(Adri only, please. This takes place after "Sanctuary Premonition.")

The [i]Hati[/i] was quiet as it drifted through Gummi space. It was passing the ghost ship known as the [i]Redemption[/i], having passed Fairport. Notably, the latter ship was not likely to be empty for long, with Greg in action again.

The cockpit was empty for about thirty minutes now, with its extra chair. That was, until the pair spontaneously appeared.

Isaac found himself lying on the ground. He was once in the Valkyrie Tower of Fairport, now here, still with his arm around a dark haired woman. Alma had teleported them clear off of the world, and back to their ships. The experience was...shocking, to be honest. Unexpected. He rubbed her side, whispering in her ear soothingly. He didn't want to scare her further, even though his voice was very shaky. That world had been a nightmare, truly. Was Naito safe? Wait, no. Of course he was. He just hoped Jasmine also made it out on one piece.

"Cheryl...it's all right. We're safe. Safe on my ship."

====

Even after they spontaneously appeared on the ship, Cheryl was still in shock. She really thought she was going to die at the hands of that ghost woman. The relief of still being alive hadn't come to fruition yet, the woman breathing deeply and still clinging on to the demon before her.

Then said demon whispered to her that they were alright, and she felt his hand rub against her side. Slowly, the Holy Mother looked up at him, her eyes still wide. Finally, it came to her that they were indeed safe, away from that world, from the nightmares that came with it. Away from Alma, the woman who shared so many similarities with her in her old life...

And then she realized how close to Isaac she was at the moment. Cheryl blinked once, before shaking her head and quickly pushing away from the Silver Tongue, sitting up and straightening herself as best she could while trying to hide her blush.

"I-it wasn't like I was scared, or anything like that." Okay, that was an obvious lie. After what they've gone through, she was almost terrified out of her mind. But she wasn't about to let Isaac know that.

====

Isaac let her release herself from him, though he, too, was getting over his panic. He looked around, out the windows, before he spoke to her, just to be sure. That was a ship nearby. Abandoned? Maybe they could check it out. See if they could get some supplies from it. But first things came first.

He looked down to her, making sure to calm himself before he crouched next to her, looking into her eyes. He wanted to make sure she was all right before anything happened.

"Cheryl, it's all right to admit you're scared." He was going to mention the blush, but decided against it for the time being. Best to let things run their course. "I was. You saw me. I hate it, but I was. You can rely on me, all right?"

====

Cheryl wanted to avoid looking at Isaac for the time being. She didn't want him to see how embarrassed, or what little fear was left on her expression. As much as she trusted him, she still didn't want him to see her as a female stereotype right now.

When he spoke, though, the young woman managed to turn to him then. She was still blushing, but she did all she could to ignore it. Cheryl listened to him, then sighed afterwards, allowing herself to relax a bit. She was fine now, but that world left a mark on her that was just as bad as her past endeavors.

"...Okay, I was scared out of my mind," she finally admitted, looking away once more. "I thought I'd be fine after what I've gone through before, but..." Another sigh. "There's really no way to fight against someone like Alma, is there?"

====

He, too, did not want her to show herself as too weak. Honestly, Isaac just wanted to be able to help those close to him survive, and if they could handle themselves, that was a great aid for him. Still, as she spoke, he had to show honesty, however brutal, just to keep themselves from overestimating their chances.

"For us now? Probably not. But I guess some protagonist or another will get the psychological strength to pull it off." He reached down to help her up, knowing it was best to move on. "Let's try to move forward, all right?" He had to add some humor. "And if we split up, let's try to go to some other world to meet again. Preferably without crazy psychics." He looked out the window as he reached to her. "We could check out that ship. Don't worry, it's not haunted as far as I know. Greg used to be there. I found Kira there, too. Only just got her back for this brief time, but I'm gonna send her back into Space Paranoids in Radiant Garden for her rest again. She was seeing if she could help on some worlds."

His tone was notably brighter than it had been when he had previously talked of his brother. Understandable, given that he was recently brought back, and with the demigoddess again.

[i]"Unless you count the small items we got from Sullivan's Otherworld, not a lot of ghostly stuff,"[/i] Kira said, her voice still slightly weak. [i]"I'll see what I can cook up there. We made a mechanical forge--how he lost a finger--and a few other things. But I'll have to take down the security for a few minutes to let you guys in. Idiot thought it was a great idea to only let the genetic markers take his ADAM strains or Usagi's. If I can get a good channel, I'll set it up in a few minutes. Anything from your games you think you'd like made?"[/i]

Isaac was a bit annoyed, but noted the difficulty Kira had with speech, given her weakness. "Well, Cheryl? Anything? You can rest here while it's being made I think. Kira, you think you can tell us any special upgrades we can make to what we want?"

