Obscure happiness changed quickly to hasty nervousness. Kaze could see it in the man's face. His smile faded and his brow furrowed as he bit his lower lip in a show of blatant nervousness. His hands shook, if only briefly, and the strength in his arms wavered. This was not a reaction to Eld, however. He wasn't feeling nervous with thoughts of how wrong he might be. He was simply nervous--nervous without reason to be nervous at all.

"You've done this before," remarked a shaky Oboreru.

Kaze narrowed her eyes as she asked, "I have?"

It wasn't that she wasn't regretful for the potential that she might have done this before, or that she was doing it now, but she still was yet to stray from a stern approach to Oboreru. She was curious, but stern nonetheless.

"You have. You've beaten me before," Oboreru replied.

"I--" Kaze felt one urge to apologize, but then she thought about Eld again, and what Oboreru just now put him through. "I have."

"You remember?"

"No," she shook her head, "But I'll do it again, if I must."

Oboreru retracted his steel quarter staff from the edge of Kaze's fan. He stepped back several paces, and let the pole rest by his side. Kaze, too, relaxed her posture, and let her arm fall to her side. It was just a moment before Eld's vision might clear up, that a subtle flash of light overtook Kaze's right hand, a momentary, instantaneous flash that was gone as quick as it came, leaving no fan behind, but instead, a brief remnant of light exuding from her open hand.

"You won't do this again, sister," Oboreru declared hesitantly, "If you leave this place now, no harm will come of you! But . . . if you stay-- and you continue to get in my way . . ."

He may have possessed only a nervous expression, but it was easy to figure out what he meant. Without further words, Oboreru took his leave of them. He brushed by Kaze on the way past, and returned to the confines of the forest, leaving Kaze and Eld alone again.

Eld could do little but sit dumbly as Oboreru left; part of him was glad, as he didn't particularly want to fight him, but another part was also a bit nervous. Would he be too hotheaded to think of, say, attacking him in his sleep? The idea of a man wandering around the outskirts of the village looking for a chance to kill him didn't exactly put his mind at ease.

At least Oboreru didn't want to fight his sister, even it was for more practical and less moral ones. It made him have a lot questions: how did Kaze fight? Did he often pick fights with her? How had she stopped his attack? By the time his vision cleared up her brother was leaving and she was standing there like normal.

In that way, she kind of reminded him of Etsu...no one would tell just by looking at her than she might hold her own in a fight. "Thank you," he said. "I might have been in trouble there." He made a mental note not to underestimate Oboreru again.

Still, one question seemed more pertinent than any other right now, which he voiced as he climbed to his feet. "Do you have any idea why he wants to kill me?" Eld asked; it seemed almost like she'd had a moment of clarity while talking to him, so he wondered if she might remember something.

"U-um . . . it's fine . . ."

She didn't know what to think about all this. Had she really been so willing to fight her brother for Eld's sake? Now that it was all said and done, she had the time to think about her feelings, and she hadn't a clue what was going on in her head anymore. She'd come to find her brother and take him home, not hurt him! But she didn't want him hurting Eld for what she felt was no good reason, either.

It was a conflict of emotions, and it had Kaze's heart locked into a concrete state of confusion. She didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to feel. There were so many emotions, her heart couldn't decide on just one.

Is this . . . what it's like? she thought to herself--but couldn't quite explain why she asked it, or what she even meant by it.

"I don't know . . ." Kaze replied. She was a little disappointed in herself for that. It felt like she was going to remember things--but she didn't. All she remembered were feelings. When Oboreru talked of her beating him, she remembered being angry, but not about what. When he talked of wanting to kill Eld, she remembered being sad, but not about why. "I'm sorry. I feel like I'm dragging you into something . . ."

Kaze turned around at last, and bent down with intentions of helping Eld stand up. He really needed to get back to the clinic, now . . .

Eld took Kaze's hand, letting her help him get back on his feet. He wobbled a bit at first, dizzy, but quickly regained his balance. "It's not your fault...if anything, I feel like I'm the one dragging you into something." Oboreru would be after him regardless of whether Kaze was here or not. He may have been lucky, though, in that Kaze's presence allowed him to find him without having him just jump him out of nowhere.

"Kaze...you don't have to stick around. I know you don't want to fight your brother, and I can take care of myself." Kaze would likely only get hurt if she stuck around, both physically and emotionally, and Eld would prefer to avoid that.

He only hoped he could take care of Oboreru without killing him...he thought so, as he certainly wasn't as strong as Gestahl, but...

"I--" she wanted to say something . . .

But she forgot it already.

