beat as he picked up his menu.

"Hm, let's see what they got here." He said, obviously moving the topic away from her. "Hm...Beast Man Curry? Sounds absolutely delightful." Nashi managed a chuckle at the sarcasm dripping from Michael's voice. "Or how about this Blue Sky Bolognese? Is it actually blue, or what?"

"How should I know?" Nashi asked. "Ask the waitress. If you're not too busy staring at her chest, that is."

"No no, I'll stare and ask." He said, waving her off and he continued to look through the menu. "She might even get a better tip if she doesn't call me out for it."

"You can't be serious."

"Depends."

"Hahaha! Are you serious?!"

"Yeah! That girl was impossible, really." Nashi giggled at this as they walked through the city.

"Poor Keita." She said. "And I thought Drake had it bad."

"Yep, he wasn't too happy that she had taken such an interest in him. It's really a huge turnoff for him." Nashi smiled at this.

"Guess that makes sense." She said, thinking back to the future timeline she had seen. "Makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Why?" Nashi neglected to answer at first, and this made Michael even more curious. "Aw, come on! How could you know something about my best friend that I don't? Spill it!"

"It's nothing..." Nashi answered, doing her best to avoid his eyes. "I don't know anything."

"You're such a bad liar." Michael replied. "If you didn't know you would have looked me in the eyes as you said that." Nashi rolled her eyes and shook her head. There was no point in telling Michael about the future she'd seen. It no longer existed to the extent she'd known it as. For all she knew the bond Elise and Keita had in that future only existed because they disappeared. And now that they'd set time right, she didn't really know if things would turn out the same way.

She almost hoped it did, honestly. Lana was such a sweetheart.

"Nashi?" Michael asked, making her look up. "Tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything, I'm telling you." She replied. She knew he knew she was lying. After a couple seconds of stare down, Michael sighed.

"Well, I suppose you leave me with one option then, Fire Dragon."

"What option is tha...?"

Nashi was cut off as Michael grabbed her sides and started to tickle her relentlessly.

She broke into a loud laugh and squirmed in his grasp, but he refused to stop.

"S-Stop! Stop! M-Michael! P-Please!"

"Not until you spill your cute little heart out!"

"P-Please S-Stop! I'm g-going to piss myself!"

"Well you'd better tell me then, or else we'll have a mess to clean up!" Michael started tickling her even harder, and Nashi could barely breath, much less free herself from his grasp as he tortured her.

"...E-E...E-Elise! It's Elise! Elise!" Nashi's words stopped the torture, giving Nashi a chance to breath.

"...What?" Michael asked, sounding thoroughly stunned. "Elise? Did I hear you right through all of the laughing?"

"Yeah...Yeah you did." Nashi replied, finally regaining the ability to talk and wiped tears away from her eyes. "Although that was only in the future we got sent too that we told you about, so I'm not sure about now." Michael made a face.

"I might have to...discuss that with Keita." He said, a smirk growing on his face. Nashi raised an eyebrow.

"You're just going to tease him relentlessly, aren't you?"

"Well well, look who knows me so well." Nashi laughed.

"It wasn't that hard to deduce, really." She said. They locked eyes and smiled at each other, before Nashi realized something.

"Uh...M-Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you, uh...Let go of my hips?" After their tickle fight, Michael had neglected to let go of her. Once more, Nashi felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. Michael didn't seem phased, though.

"Haha, sorry. Aw look, she's all red again."

"Don't get started with this again, you said you'd..."

"Stop! Thieves!" Nashi made a face and turned ahead of her, Michael doing so as well. She watched as a group of men ran out from a shop, and took off down the street away from where they'd probably stolen from.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Michael asked, voice much more serious. Nashi nodded.

"I think so, yeah." She replied. Together the two of them took of down the street after the thieves, and they caught up pretty quickly all things considered. Nashi dodged a few confused onlookers, but kept her eyes firmly on those she was chasing. As she scanned the group, four in total, she noticed the man in front was carrying a large sack over his shoulders. No doubt it was filled with whatever they'd stolen from the shop behind them.

"Showtime." She murmured, igniting her fist. Boosting forward with flames, Nashi hit the slowest of the four and caused him to careen into a nearby wall and fall on his ass. Michael surged past her and took out another one of them with a blast of light. The remaining two went down a different street. Michael took off right after them, but when Nashi tried to a group of people got in her way. Frowning, she looked up quickly. She judged the distance between the ground and the rooftops and once she had, boosted upwards with her fire onto them. She sprinted down the roofs after Michael and the other thieves, and watched from above as they both turned around and attacked Michael with water and air magic, keeping him at bay. She caught up and taking a deep breath. jumped off the roof.

She sailed down towards the thieves, but only the air mage noticed her. Nashi watched as he tried to aim at her with the hand that wasn't carrying the loot, but she didn't stop. Like a little gust could stop her anyway. The man attacked her, but she ignored it as best she could, despite her skirt flying up and getting in her face. She managed to land on him and his friend with no difficulty either way, slamming their heads into the dirt and knocking them out. SHe laughed as she reached over and pried the loot away from the air mage, and then looked up at Michael.