[i]"Jury rig a few upgrades? Sure. That's not hard at all, given [b]we don't have a clear understanding on what's remained un-decayed[/b]."[/i]

"Just do it." He placed a hand with his omnitool on the controls, and a light went through to them, opening up a secure communication channel for her to travel through once they had an answer. During this time, he kept the hand down for Mason to grab.

====

"That's probably the best case scenario, isn't it?" Cheryl asked rhetorically at the first thing said. She then had to smirk a bit to his humorous comment. "In that case, we might as well avoid other survival-horror worlds in general. Even without crazy psychics, they seem to have a knack of throwing everything that can kill us."

When he mentioned Greg's old ship nearby, Cheryl noted the demon's tone compared to the last time they talked about the angel. The live video in Fairport gave a hint that he was still alive, though at the time she tried not to let it bother her. Also, Kira's small mentioning of a 'Sullivan' reminded her of reading about this one serial killer back in her world, before all the madness started. At the time, she didn't think too much on it, but now knowing how screwed up everything was there, she had to wonder what else was going on in any other future games.

Still, that wasn't what they were talking about right now. She was being asked for a new weapon for herself. The heroine wasn't going to make it through with just a gun and a knife. Part of her wanted to hit herself for not thinking of taking back her old weapons before she left. No point in doing that now, however. So, after giving a small nod, Cheryl finally grabbed Isaac's hand and pulled herself to her feet.

"To be honest, I'm not sure right now," Cheryl admitted with a frown. "I remember a while back, Audrey told me about secret weapons in my games." Thinking back on that, she muttered, "Let's see...flamethrower...beam saber...unlimited sub-machine gun...I think that was it." Looking back at Isaac, she then asked, "Think she can make one of those for me?"

====

Kira answered before Isaac even had a chance. [i]"Given what I can see here...probably at least the beam saber, possibly more. Given that Spear of the Holy Mother--partly unrelated--that Zivaku got when killing Walter Sullivan, we could probably make a spirit-harming bonus to the saber. Color of choice? I've got lightsaber crystals. Don't ask."[/i]

Isaac had an idea. "How about this? If we can get into the ship once you get the sec--"

[i]"Done."[/i]

"...wait, it was that easy?"

[i]"I helped make it. I know the codes to make a temporary bypass. You were saying?"[/i]

...right then. "As I was saying. I think we could combine Cheryl's Edge IV pistol with her normal handgun. Fix the ammunition shortage."

[i]"Mixing a Beretta 92 with an Elkoss Combine Edge IV?"[/i] A pause to keep down cynicism and to take a breath. [i]"Could work, but I'll need both of them. Might be able to make a few adjustments, like the ability to take thermal clips."[/i]

"What?"

[i]"Detachable heat sinks. Could use them in an emergency, but I won't make it a necessity. Got the idea when we went to the universe of Mass Effect and almost had a run in with the Geth."[/i]

The young man nodded, letting go of Cheryl. "Sounds good." He took the wheel of his ship, maneuvering it to be alongside the [i]Redemption[/i], and tried to make a pathway between them by airlocks. After a few tries, he made it. "Cheryl, do you have training with a longsword, anyway?" He looked back down the hall of his ship, wider than his apartment. "Oh, and you can get a run of the place if you want. Got a spare room, a computer room, and you can get something out of the fridge if you want it, or go into my room. My house is yours."

====

To Kira's reply, Cheryl had to stop and think. A beam saber with the ability to damage spirits...she rather liked the idea, especially if she were to end up fighting more ghosts like Alma. Something like this would give her the upper hand. When asked for the color of choice, Cheryl almost wanted to say pink...but decided against it. She really didn't want anyone to know that pink was her favorite color, especially Isaac. So instead, she said, "I'll take green if you have it."

Isaac's mention of combining her normal handgun with the Mass Effect pistol brought her to bring both guns out. It would certainly help; plus, she wouldn't have to be carrying deadweight all the time. The Holy Mother nodded herself and said, "Yeah, that can work."

With that said, she moved to the passenger's seat and sat down, staying quiet while Isaac maneuvered and made a few attempts to forge a pathway for them. Then he addressed her, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I used to fight with a katana before, if that helps. Other than that...not really." And then he brought up her free reign on the ship. She didn't reply, or even get up to take a look around like he said she could. Her gaze just went down to the bridge floor; she wasn't even sure what to make of it right now. The two of them alone like this, the demon acting all nice to her...

