When You Held My Hand


"Thank you, for letting me close. But your destiny lies far beyond this. I was just, a shadow, that got in your way."

Corea controlled her breathing. Her eye in the scope of a specially modified long rifle, sweat trickling down her neck to her exposed chest in that breathable muscle shirt. She had been positioned on a roof, far outside of a target zone where WONG agents were trying and penetrate one of the last independent nations of Tirraru.

?.....? a battle going on down there, so far away. Men fighting women primitively with swords were met with automatic weapons and the battle just continued. But this would go on for hours, and she could have stayed there for hours, but she didn't want to; not with that cramp in her back. ?Hoo....? she exhaled, and stilled all at once, taking a deep breath and holding it. Bang! Her shoulder kept that rifle from recoiling too severely, and she saw her target fall over 2000 meters away.

?Siiigh...? Corea rolled onto her back facing the two tiers in the sky. The shells that encased the planet were a skybox she was so used to seeing, and she knew how different it was from the ones she saw in Rhy'Din, the ones so many people were used to seeing; not people here. She could hear the cheers through her thin wiry headset that the siege was a success, so she yanked it from her ear and held the mic to her mouth brief enough to say: ?Target eliminated.?

She tossed the thing beside her rifle while she draped a hand over her very noticeable baby bump, another look to those skies. Her gloved hand undoing from that rifle grip to place the back of her wrist on her forehead, mushing her cherry-chocolate hair down. Her brown eyes alerted to something then. She pinched her bangs, here and there. She had gotten a haircut recently. And the more she put her hand on it, the more she wondered how she looked, and about the hairpin she no longer had to put in it because of the man that took it. ?...Dark.?

"Let me keep this. So I might remember the moment you started to change. When you tore down your walls and began letting people see you. Such a thing I do not want to forget.?

?....? a gust came to that rooftop, barely affecting that short hair of hers. The mother-to-be's mind a million places at once. Did Dyarhk hate this place so much? Did he hate her so much? Corea would snap a neck in a heartbeat if ordered. Taking a life was no complication by her. But matters of the heart, that had been locked away, safely, her whole life, were harder than anything else she had faced yet. ?..What's wrong with me?? that hand stopped sweetly caressing her hair and then laid across her eyes with shame. An exceptional killer should not be hindered like she was. An exceptional killer should not be with child.

?-- Go home. Create a life for yourself, and no other. Do that, and that is where you will call home."

She removed that hand to gaze at the sky once more. ?...What are you doing now??



She lifted her head from that rooftop floor, gazing at that rise in her stomach that so contradicted her way of life. She should hate it, and how it was crippling her. But seeing it accompanied by her hand that spoke nothing but adoration, she had to wonder how she felt.


?A job well done. It is easy to forget sometimes older thinkers will lay down their arms if their leader is subdued.? Helen said, surveying the takeover and the relocating of their supplies into their own possession.

?It never changes, Helen. Cut off the head and the body won't know what to do.? Corea said, walking up with her rifle over her shoulder. Helen smiled seeing her.

?It's Corea.? one of Wong's riflewomen said.

?Miss.. That shot must have been over 7,000 feet. You are an inspiration.? another of the riflewomen said.

Corea blinked at her. ?...Thank you.? before going over to Helen and standing her rifle up. ?..?

?Seven months with all those hormonal imbalances and cravings and you're still the best shot we've got.? letting a pause rest between them, to see if it could survive. Several of them did, so she joined Corea in looking around at the stripping of tapestries and armaments adorn the walls as the capitol was pretty much sacked. ?..........Corea. When are you going to case that weapon? Any more assignments and Miss Wong will be upset you're endangering the life of her unborn child..?

?One shot, Helen... I don't think the jarring from a single shell casing was enough to jeopardize the life of this baby. Nobody died, and Jessica's victory streak gets to continue. Everybody wins.? Corea flashed her old friend a taunting grin before she toted that big rifle back up and this time swung her arm through the strap before walking past her.

Helen bit her own smiling lip, turning to call her back. ?........You know you have got to start thinking for that baby eventually. ? ?