"Good work." She told him. "We got em!"

"U-uh...Sure did." Michael said, his cheeks slightly pink. Nashi raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Uh, nothing." He replied, slowly looking away from her. "We should probably, um, go and give that stuff back to it's owner."

"Well, yeah..." She said, still unsure as to what his problem could've been. For someone who had just prevented a robbery, Michael was acting weird. More so than his usual antics. She had no idea what could set him of-

Nashi then realized that when the air mage had attacked, her skirt had flown upwards.

And Michael had been chasing them.

At this, Nashi's face once again flooded red and she gripped the hem of her skirt nervously.

"Did you see...?" She asked weakly.

"No." Michael answered quickly. "Not a thing." There was a silence between them, before Michael chuckled weakly.

"What?" She asked.

"It's just..." He laughed again. "Your panties are the same shade of pink as your hair."

"Well I'd say the rest of our day went fairly well, wouldn't you?" Michael asked, sitting down on a bench overlooking the ocean. Nashi nodded and sat next to him.

"Sure, went fantastic after you got an up skirt." She replied. This made him laugh.

"It is the same shade, don't lie to me." Nashi just smiled at this. After Michael had made the whole up skirt ordeal much funnier by pointing out the similarity in contrast to her hair color, Nashi was able to smile and laugh all day. Sure she still felt embarrassed and awkward at times, but Michael somehow kept it flowing with minimal incidents like that one. Overall it was much like the other times they'd hung out. A shit ton of fun.

The two of them just stared out at the ocean as the sun set, and Nashi wondered about what she could say in order to start a conversation to avoid the silence. Because in the silence, she started to overthink. And when she did that, she got embarrassed. Focusing on something else helped a great deal.

Looking over at Michael, Nashi noted that the smile that had been on his face had faded, and was replaced with a serious demeanor as he looked out at the water. He seemed to be troubled, but about what Nashi had no idea.

"You okay?" She asked, making him look at her. "You look troubled." Michael watched her for a moment before he sighed and looked back at the water.

"I was just...thinking." He said. Nashi tilted her head to the side.

"About what?" She asked. Michael kept quiet for a moment, but eventually he looked down slightly.

"...Blake." He answered quietly. "He always used to comment on how much he loved the sunset...I hope he's okay." Nashi frowned at this and turned to look at the water as well.

"I'm sure he is." She said. "He's tough. The Olympians can't have gotten him yet."

"Hm."

"Besides, they must be busy planning on how to get us next. No time for him." Michael said nothing in response, so the silence returned. After maybe a minute or so, Nashi slowly looked at Michael again. He had not changed his facial expression much, but she noted his eyes seemed a bit glassier than before. After another second or so, Michael raised a hand and wiped at his eyes.

"Sorry." He croaked. "We're supposed to be having fun, not a pity party."

"It's alright." Nashi said softly. "I can't imagine how worried you are." Michael shifted to put his head in his hands, and Nashi did nothing to stop him.

"I just..." Michael said quietly, sounding a mess. "I love that jackass like a brother. If something happened to him..." Nashi shuffled closer to Michael and put an arm around him.

"It's alright." She said. "I'm sure he's okay."

"I know, but...Just the thought." Nashi rubbed a circle on his back in an attempt to help him. After a few minutes of this, he sat up and laughed.

"Look at me. I'm pathetic." He said weakly. "Getting all worked up in front of you..."

"You've been working me up all day, some payback is nice." Nashi said, attempting to lighten the mood. She was happy her joke made him laugh. "If you ever want to talk about it, or anything really, you can always come to me. I'll lend an ear."

"Thanks. Really." He said, getting a better hold of himself. "Fuck, this is sad."

"You're worried." Nashi said. "If it was my lifelong friend out there, I'd be a nervous wreck. You handle it fairly well, all things considered."

"Hah." He said. "I don't like to think about it when I'm with you."

"Why's that?" Nashi asked. Michael shrugged.

"I'm usually happy when I'm with you." He replied, making her blush. "Thinking about that drags me down. And shit like this happens."

"Well...Thanks." She said. "I'm glad I can cheer you up." Michael smiled at her, and it was at this point that Nashi's stomach decided to do somersaults. "I'm happy when we're together too..."

"That right..." Nashi nodded weakly.

WHY THE FUCK DID I SAY THAT?!

The silence was pretty bad this time, but Nashi attributed that to what she had just said to Michael. Fuck, at least the day was over and she could go home and cringe about this for a month or so.

"Well, today was fun." She said cracking her back. Michael just hummed in agreement. "I guess we'd better get going, or else-" Nashi turned to Michael.

And he kissed her.

It was around here Nashi's world froze.

Sorry for the late upload guys, my sleep schedule's been fucked for the last few days. 2 AM upload Fallen, what are you doing...Anyway, I hope you enjoyed (which depending on who you are, that severely depends haha!) leave a review! I'd say let's try to get five, but I feel we'll have no trouble with that. See ya!