It just made her uncomfortable.

====

[i]"Green it is. I'll have it ready in a few minutes, and call."[/i]

Isaac carefully took both of the guns from the young woman. "I'll be right back." That said, he went off toward the airlock, opening it and going into the small channel they had made into the [i]Redemption[/i], coming out on the other side.

He noticed her discomfort, really. He just wanted her to feel comfortable around him, to have someone he could get close to and rely on. The girl he used to like didn't even have the decency to stay in the worlds until he could get back, and he needed to be able to ta--

Okay, losing that train of thought. He didn't even hear the greeting from the dumb AI program that kept a few of these things still running, due to how he was thinking so much. Now, he saw the place.

It was rather large, to say the least. A mechanical forge, three bedrooms, a kitchen, a computer room, a small armory. Maybe more, but he wasn't in the mood to check. There was a lot of dust around, with a few sets of footprints in it. For the briefest moment, he could see a group of people, his vision grayscale and the images very blurry. Three women, one floating on butterfly wings, another with birdlike ones on her back, and the third in a familiar kimono. Jasmine and Kynthia were the first and the last, but the other was unknown, and likely unimportant. Two men were also present, more recognizable. Kratos Aurion and Hawk Shadowflash. They were walking...
.
...and they disappeared. Gone in an instant, color returning.

Kira spoke as he neared the workspace of the forge, a metal table with many mechanical arms around it using various tools. A pipe filled with molten metal was being poured on to a mold. The metal of that aforementioned Spear?

[i]"There's a chair over there,"[/i] she said, a light turning on above a simple wooden chair. [i]"Put them there."[/i]

He did so, and started on his way out...but decided he wanted to just check some things out before he left. So he turned, going to the armory. There, he could see several weapons, and a small device that seemed to be cracked, partly broken. The Chronos Pathway armband was possibly able to be used, but likely was in far more limited capacity. No more time traveling adventures on such a long scale any longer. But on to the weapons.

The Sentinus greatmace. The twin swords that Greg had always kept with him before he got his new set. A Type-25 grenade launcher, better known as the Brute Shot, along with a BR55 Battle Rifle, better known as the human battle rifle of the same universe and time period. A Rapture revolver and shotgun, a Webley Mk VI and 1882 Spencer respectively. There was even a camera here from the same world.

The last, however... it made him stop. He looked over the twin rapiers, with their golden hilts and blade of pure white. Imbued with light magic permanently, the Saint Rapiers had once belonged to a single man. A man he himself had murdered in the depths of madness.

Slowly, Isaac sank down the wall opposite the twin blades, putting his face in his hands as he sighed sadly. He wasn't about to cry. No, he wasn't going to go to that. But the memories cracked his façade of nonchalance. This was his fault. If he hadn't killed him, so much could have been averted, so much could have gone differently. He could only utter a single word, then an end to a sentence. It was a horrible thing for him to find, and he knew it.

"Dad...I'm so sorry..."

====

Once Isaac entered the [i]Redemption[/i], Cheryl leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. Now the young woman was alone, minus the muttering monster in her head, trying to make sense of things. Why was the demon acting this nice to her? Yeah, she knew he was trying to make amends, but with them alone like this... Cheryl did get the first idea why; she wasn't completely oblivious, after all...but at the same time, she wanted to deny that thought. Even if he might be growing feelings for her, she couldn't be feeling the same...could she?

Yet again, the Holy Mother thought back to the Otherworld incident years back. Out of all the few Interferences that helped, Isaac was the one she felt helped her through the most. Even though she couldn't see it before, now she could see how similar they were, how close they really might have been. But back then, he was just a kid, only a few years younger than her. Now...while still younger, he was taller, more mature, and handsome--

Wait, no, she really can't be thinking that! He was an ally, just a friend, someone she could rely on; nothing more. Even though she knew he was really trying to make up for what he had done, she really didn't want to think any further than that. Thanks to what she's been through, the survival-horror heroine had developed a mentality that anyone who got close to her would either wind up dead, fatally wounded, or end up cutting off ties. Yeah, things were starting to look up for her with Audrey, but she didn't want to think too far ahead before something else was sure to happen to destroy their friendship again.

Cheryl shook her head, slowly getting up from the passenger's seat. Despite not really believing, she still swore to God that she really couldn't think straight. Maybe she'd be able to if she had something to eat... With that thought, Cheryl stood up and made her way down the hall, looking through a few rooms as she looked for the kitchen area. Once she found it, she made her way to the fridge, opened it, and pulled out the first thing she could find: an apple. Leaning against the counter, the young woman bit into the fruit slowly, still deep in thought. If only she knew what to do...