? ? Don't worry. I am.? Corea quipped back just as fast as she had been suggested. She looked on dead ahead, seeing the proceedings of this takeover through to the most aggravating and time-consuming details. 'I am, Helen. This planet is almost won for Wong. And the sooner the fighting ends, the sooner I can consent to bringing this baby into this world.' walking determined.

Nine Days Later...


?Corea... you are going to have to communicate with me better. I realize you are especially tolerant to pain, but... if you could describe to me...? Jessica began, dressed in all white as she walked along Corea's bed being wheeled down a hall by several bioroids.

?It ...hurts.? was her response, squeezing onto her Mistress's hand which the voluptuous Jessica was all too painfully trying to work out of.

?Ahem! If you want to squeeze something ? it had best not be me. Helen! Hold onto my precious Corea's hand for me, would you?? smiling serenely back to her only because she had not wanted to do it.

?........Um. I would rather not be in need of repairs this week.? was Helen's response before Corea hollered out in the ever-recurring and agonizing pain. Everyone looked at her and paused, and this only caused many of the nurses to react to Jessica's pointing to the monitors affixed to her hospital bed while she flipped several pages over the top of a clipboard. It was hectic, and noisy, relaying information and statistics back and forth between them. Corea closed her eyes to concentrate. That was until a hand had taken her own, and flooded a warmth that was not of the coldness of the Wong compound.

She stopped squinting her eyes tightly shut to open them and gaze her green eyes over that swarthy hand that clasped hers. Such presence, such authority. A hand, bandaged tightly around the metacarpus, clearly from a wound of some sort. She traced that hand to a burgundy leather sleeve that thickened to a much larger arm, and finally, the man it belonged to. Such dark hair, like the night. And peering out from under it were green eyes. A soft smile came over the man's lips just as everyone was realizing who it had been, secondly, after Corea.

?You can squeeze my hand.? he said.

That voice, it was as shocking to her as that connection they held and that image she saw. It was Dyarhk. Oh no, this was all wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen, not anywhere, not outside of her dreams. Corea made this decision, to carry this child knowing full and well he was the father, and that she had been conceived with her mistress. What made this unborn infant any different from the other test tube babies that Jessica brought up to work for her? Well, this one had been his; that man's.

Dyarhk had poisoned her. He had demolished Corea's belief structure and presented her with an entirely new one. Jessica's word was law, and it was perfect, because of the power she commanded. But without power, humans and civilizations of all sorts were a frightening place. And being assigned to Dyarhk taught her this and many other things. But most importantly, that there was a power that was always present, and readily summonable in any dire situation, and that power was love.

Love: a word by right should mean no more than its entry in the dictionary; something to be read at face value, it required no further reading. But she would soon find out, by association with the intimacy at which she held her gunmanship, that there were more meanings to the word, more variations than she could have ever imagined. Layers, degrees, types, levels... Dyarhk had poisoned her. Her rifle, which she felt she connected with more than anything else, was now how she interpreted her connection to a human being. Her eyes, which she realized she saw clearer than any other through her scope, were now used to look into and away from the eyes of a man. The sensation right before taking the shot; it was nothing to the expectation, waiting to hear what this man thought of her, felt for her.

?I would like to surrogate for this child..? she spoke up, on that day nine months, one week, and three days ago. Jessica had looked at her. This was unlike her. But she knew their time on Tirraru was ending.

?.....I'll allow it.? Jessica said, with an intrigued look across her smiling lips as she lifted her spectacles back appropriately over her eyes to get back to work. Corea had made her decision. That baby deserved a mother's love through every step of her journey. Did she do it for him? Yes. Did she do it for herself? Yes. Did she do it for the baby? Most importantly, Yes.

?You're going to feel a slight..... there we go.? Jessica said, a smile on her eyes since one was not readable through her doctor's mask. Corea had just finished letting out a big breath of air in that plastic hospital gown. Her glossy pink lips met back together, and she stared into, and then past that overhead light in that hospital room, thinking over her decision.

?We're almost done. I rather approve of this idea, Corea. This ensures a much more natural childbirth for my daughter. And because you are one of my most prized warriors, I can approve of the blending effects your DNA will have on her.?