Kaze felt an innate sadness in this fact. For such a brief moment, she felt different. She felt like she could hold onto a train of thought and remember everything she wanted to say--that her emotions could fluctuate like someone like Eld's could, without a need for progressive extremes and whatnot. That's what someone like Eld would've called her feeling. Kaze herself didn't understand it, but losing that made her feel sad.

And then she forgot she ever had a feeling there to lose.

"No, you're the one who shouldn't stick around. He already hurt you . . ." Kaze paused to sigh, "I should just find him on my own, and take him back home. Whatever it is he wants with you . . . it's probably best left in the grave."

Wherever that grave might be.

"This?" Eld asked, putting his hand on the slightly bloody bruise now on his forehead. "This is nothing. I've bounced back from much worse." Which was true, though ironically his greatest injuries had been not from a fight but from falling down the hill with Etsu. There was a lesson in there about nature, he was sure.

More seriously, he added, "Do you think he'll listen to you if I'm not around?" It was possible; perhaps without Eld's presence antagonizing him Oboreru could calm down enough to patch things up with his sister, and maybe she could even convince him to go home.

"I'm just worried...I don't want you getting hurt on my behalf."

"No . . ." she shook her head. Oboreru wasn't going to listen to a thing, probably.

Her mood--it had a name, now. Melancholy. She went silent. Kaze wanted to tell Eld that she didn't want him with her anymore--that he should hide somewhere while she takes care of this on her own, but truth be told, she liked Eld. She didn't really want him to go away.

The more she thought, though, the more the chains in her mind, connecting her thought, broke away, fell, and molded into something else. Kaze half shut her eyes as she let herself think.

"I think . . . I remember, now. It's kind of vague, but it's a little bit," Kaze paused, but not for any length of time--she continued as quickly as possible, so she didn't lose her train of thought, "He can't keep his feelings in order. No matter what he does, they drift somewhere else. That's why I've always had to look after him."

It was kind of a weighty conclusion, and Kaze said it as if she was just realizing it for the first time. More than likely, this had happened several other times in the past. It probably wasn't going to stop happening, either. History was repeating itself . . . over and over again . . .

"I guess . . . that's why I've had to fight him before," she concluded, "There's never been any reasoning with him before, has there? I've fought him every time he's been like this, haven't I?"

That was kind of a sickening thought, actually.

Eld remained silent; of course, he couldn't answer her question, but it did seem likely. A man who could not control his emotions, a girl whose memories continually slipped away. He felt like he was on the edge of something important, but it still eluded him.

And what about Kaze herself? What if he really had killed somebody close to them, what would she do? Eld figured at best she'd just leave and he'd never see her again; but what if Oboreru made himself clear, and she sided with him? He already was going to have enough trouble fighting the temperamental young man, knowing he was Kaze's brother; he wondered if he could bring himself to fight Kaze herself.

Perhaps it was best not to think about that. "...He's not going to...attack me in my sleep or anything, or go after my family or friends, is he?"

"I . . . don't know," Kaze sighed again.

She wanted to assure Eld that everyone he knew would be safe--and that he'd be able to sleep at night without any real concerns for his own safety, but she couldn't promise him that. Oboreru, who couldn't maintain his emotions like a normal person, was a man emotionally incapable of morality. To lose control of your emotions was to gain the ability to kill even those you loved. That was how, and why, he could raise his weapon to her.

What would happen if Oboreru went after Eld's family? Kaze didn't think he'd go after his friends. That just seemed off. It was hard to predict what Oboreru might do, but it was still possible, because it wasn't as though he was a veritable characterization of chaos or anything like that. He could feel, and his feelings could carry over. He felt that Kaze was a traitor of some sort, after all, and he reiterated that numerous times, during various different moods.

Indeed, he could be predicted. Kaze felt like she could predict him, too--but she couldn't quite trust any of those thoughts, regardless of how close she once thought she was to her brother.

I just beat him up and take him home when he runs away, don't I? There's no real love between us at all, is there?

"I should take him home, before he even starts to think about that," Kaze declared. It was the best thing she could come up with.

Eld sighed; it seemed like such a hopeless situation. Oboreru was too good at hiding; they'd run into him once by chance, but he seemed much better at moving through the forest than either of them. Eld was afraid that if he wanted to stay hidden he would.

Which meant that even though Kaze wanted to find him on her own--and Eld could see why that might be a good idea--the best way to encounter him would be to stay near him.

Not to mention that he might need to warn his friends--his parents he could at least reasonably protect, being in the same house, but his friends...perhaps he could convince them to do another sleepover. Etsu could at least protect them, then, and one of them could fetch him. Or even better would be if they all slept at his house, though that would require him to explain the whole situation, and Kaze's involvement. And it also might drag them into a fight even if Oboreru didn't target them.