In the back of her mind, after being silent for so long, Valtiel began to ramble on once again.

[i]"A man offered a ssssserpent to the sun......
And praaaayed for salvattttioooon........"[/i]

====

After several minutes, Kira's voice called in over the communication system in the [i]Hati[/i], possibly shaking Cheryl from her thoughts.

[i]"Finished the gun. Come if you want to pick it up while I keep up the work on this saber."[/i] She apparently understood the tension between the two of the Interferences, and so added another comment. [i]"He's in the armory. Not hard to find. Just stay out of the forge so I don't melt your skin off with molten metal."[/i]

=====

He knew he had to get moving. Cheryl would be waiting for him still, he assumed. But if he didn't pay some respects...would he be the same person he once was? The little boy who would murder his own father out of anger, just because he would not kill the person who had no power over preventing his younger brother's blindness. Who would make a deal with two separate entities of evil simply to gain power, and was willing to torture and humiliate his brother's girlfriend just to make him suffer.

[b][i]Return to your vessel. Return to the Forbidden Lands, and we may begin to show our power...[/i][/b]

Dormin's voice again. Still it came and went at random. Should he go? Maybe...

[i]"I'm sick of power. I don't need it."[/i]

That memory stuck with him. He could go one without Dormin, though the voice in his head did help. Maybe he would be able to siphon some of his powers off, but only if he could do so reliably. So he would stay here, at least pay some respects to the memory of a now-ghost.

The hands slipped off of his face, and he looked at the swords, at the other Ninja Blades nearby with their constant infusion of the opposite element, darkness. How [i]had[/i] Greg gotten that, again? Maybe from Lloyd Irving?

Back to the Saint Rapiers. His magic swirled around his hands as they reached for them, black smoke with hints of blood red fire.  In small letters on the ground, he made a temporary epitaph before the swords, the smoke as a slab of sorts with the flames curling around to make individual letters, written in script.

[center][i]Sain Zivaku
Father, Husband, Swordsman
RIP[/i][/center]

He would have to come up with better epitaphs, most likely. Some kind of personalized inscription aside from those. He could not even remember an accurate date of death. Maybe for something else, another plan he wished to fulfill in the future. But for now...

The smoke remained for a few minutes, as it would, but finally dissipated into nothingness, the flames only staying a few seconds longer before extinguishing themselves as well.

Two fatherless Interferences who had been through Hell itself and lived to tell the tale (eventually). But how could he talk to her about it? She wasn't very open. Granted, neither was he, but what could he do?

So he walked out of the armory, his face still solemn given his recent actions.

====

Cheryl did snap out of her thoughts when she heard Kira voice. She almost startled, but she kept calm for the most part and placed the now half-eaten apple on the counter. Might as well go pick up her gun while she waited for her saber. As she made her way to the airlock, she wondered: should she try talking to Isaac? Yeah, she knew now that he would listen, but...

Once she did reach the airlock, another thought had come to her. One that made her want to kick herself in the backside.

Her ship was still nearby Fairport.

"S**t..." Cheryl swore under her breath. This was an obvious problem; either she had to risk going back there to get it back, or she had to go to Radiant Garden to get a new one. The latter seemed to be the best choice; she just had to ask Isaac to drop her off there. So she walked through the airlock and entered the [i]Redemption[/i], ready to make her way to the armory.

She stopped in her tracks before she could. Isaac had already walked out.

"...heard my gun was finished..." was all she said, looking away to avoid contact. God, why the hell was this so awkward for her?

====

Isaac noticed her discomfort. Seeing her so nervous like this...kind of weirded him out, if he was going to be perfectly honest. He always thought of her as like him. All right, so he wasn't totally emotionally stoic either. But it was still awkward as all hell.

"...oh." He looked to the forge room. "I'll go check, get it. Kira, is it all right?"

[i]"Two minutes."[/i] The sounds of mechanical whirring stopped, a door opening to the room.

A small mechanical clamp was lowering the gun on to the chair where Isaac had first put it. In the mold, the saber seemed to be halfway completed, but still steaming and molten.

The gun was thicker all around, likely to hold the new kind of ammunition, a slot in both sides to allow the insertion of those "thermal clip" things. The top of the gun had the stun gun attachment on it, ready to be used. If they could find some kind of rechargeable battery, it could have both uses. Perhaps another time. Quickly, he grabbed up the gun, carrying it back out to Cheryl. As soon as he passed the threshold, the door slammed shut again, the work beginning anew.

