The pine trees started becoming a shadowed wall, the saffron streak in the sky grew thinner indicating the night was pushing in. A few bursts of stars lit as strange night creature calls began in the distant horizon. The night was blooming in rendered dark cascades.

Stahn and his party went through the forest. Rutee and Mary were saying they were hungry. Philia’s green hair made a strange contrast to the last line of saffron streak; she went past a thorny bush which ripped a part of her dress.

“It’s so dark I’m starting to not be able to see where I’m going.” Philia said.

“Yeah, let’s stop I’m hungry.” Mary joined in.

“We’ll get lost if it gets any darker.” Stahn spoke.

Leon who was ahead agreed and called a halt.

With five people a fire was quickly built with food cooking.

While they ate there was a distant howl of creatures. The black dead air tensed as the howl rose to above and in the shadows.

Rutee stopped chewing her food, “Hey, didja hear that?! There’re monsters nearby… They might attack while we sleep.”

“Well, we could take turns keeping watch.” Stahn suggested.

“I know, Leon, you go first since you stay up late anyway.” Rutee said.

“So do you. I’m tired this time so you can go first.” He replied.

“Hey! I thought you were in charge here, then as a so-called leader you should go first.”

“No way!”

And then the usual argument broke loose between the fiery violet eyed two. Stahn, Philia and Mary exchanged weary looks. After a tiresome walk through the wild woods, listening to heated arguments was no picnic.

“I dunno how your parents raised you! They spoiled you rotten!” Rutee snapped.

“My parents?” Leon murmured with a raised brow.

He fell silent in a twirl of thoughts and emotions. Rutee stared at him wondering what she said that made him not yell back like usual.

Suddenly Leon looked at her, “Shut up! My parents are NONE of your business!”

Then he again fell silent as he stared into the fire with some sort of anger.

Mary went next to Rutee and whispered, “Remember Leon lives in Hugo’s Mansion? I think he lost his parents. You’re an orphan, Rutee… I thought you would understand this better.”

“But Mary…” Rutee muttered, she glanced at Leon and in fact something about him reminded her of herself. Leon’s an orphan? Rutee wondered. For some reason it had never crossed her mind before. Usually she got along with orphans because she understood them. Leon was not understandable so she never considered the idea.

“Mary… I never noticed that he might’ve lost his parents. He just seemed like he was spoiled by them.”

“You should apologize, Rutee.” Mary spoke with concern.

“Ya, ya…” Rutee sighed, “in the morning though.”

Rutee took Atwight and stood up, “All right! I’ll stand guard for two hours then I’ll wake someone up.”

~

Rutee sat, her back against a tree. She was tired before, but now she felt strangely awake and aware. She fiddled with Atwight’s handle as she watched the fire rise it’s red wings like a burning phoenix. Philia was asleep quietly, Stahn and especially Mary were snoring so loud Rutee wondered how she could possibly hear a monster approaching. Leon was also asleep; usually he would stay up planning some sort of tactic or brooding over something. He appeared to be in his own thoughts frequently, in a world no one could reach. Rutee noticed Leon looked pained in his sleep, like he was having a bad dream. Rutee considered perhaps waking him up but he would probably get mad or something so she went back to staring at the fire, cautious of any noise of monsters. Leon was left in his dreams…

~

She had wavy dark brown hair, her eyes a gentle lavender… but her eyes turned to cold life-less amethysts, her gold pendant glimmered it’s last time before it slipped into a tangle of her hair. She was dead. Emilio’s mother. She walked a harsh and joyous road of life just to come to a dead end… or a cliff to dive off into the dark nothing. Who knows if her life road was all that happy if she was with him… Hugo… He killed her. Is all destiny death?

‘Is my destiny death?’ Leon wondered in his sleep.

He knows when his mother died she took most of Emilio with her. Hugo kept the scraps of Emilio and named him Leon.

Leon remembered why his mother, Chris Katrea died. She sent off his sister, Rutee to somewhere safe. He only remembered a glimmer of Rutee’s mischievous purple eyes.

He blamed her death partly on his mysterious sister. Leon wondered why he had to be stuck in hell while his sister far away was free.