He really didn't know what to do...perhaps gathering the girls and talking about it would help. It helped last time for...for...Gestahl, yes that was it. At the very least, though, he needed to warn them. "Kaze, do you mind if we make a stop on the way?" They were going to come out near the Vaerbond ranch, which was where they all were anyway.

Kaze shook her head, "No."

Something told her that Eld was coming with her--and with that, she really didn't have many problems. She could anticipate her brother's actions if she was really thinking about it. It just came natural then. She didn't really know why. Nothing else came natural.

Is there really any love between us?

Eld coming along wasn't a big problem at all. Kaze figured she could protect him just fine. If her brother really tried to attack him, she could be there to defend him--and then, she'd just have to put an early end to that battle and get ready to go home. That was all very doable.

Something else told her she should probably meet Eld later. It was already mid-afternoon. She had somewhere to be in the evening. Where, she didn't really remember. It was a wonder she even remembered that she had somewhere to be later. But either way, there were other thing she could be doing, if whatever Eld had to do might take any time.

It was just something in the wind, really. It didn't smell right.

"Actually, do you mind if I look on my own a bit while you get that bruise looked at?" Kaze asked.

He hesitated for a moment; he wondered if Kaze would try go looking for him without her. But in the end there wasn't much he could do if she really wanted to, so he nodded. "Go ahead. But...be careful, okay?" It seemed like Kaze could take care of herself--which was supported by the fact that she'd apparently beaten Oboreru numerous times in the past--but despite her worries Eld got the impression this was the first time they'd gotten into a fight this serious. Would she fare the same if her brother was completely overrun by hate?

It was probably for the best, though; at the very least, it prevented him from needing to explain to the girls who Kaze was just yet.

"I'll keep my eye out for you," he added. This was probably a better and truer response than asking her to meet him somewhere specifically, since she'd probably just forget.

"Mn . . ." she nodded slightly.

Kaze was, indeed, feeling extremely melancholic. Slowly but surely, she was even beginning to feel downright depressed. Eld might have said it had everything to do with him, but Kaze couldn't help but feel that it had more to do with her and her family than Eld knew. Why, she hadn't the slightest clue. That was just the sort of air she was getting from Oboreru.

She was silent for awhile, until they'd walked for several minutes, and Kaze started to slow down. It was about time they went separate ways, now.

The ranch was in sight when she turned to look at him and say, "See you."

After which, she'd split off away from Eld. It'd be clear where she was going, and what she intended to do. Kaze was heading off towards the denser forests again. She intended to go looking for her brother on her own.

Eld looked after her forlornly as she left. He really didn't want her off on her own, risking herself, but there wasn't much of a choice. He couldn't stop her, and he needed to get his head checked out and warn his friends and family before he could risk fighting.

Heaving a sigh, he went up to Sarah's place.

******

In the end, it was decided that Etsu should protect the girls, though she clearly would have preferred protecting Eld. Emma suggested that he keep Kageko with--perhaps her abilities could counteract the way Oboreru had scrambled his senses.

...His parents hadn't been quite so easy, though. Though there was no permanent damage to worry about, they were not happy when he refused to lay down for the remainder of the day. He was also quite certain they didn't buy his explanation of having fallen and hit his head on a rock, history of clumsiness or not. But just as he couldn't stop Kaze from going out on her own, they couldn't stop him either, so they just sighed and told him to be careful.

Returning to his room, he looked at his scythe. He had agreed to bring Kageko, as if nothing else he wanted something to block that metal staff with, but lately she'd been unwell; he'd hardly talked to her the last few days. If she was still ill, he didn't want to use her powers--if he even could.

Hey, he asked in his mind as he grabbed it, are you awake?

Master . . .?

She sounded . . . groggy. But groggy did not entail sick. Indeed, she did not seem to sound particularly ill at the moment. She was just tired--and rightly so. It was the daytime still. This was about the time she was sleeping. Eld woke her up. Not that it was a bad thing to her, though. She did not mind Eld's company, and if he ever wanted to talk to her, he was welcome to wake her up. She might not be the best company at that point, but she'd give it her best effort.

Though, something was off. Not with her, but with Eld. Kageko, in her dark world, sniffed the air. She was sitting up, clad in shadows, nose up in the air, and sniffing.

What is that smell?

It was weird, but not in a bad way. She recognized the smell. Stranger than that was that she could smell anything at all--though Kageko failed to see that as odd just yet.