The Silver Tongue handed it to her, holding by the barrel so she could take the grip. "A little heavier, but not too bad." With that, he decided to address her discomfort.

"...I was paying respects to my dad. My brother...kept his swords with him. I knew before, but..." He took a deep breath. Not the time to seem weak again.

"Cheryl...do you want to talk? We can go back to my ship. Maybe sit on the couch and talk a little while, get..." He paused...and palmed his face. "We need to get you a new ship, don't we? I'll drop you off on Radiant Garden, get an autopilot to send us there. But back to what I said...what do you think? Want to talk a little while until the sword's complete? I can help train with it once you have it."

====

Cheryl, still not really looking at Isaac, just took the gun back when he handed it over. Just as he said, it was a bit heavier, but not too much for her to handle. It would definitely come in handy in the future. After she put the gun into its holster, the Holy Mother finally looked up at Isaac as he addressed the next thing.

Honestly, she couldn't help but frown and feel a pang of sympathy, and even a bit of empathy. Even after he outright admitted that he killed his own father, this just proved that he really did regret his past actions for that. Tears began to sting her eyes as she thought of her own father once again, but she did all she could to hold it back. Like Isaac, she too didn't want to look weak in front of him again. So instead, Cheryl nodded in understanding, not saying a word.

And then he suggested going back to his ship to talk. At first, Cheryl wanted to look away again, once again in discomfort over the implications. But then he mentioned her having to get a new ship before she even got to ask.

"That saves all the trouble, then..." she muttered under her breath. Back to the subject at hand, though, Cheryl just sighed. Might as well; not like she had anything better to do. "Yeah, sure, we can do that..."

====

The Silver Tongue saw her brimming tears just before she could turn away. Did she think of her father again? He couldn't blame her. He himself felt sorry for what he had done, and hoped she understood that, but would not use his heart-reading skill to check.

The demon was not about to tease her for crying. He wouldn't sink that low. Far from it. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, starting to walk back toward the airlock. As he passed through, he finally spoke.

"I never asked, but...how are things between you and Audrey now? She sounds like you two are good now, and told me..." He paused for a moment, uncertain if he should say it. Eh, couldn't hurt [i]too[/i] much, since he hadn't said it himself. "Told me not to hurt you if there's any 'funny business' between us. She was telling me..." He just remembered as they neared the cockpit. "Oh, right. She was telling me after I took Kynthia off of her world again. She's been away for a century of her time, and seems to have forgotten a [i]lot[/i] of stuff. If she's cold toward you, or hostile, that's part of why. I'm just hoping she actually forgave what I did since we revived Greg." ...oh, another thing he'd forgotten in Fairport. Before he explained further, he called for K1-R4 to hear him. "Can I put the ship on autopilot?"

A crackle. [i]"It's cooling now, so I think you can bring the thing into your ship, yeah. Rather not move tethered."[/i] There was a shake, and a mechanical arm moved along the walkway, seeming to be made of cameras in some form. It was holding a box, a thick briefcase that was dropped on the floor of the [i]Hati[/i] side of the walkway before retracting. There was still steam rising from it within, and a small green glow could be seen. With a crack, the walkway detached, and the ghost ship was sent to float, Kira returning to the demon's ship instead in full. [i]"Security is back up."[/i] A series of beeps came off of the controls. [i]"And sent the autopilot to Radiant Garden. Now let me rest a bit, Demon Zivaku. I'll say when it's cooled off and ready."[/i]

The young man scowled, but let it go. He had other things to say. "Anyway, we revived him before we met up again. I was gonna tell Naito, really. But due to time travel with the Hand of Atropos, he was gonna find out anyway. That, and the world was...not the best for conversation." Massive understatement, yeah. But it was enough. Slowly, he led her toward his guest room. "You don't have to be nervous around me, you know. All other things aside, I still think we need each other's help." That said, he finally reached the door to the room. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about with me? I've just been rambling, I know."

====

Cheryl didn't object to the arm wrapped around her. It wasn't really necessary, since she could walk back herself. She did have the second thought of shoving it off...she just couldn't for some reason. Like before, back in Isaac's home, it just felt right for her, despite her discomfort. She didn't know why; it was just...weird.

