An Ocean of Red [Private]

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"I will Yuno... hahah. I just like to uhhh... say people's full first names when it comes to special things." A little awkward he had to explain it, but it didn't compare to some things he said to her. Or perhaps the future. He scratched the back of his head, and gave a snap his fingers after his request for strawberry juice from Yuno. He could have just made strawberry juice by himself, but he wanted to see what she could prepare for the two of them, so he only gave her the strawberries to work with. As she went over and prepared strawberry juice for both of them, he laid right back down in her bed to rest up his body further. Sure, he could move most of his upper body, but it did cause him quite a bit of strain, and he was fortunate that she had been there to assist him. As he laid back on the bed, he began wondering about his encounter with her at Icecrown. There was no doubt she was given assistance in getting there, but what surprised him was the fact that she received that assistance in the first place. Nidhogg, Diabolos, and Arianna--one of them or all of them--had placed a lot of faith in her. And he wondered why.

His train of thought was cut off when she came back for him, and fortunately she brought a straw as well. He sat up once more, feeling quite a bit of pain on his back, but did not show it. He drank the strawberry juice quietly through the straw, feeling a little unusual that he wasn't able to just chug it all down like he normally could. He was tempted to, but that wasn't the best idea; forcing it down his throat and body right now wouldn't exactly land him a victory in any way. Though in spite of not chugging it down, he did finish the drink off relatively easily, and placed the cup down at the side of the bed. He gave her a warm smile, and a nod, his way of saying that he enjoyed what she prepared him. He laid back down on the bed with one hand over his chest, and the other trying to find her's. "I appreciate the offer, but I still have somewhere to go after Iceberg. I'll visit you once I'm back in Fiore, though. I promise." Aside from that, she inquired about his age... and he found it to be a strange question. Normally a woman might ask about a man's age when she first meets him, or... other things. Like many other things, his answer was quite awkward.

"Well, given my family history and my own... my actual birth date and age are unknown, but thanks to Vergil, I know that I'm at least twenty years old. So that's what I go by; what about you?"

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"Believe me, Yuno, I can find you if we were across the world." He gave her a gentle smile, and a laugh as well; though it was an exaggeration, he was legitimately able to find her across large distances. "I know what you look like, what you sound like, what you smell like, what you are, and I can sense your Magical Power. Trust me, I've got quite a bit of tracking ways up my sleeve." Though he wasn't some kind of hunter or professional tracker, he did have a lot of methods he could use, and plenty of skills he put to the test. Yuno removed herself from the scene briefly to change into their night gown, meaning that she was getting ready for bed. She stayed on her side and only held on to his hand, which he couldn't really protest against; at least she understood that with his condition, some space was a necessity. "Yeah...." he said quietly to her. He had been through a lot despite his young age. It was because his power grow exponentially as a Nephalem, or he just had an adventurous life. Either way, deep down inside of him, he had no regrets. "You could be forty-five and I wouldn't care. Hahah."

Maybe that was overdoing it a little bit, but there was still one thing that mattered to him: "As long as you're you, it doesn't matter to me." He managed to scoot himself a little closer to her, and place a small kiss on her cheek before closing his eyes. "Good night, Yuno."


In the morning, after he had woken up Yuno with a little bit of a surprise, he was able to move like himself once more without any strain or pain on his body. After finishing up with her, he started to put his clothes back on while sitting on the side of her bed, getting ready for the journey he had ahead of him. "Have a safe trip back to Fiore, yeah? I'd recommend going through Seven more than Bosco, if you're curious. Bosco hates mages."

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

He didn't have all that many things to pack up; just the clothes on his back. Even then, he was missing a piece of his wardrobe because of what had happened to it. The only thing he didn't take with him was his shirt, given the giant hole torn in the backside of it. That was something he was going to discard. Though where he was going, a shirt probably wasn't necessary; it was a place that had known to be quite hot. Once the two of them were ready to go, he was about to walk over to her, but instead she came to him. He certainly wasn't going to deny her company, with his hands going around her body to pull her in close. The two of them met with one last kiss, and she said she would do the complete opposite of what he suggested her to do. Whether or not she was joking, it wasn't really his concern. He was worried for her, but he also knew that there was quite literally no point in arguing. Just before she left his side, he gave her a very gentle smack on her back side: "Go get em', then."

After she was gone, he departed very shortly afterwards, only needing to get Nidhogg to accompany him. Where he was headed had been the complete opposite direction she was going, and his journey was going to be much longer. After Iceberg, he needed to cross all the way to the Land of Sin, where he would then stay there for perhaps a week or so before returning to Fiore.

Notes