After years he finally met her again. She didn’t know anything, she was obnoxious and bad mouthed. She didn’t know Chris Katrea, the way she died. She didn’t know Hugo, the way he makes up your name, your life, takes everything.

Leon blindly took Chaltier and became a master swordsman. Blindly took orders. It’s been hell but although his sister didn’t know… He knew when he traveled with her there was something he liked about traveling with Rutee and the other party. He felt almost free.

He would betray them soon. He hoped when he does Rutee and party won’t come back again or he might be ordered to…

Leon saw a nightmare of cutting up everyone.

~

Rutee was still looking at the fire, wondering when two hours will be up. Rutee got up to kindle the fire, next to her Leon was frowning even more in his sleep. Suddenly she heard a bat fly overhead, she was jumpy enough to attack it.

“SNIPE AIR!!” she yelled doing a slash in the air bringing down two innocent bats.

“Woops…!” Rutee muttered as everyone woke up.

“Was there a monster?!” Stahn who jumped up asked worriedly.

Rutee picked up a dead bat and showed it to him, “No, sorry…”

Everyone sighed with relief.

“Don’t scare us…” Stahn muttered as he went back to sleep.

Philia and Mary also went back to sleep wearily.

But Leon stood up, “Rutee, I’ll switch with you now.”

“Huh?” Rutee looked puzzled, then she remembered he was probably having a nightmare.

“Were you having a bad dream? You were frowning like you do when you electrocute us.”

“Bad dreams are normal to me… I just decided to switch with you: be glad.” Leon replied.

“Suit yourself.” Rutee said and stood up.

Leon stood cross armed against the same tree. He looked up into the starry sky, the stars were in clusters since it was so dark, but each star shone solitarily. He thought of his dream, he sighed, it was just the way it was. Like how stars just fall. Leon looked back down away from the sky and saw that Rutee wasn’t sleeping. She stood right by him.

“What?” Leon asked surprised despite himself.

Rutee shrugged, “You’ve been strange tonight. I guess every night you’re lost in your thoughts, but this time it was worse… Probably cuz of me. Sorry I mentioned your parents although you probably don’t have any.”

“… …Apologizing isn’t like you, Rutee. You’re right, both of my parents are really dead.” Leon said.

“Well, mine might be too. At least we have something in common.”

Leon looked at her.

“You know,” continued Rutee, “I always wonder how my mom must of been like, I wonder if I look like her… And what my dad is like. Maybe I had siblings too. I… I wonder why they got rid of me… maybe they didn’t like me? I wish I could know. I wish I grew up by them whether they are nice or mean. At least I would know who I am and then know what to do next. I would do anything for that. Whoever my parents are I hope they are happy, I hope my brothers or sisters are happy too. I’ll always think of them.”

Rutee abruptly stopped realizing she has been blabbing. She wondered why although she didn’t understand Leon she could easily express how she feels about her being an orphan.

“Rutee…” Leon murmured sorrowfully and looked down, “Your parents… “

But he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t tell her the truth yet.

“Rutee.” He tried again, “don’t regret not growing up with your family. They would just have expectations for you, want you to be this or that… You wouldn’t be free. Just be glad you’re free, maybe your mom… parents wanted it that way.”

“I dunno.” Rutee sighed.

“Besides if you were with your parents they wouldn’t put up with your sneaky behavior and loud mouth.” Leon remarked.

“Hey! You should talk! Your parents wouldn’t stand you either… I just don’t know how a rich man like Hugo stands you in his mansion!”

“What do you mean?! I’m perfectly polite in his mansion…”

“You call having a crush on his house maid polite?!”

Even in the dim light of the fire Rutee can tell Leon is blushing.

“… Shut up! Go to bed, I’m tired of talking to an inane witch like you.” Leon muttered crossing his arms and looking away.

Rutee walked away and laid down by the blazing fire, “Okay, jeez….”

Rutee closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again. Leon was still frowning looking embarrassed. Rutee smirked, he was somehow like a little brother she can easily make fun of. Rutee looked up into the night sky. For a moment she thought she saw a woman with dark wavy hair and violet eyes looking down at her. Rutee fell asleep peacefully with the warmth of the fire next to her and somewhere inside.

In the morning everyone got up and continued their journey. Through the forest Leon and Rutee can be heard bickering loudly again.