Still, she made no complaints right now. Instead, she went on to answer Isaac's first question. "Yeah...they're fine now." The young woman had uncertainty in her tone. Though she now doubted that Audrey would ever pull the same stunt she did years back, she honestly didn't know if it'd last long before something else happened that would ruin their friendship. It might not have been a creepy bastard trying to get in her pants, but anything could happen. His mentioning of what the Dream Mage said to him, though, brought her to palm her face and groan loudly, as well as mutter, "She's getting back at me for those comments about her and Sorin; I swear..."

And then he went on to talk about Kynthia. Cheryl just listened, not having much of a say in the matter. Yeah, she was there to help out when the demigoddess was trapped in the past before, but back then she was more irritated at Joseph's antics and Jason's harcore beliefs, so she really didn't want to think too much on the matter. Hearing that she had been gone for a century didn't really surprise her, since she was a demigoddess and all. Though it was probably a good thing that she was back in the fold. But then he mentioned reviving Greg...

Before she could look up and ask about it, she heard the mechanical arm, and the box dropping by the walkway of Isaac's ship. After the walkway detached, Cheryl looked back at the box. She didn't want to admit it, but she was kind of excited to have her own beam saber now. Granted, she had to be careful not to slice her arm, but the thought of it was still pretty cool. And with the ship on autopilot to Radiant Garden, things seemed to be looking up for her now.

But back to the subject at hand. Cheryl looked back up at Isaac as he spoke again. Looks like things were really looking up for the both of them, now that Greg was back. That was, if there was no ill will between the two. And it was nice enough to know where Naito ended up, and meeting up with his parents no doubt. Granted, that must have been awkward as all hell, but it seemed things were going to be alright with them...for now, anyway. She still hoped that kid was gonna be alright.

As they made their way to the guest room, the Holy Mother sighed to what he was telling her. She knew she didn't have to be nervous, she knew after hearing all of this that she could really trust the demon now, and she knew they would need each other's help. She was just...scared of the one thing.

Might as well come clean with it, she told herself. As they reached the room, Cheryl finally admitted, "To be honest...I was thinking we could talk about...well, us."

====

The demon's hand rested on the knob for several seconds after she said that. For a few seconds, he did not move, didn't even look in her direction, his expression blank.

What could he say? That he'd liked her for quite a while now, since the Otherworld problem? That he just wanted her to trust him?

The Silver Tongue let out his sigh as he lowered his head, and turned the knob, opening the door and walking in. The room was relatively simple, with a full-sized bed, two wooden chairs, and a wooden night table. He walked over to the bed, and took a seat on the edge, leaving room for her to sit with him. Silence reigned for a few more moments before he spoke, looking at her as he motioned for her to sit next to him.

"...I don't know how to start. When I first met you, I did like you. I'm not going to lie. But, as you'd remember, I was some creepy kid who talked about things you never actually told him." He looked down again. "I had a girlfriend then. I was an idiot, she was two years older than me, and we had very little in common at all. So little, that even though I waited from my death to see her again, I learn she's just flown the coop after I died. Didn't even have the decency to say goodbye."

He took a deep breath to let the venom out of his words. "But then I see you. I see we are close to the same age now, and know how similar we are, how we do need each other. But I also don't want to force anything, so I just sit around and make a fool of myself, use sarcasm to keep myself sane."

He looked to her once more. "Cheryl... look at me. I'm a damned wreck. I got kicked out of my own house by my mom for good reason, and I'm pretty sure I have one mistake until Naito and Greg don't speak to me again. That, and I'm [i]still[/i] trying to figure things out with Kynthia to make her forgive me again." Another sigh. "We're both broken, aren't we? Broken and hiding behind our sarcasm to make sure people don't see us weaken. So about us? ...I honestly don't know. I can't force anything on you. I have died three times, so I can't say I won't again." Another pause.

"...what do you think?"

====

For a moment, Cheryl just stood away as Isaac sat down on the bed, unsure to take the invitation this time. After that moment passed, though, she sighed and relented, sitting at the edge next to him. This time, she managed to relax as best as she could. She was the one who brought this up; there was no need for her to have any metaphorical shield up right now.

The Holy Mother listened as Isaac spoke, opened up to her. As said, she thought that he might have liked her, but she didn't think it was for as long as when they first met. His description of her possible thoughts back then was pretty much exact; she did think that at the start. Hearing that he did have someone before made her frown, but then shake her head when he said that it didn't work out. Teenage hormones; that was the only thought she had for that.

But still...now she really could see how similar they were to each other. As she listened to him continue on, she thought maybe this was why she kept finding herself reaching out to him more than anyone else. Because of how alike they were, because of how broken they both were. He had his problems with his family, and she had her own with the Otherworld still inside her head. Even if things seemed to be looking up, there was still little for them to turn to.