Corea's brown eyes widened, and she looked over at her. ?What do you mean..??

?My dear Corea, I hope you are not undermining the influence your own hormones and other chemicals will have on this child. With any luck your own perfected traits will pass on and anything recessive of Dark's will fall victim to the survival of the fittest. But all in all I approve of this idea. Just make sure not to stress yourself too much. This is your new assignment.?

?........ ..Yes, Miss Wong.? Corea took another deep breath as the doctors were finishing up. It weighed on her now more than ever, the decision she had made. And later that night, she had questioned it further. Holding onto her elbows by the window gazing out into the coldness of space. Tier 2; it was so populated now. Corea recalled peacefully doing a patrol of a couple of the docking bays before passing through Wong Lobby, crowded, bustling like the airport it was. Imagining for a moment that man she had gone all over the planet with would suddenly round a corner and see her, but she knew that couldn't happen.
Only when she made it to her room, did she slip into remembrance of an earlier time on this enormous hub. A time to before it had opened. A man she cared very much for poured passion out for her through his tears, over-top of her bullet-ridden and dying body. His love thawed the heart of ice that led the attack, and he had ordered a medical unit to save her. She woke next in a bed, not unlike this one she now sat on, felt her hand on. ?.....?

?Every time I've needed medical attention, there you were, beside my bed.? she whispered. A line she had spoken back then before she hugged onto a pillow and curled up in a ball on the bed that night. A line she remembered with peculiarity, holding Dyarhk's hand in that hospital bed what was now waiting for an elevator. She was so shocked to see him here, she hadn't even realized she was indeed squeezing his hand what must have been injured from a fight with some noble cause. Even though he had placed his own hand in the line of fire as it were, she still felt responsible and guilty naturally clenching it.

?... It is not my intention to hurt your hand if I am doing so.? she made sure to get her intention across.

?No. Hurt it. Break my bones if you have to. But I won't be letting go anytime soon.?

Corea gasped, her eyes widened, and she focused on him. Did he mean what he said? What was going on? What was he doing here, when he had so clearly laid his point across those months ago?

?Dark, it's adorable you've come and all. But we need to move her up to check her dilation. Some people actually care about delivering this baby successfully?? Jessica acted as if she was the only one that cared, but got similar responses out of Dyarhk and Corea, the former who outright ignored her, and Corea, who looked at her just to show her mistress that she had been paying attention. The elevator dinged then, averting everyone's attention as they continued on and wheeled the bed inside, the crowd around it following.

?Dark... why ? I hadn't intended for you to see me like this.? she honestly spoke, letting her free arm be taken by a nurse and dabbed by a cotton ball before an intravenous line was made.

?Why? ..Afraid I'd see how bovine you've become?? he warranted a smile, and got one, and a single shot laugh from the pregnant woman who hadn't thought she would have.

?...I am glad to see you.? she sweetly said, covering her luscious lips with that free hand, trying and hide the crying face that was overcoming her. But her eyes swollen with tears looked at him just as telling as that would have been, and it all came forth now. ?How'd you find me??

?Ironeye.? he responded.

?Is that bastard taking care of my planet? I took all the rich minerals already, but I expect him to pay up after all that manual labor collects revenue. Obviously, I can't hang around for that to happen.? Jessica inserted herself, again, into the conversation.

?The planet is his now, Miss Wong. Don't forget the agreement you signed.? Corea looked up at her quickly removing her stethoscope from her ears and draping it around her neck, a little red plush devil doll clinging to the cord.

?Excuse me?? And NOTHING ever leaves my possession. He only thinks he owns it. But he, and you, will realize when the time comes that I return to collect that income. ??

? ? Miss Wong? We need to take her into the room now.? one of the nurses shot out that seemed to have been waiting quite some time to say.

?Go ahead. I'm going to wash up. We're not doing an epidural so tell her she's just going to have to tolerate the pain. I'm not risking any birth defects or complications just so she can take the ride smoother. Don't worry, she's a tough girl.? were the last things Jessica said before pushing through a swinging door to the surgeon's preparation room. Corea sighed.