But...did this really mean that there could be something between them...?

"...I honestly don't know, Isaac," Cheryl said after a moment, bringing a hand up to massage her temples. "Hell, I don't even know the first thing about relationships. All my life, before I became an Interference, I've been living in hiding. I barely had any friends; I didn't even have any acquaintances." She then lowered her hand and sighed. "I mean, yeah, that pretty much changed after I was pulled out of my world, but out of everyone I've met in these worlds, Audrey was the only one I could consider a real friend, despite the bulls**t that happened. Even after I decided to live a normal life in Radiant Garden, try opening up more, I still couldn't find anyone to really relate to."

Her gaze went to the floor then. "I've just been so...confused. Ever since I met up with you after so long, and seeing you...like this," she gestured her hand at him, finding no other way to put it, "I've just been feeling...god, I don't know how to describe it. I just haven't been myself since then." She let out another sigh. "Not like I have been all this time. I'm not the same girl I used to be, running headfirst and facing her nightmares almost with a straight face. Now? All I do is run away from my problems now. Run away like a scared little girl..."

Finally, it was here that she looked up at him. Like before, she found herself staring into his face; this time, she wasn't about to look away anytime soon. "To tell the truth, I've lost too much to even really consider anything. I mean, as far as I know, anyone who gets close to me either ends up dead or badly injured. Dad...Douglas...Audrey..." A small pause. "I can't even go back and see Douglas anymore, considering the damn cult's still around. And Audrey...it's probably not gonna be long before everything falls apart again..." Now a deep breath. "Like you said, you've died three times. Who's to say you won't die again because of me, and most likely wouldn't be able to come back?

"I...I just don't want to feel the pain again. I'm just...I..." A small struggle for words...and then she finally admitted it, "I'm scared..."

====

Isaac patiently listened to her, wrapping an arm around her waist as she spoke, moving up to her back subconsciously before stopping halfway. Only when she stopped did he answer, his voice soft, trying to be soothing.

"I can't tell you I won't die," he said, completely honest. "What I will say is that being afraid isn't anything to be ashamed of. Now, I won't lie. I like it more when you're more sure of yourself. When you tell me off and the like. Banter is fun on those levels." Lightening the mood was really all he could do right now. "If it means helping you get your confidence back, I'll do whatever it takes. If it means not seeing you again..." He took a sigh. "Look, maybe it can work out. I don't know. But if you don't want to see me again, I'll honor that as best as I can."

Now about the rest of it. "If I can't come back, I'm really sorry about that. But maybe it's time for you to let more people in. A lot may die, but if you keep your emotions in check, you could end up bad. Worse. You could end up like [i]me[/i]. Nobody wants that."

The hand rubbed her side slowly, a soft massage, wondering if he should come closer. "If you're scared, maybe giving it a try will help you get better. There's a first time for everything."

His crimson eyes looked straight into her hazel ones. "If you want, we can give it a shot. See how things go. Or we can split up for a little while, and you can get advice from others who are significantly less biased. What do you say?"

====

Just as patiently as he was in listening to her, Cheryl listened to Isaac as he spoke. She didn't object at all to the arm around her, having gotten used to it now. She wasn't completely silent the whole time, though; she did have to make a few comments.

"In that case, I'll think of a few comebacks," was all she said to the part about banter, giving a small smile. That was all she could say on the matter, really. She had no idea how to get back the confidence she once had back when she was seventeen going on eighteen. Maybe she ought to face her horrors one more time, see how that goes for her. And if not that...

Cheryl let out a sigh to the next part. He was right; after what she had gone through before, she knew she could be more open around others. She didn't have to worry about too many crazies who'd want to use her for screwed up purposes. Granted, there were still crazies out there, but they were the kind who'd find her a nuisance. While she was scared, she really shouldn't be hiding from the fact that people can die, whether or not they were close to her. Not just because she didn't want to end up like him; to that, she said, "Yeah, I certainly don't want to end up with family issues and die more than once. Had enough of the latter, anyway."

Though that was not the only case. She said herself, to Claudia Wolf, that suffering was a part of life. Reminding her of her own statement made her feel like a hypocrite once more, that she was probably no different from...no, she can't be thinking that. No matter what she was going through, she was nothing, and would not end up, like that crazed woman who brought the death of her father for her selfish needs. She just needed to keep reminding herself of what she said before. She really had no reason to hide from it.

There was no need for Isaac to come closer at all. Cheryl had already edged closer to the demon as he massaged her side, her hazel eyes staring back at his crimson ones. Maybe...maybe giving it a shot would be good for her. She needed time to figure out if she liked the demon or not, but...maybe spending time with him would help her decide. If she was going to start facing her fears again, then she might as well--

[i]"Birth Her......"[/i]

...wait...what was Valtiel...

[i]"Laaaay with him........birth......the vessel......."[/i]

Her eyes snapped wide open. For all his rambling about the Order, for all the times he kept calling her Holy Mother and Alessa...now the archangel just dropped his plans right before her, metaphorically speaking. [i]This[/i] was how he was going to go about it this time!? Birth God again by...by...

Cheryl snapped right then, shoving Isaac away from her and pushing herself away from the bed. She can't stay here, not before...

"I-I need time to think about it!" she said quickly, panic heard in her tone quite clearly. "I'll go and ask someone else for advice, or whatever you want me to do! Just get me away from here!"

====

Isaac stumbled back as he was shoved away from Cheryl. He heard everything she said, and he couldn't deny that it hurt. All he wanted was to help, really. He wanted to make sure she could be happy, even though he did want to be with her.

But by that crank coming from her, that wasn't to be. Valtiel, most likely. Maybe talking about birthing the God again. ...wait. The God? That's what this was about? He wanted them to...

Damn it all. Isaac sighed, nodding slowly. Walking to the door, he opened it, going out to pick up the box for her.

[i]"Smooth move,"[/i] Kira said sarcastically,

"It wasn't me," he said, only half sure. "Done?"

[i]"Pick it up. And you're at the world now,"[/i] she said in response as he did so, opening the box. Inside as a metallic hilt.

He pushed a button on the side, and a green beam of energy came out of the end facing away from him, a kind of invisible aura of malice almost felt in the blade, possibly from the metal used. He switched it off again, and walked back to her, handing the hilt.

"...I can't make you stay. You have full choice here. If you can make a decision, please tell me. Until then..." He sighed. "Look, I know it was Valtiel. I can't hear what he's saying, but you say he only talks about one thing, and I can hear his crank. I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do, so..."

He sighed again, pointing to the right way to go for the ship's exit area. "Just...just go if you don't want to see me. It was really nice to stay with you and talk, but if you need to sort things out, if you're scared of me or something else, see about sorting that out first if you need to. Just know I'm always willing to talk. Okay?"

====

Cheryl just took the hilt as he handed it to her, not saying another word. She felt she'd be able to figure out how to use it on her own, so she didn't ask about that either.

Wordlessly, the Holy Mother just looked up at the demon one last time. He at least understood why she acted the way she did, but that didn't make her feel any better. Regret was clearly seen upon her facial expression; she really didn't want to hurt him like this. She really wanted to give it a go, see how things went. But with God's servant saying those words to her...

Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she once again did her best to hold them back. She had to leave as soon as possible, before she could break. Still without a word, Cheryl just walked passed Isaac, not even giving another glance to him. What was there to say to him at this point? That there was no hope of them getting together now? No, that was obvious; there really was nothing else to say on the matter.

As she made her way back to the cockpit, Cheryl went to the control panel and hit the Depart button on the console before moving to the center of the bridge to beam out. As the light began to gather, the young woman finally managed to speak a few words.

"I'm sorry, Isaac..."

That was all that was said before the flash took her off of the ship, away from the demon.

====

Isaac just stared after the woman as she ran away. Was he truly that bad? Oh, what was he kidding? Of course he was. He couldn't do anything right, couldn't even reassure her of anything. That damned Valtiel...

[i]"All things considered, this is still all you, Demon,"[/i] the AI said bluntly.

There was a scowl as his weapon appeared in a crackle of black lightning. He turned around, holding it tightly, and shouted. "Shut [i]up![/i]" The weapon was chucked on the second word like a javelin, sticking into the wall a few inches. He was still breathing heavily, mostly from released rage, as he glared at the spot. He did [i]not[/i] need this.

[i]"Autopilot's off. Go and get moving."[/i]

He barely acknowledged her as he yanked the weapon out and dismissed it, typing in the commands that she had used to get into Space Paranoids on a console in the control bridge. She didn't object to leaving, hating him anyway, and so gladly left to go to a freer world.

He was alone again. Perfect, really. Never could do a single thing right, couldn't protect people and let them be close to him. Would Cheryl come back? He doubted it, but if she did, it would be a blessing.

So, alone but for the thoughts of Dormin, the Silver Tongue departed, off to see what he could do to occupy his time, anything to see he could actually do something worth anything.