?I can't believe this is happening...? she covered her face as much as she could with one hand.

?...Corea. What were you thinking?.? Dyarhk said admiring her new blond look as all of the nurses made on their way out after locking her bed in position in the room. Only one nurse remained, and she was connecting the monitors to larger monitors and inspecting those before she too was off briefly. They were alone.

?..I know. I wanted to.? reaching for that hair of hers as well and pinching at it. She wasn't quite sure herself if that had been a good decision abandoning her recognizable red hair for a sunshiny blond. ?I wasn't trying to ? this baby didn't deserve to mature in that lab like I did. She deserved better. She deserved to listen to some pop music. To hear some of our stories ending savagery on the planet. To be loved by someone. Every day.?

?Corea... why didn't you tell me you were carrying her?? Dyarhk sorrowfully looked in her eyes, still holding her hand. The girl ran her thumb over his finger several times, tucking her lips in and welling up tears all over again. ? ? I don't know.? she barely uttered. ? ? because, I didn't want to force you to be apart of my life ? if you wouldn't have me.?

?..? Dyarhk got out of that simple chair beside the bed and towered over Corea, going over her shoulder and feeling the woman beneath him embrace him so suddenly it surprised him. He kissed the side of her head and stroked her hair back in several hurried and hungry combings; combings that were nine months, one week, and three days late. ?You've never had to force me to do anything, remember?? he stayed over her shoulder, but regularly turned to her ear. ?I always acted the fool. It's just my nature. I can take down an opponent, but put me before a gorgeous woman and watch my legs quiver.?

? ? You never faltered.? said simply back to him.

?... No. I didn't. I knew I had too much to lose if I blew it then.? Dyarhk sniffled.

?Then WHY did you leave me at the camp.??? she grabbed hold of him and forced their eyes to meet. Hers needed an answer, and his unwanting to give it.

?..There's another woman in my life, Corea. She didn't just walk by and I whistle. She'd been around before we'd been around. Did that give me any cause to do what I did? ..No. But she needed me, with her city in ruins. And things get complicated from there.?

?....? Corea listened, her sniffling dwindling more and more as she heard some story with body. Some excuse to what he had been doing. Was she hearing what she wanted to? No. But it was something, and something, was better than nothing. But that didn't change the fact of who he was, and what she expected from him. He had a reputation to uphold, and she was going to see he held it. ?..So, what does that mean for us??

?Seiri... I have no right to ask this of you. But everything in my heart is telling me to. That planet I came from ? it's been entirely harvested. And the birth of my daughter rapidly approaches. I'm asking for your grace ? would you welcome another woman into our home??

Seiri bounced her foot over one of those cold, blue, hospital tiles as she recalled that evening in H?yglen.

?It's that woman, isn't it.? Seiri had responded to him. She was not upset, she was not happy, she was not indifferent. She was merely, trying to uncover more of his method.

?That woman..?? he questioned back.

? ? the girl back at the camp. The one you had to leave behind.?

?Yes... that woman.? he said back straightly, just how he imagined she'd like to hear it.

?Do you still care for her..?? she asked him, grabbing his hand, and with it, ensuring he couldn't look away. A lie-detector of sorts. Deep breath, it was starting. Wow.

?Yes.?

?... ? ? she swallowed, deep breathed herself, and then asked her next question. ? ? Do you love her??

?I love you, Seiri... Nothing is going to change that. Ever. My heart doesn't beat unless you tell it so, and that was before I got the Lifestealer.?

? ? Well that's all you needed to say, dumbass. As long as you don't have any plans on leaving me, everything's fine.? she said with a genuine smile.

?You're always so understanding... stop that.? he forced a smile back, reaching for her cheek when his hand was grabbed suddenly, as if being clung to intimately because such a thing was in danger of ever happening again. His serious face came back on. ?...I am not beyond saying I'm selfish. She means a great deal to me. But that woman is special... and I left her in the wrong place. She deserves so much more than a loveless life.?

?And you'll be the one to give her one that is loved?? Seiri checked.

?I have reason to believe Corea's going to play a large part of my daughter's life. A situation arose when I was talking to Ironeye. He said that kid of mine's been busy around Tirraru. After asking him, he told me Corea's carrying the baby.?

?Wait, she's pregnant with your kid?? How the hell did that happen!?? Seiri said with concern.

?I think... maybe she thought my daughter needed a mother. ??

? ? Oh so that's just great.! My mother watched a soap opera like that when I was little, Dyarhk. The main villain did the exact same thing to a sweet guy just so she could f*ck with him.? Seiri warned.

Dyarhk smiled, ?Corea's not like that. I promise. She's so ? selfless, you couldn't imagine. What she did, I know she did for this baby. And she lives under a woman that will use her to whatever end to benefit herself, even her death. We have to change the situation. We have to bring her here.?

Seiri reared her head back, grinning, having just thought of something. ?So that's the way it is, huh? She can't find some other man... it's got to be you.?

?I can't leave her there, Seiri. If you'd be willing to open your heart to her as well and see the good kind of person she is, and most importantly give her a loving place to stay, if you'd do that for me, I'd certainly be in your debt.?

?Psh.? she pursed her lips, looking to the side, and then back. ?You'd be more than indebted to me. Most threesomes the girl isn't even allowed to kiss the man, but you want her to move in. You're just lucky I'm not the jealous type.?

?Really? I mean ? really??

?Dark, I'm fine with it. I want to meet her. 'See what's so ' 'special' ' about her, and above all what she likes in you in the first place. But I just want you to know! ? I'm still here! 'Cause you know ? you had better not leave a good girl like me ? not when she's got one kid to look after, and another on the way!? she started to tear up, but was embraced by the man.

?That's the last thing you've got to worry about. C'mere.? he said, coming to her happiness-emitting face and seeing tears in her eyes.

?And no sex for a week.? Seiri said. And soon they laughed together as they both embraced one another.

Fast-forward, here Dyarhk was, going through with it. Not that Seiri ever doubted it would happen, but being there and doing the thing was so different from anticipating it. How would this change things at home? Would there be favoritism? Would their connection ever be the same? There was a certain level of jeopardy, she felt. But she had to believe he saw this through, and wasn't just saying this. You don't travel across realms and planets for a piece of ass, and not when you've got one as good as hers waiting, or so Seirichi looked at it.
No, this was an invaluable friend, it had to have been. He wouldn't do this for anything less. Seirichi laced her fingers behind her glowing veil of brown hair and looked up to the overhead light, continuing to focus on the emotional bond forged spiritually with her. Not far from where she sat, Dyarhk was with that woman, and she could feel his change in heartbeat and the very emotions he was feeling, if to a smaller degree. She closed her eyes. She trusted him.


?Here we are! A baby girl. And ? red hair??? Corea!! This is all your fault!? Jessica scorned, but seeing Dyarhk's face she wasn't so much intimidated as she was reminded that this was a happy time. ? ? But she is healthy. Here.? Jessica said, handing the infant to her second nurse while simultaneously removing her gloves and untying her apron. ?I've got to get ready for my meeting. Go ahead and give her some pain medication.? said while watching a nurse begin to plunge it through into the pipe system that hung over her bed and would eventually flow into her veins.

?........Here.? one of the nurses handed the baby to Corea, anxiously waiting to receive her which she had found peculiar. Exhausted, the new mother could only sigh with the faintest of smiles from every breath she took. A smile could mean anything. Happy to be a mother, relieved to hear she's healthy, proud she's so beautiful; all these things Corea felt as she looked over the baby. ?...Hello.? she whispered softly down to her. ?Dyarhk... Dyarhk look.!? she said as his hand slid around her, and held her opposite shoulder from him so he could slide partially onto that bed beside her.

?She's beautiful... ..? he said, gazing down at the innocent child. It had been so long since he had seen a newborn. There had been an infant in a stroller on Tirraru, and a woman holding an infant he vaguely recalled here in Rhy'Din. This, was completely different. Nothing could have prepared him for this, and it showed in his face. He was shocked, in awe at the sight of something so beautiful and full of life, and above all else, she was his. That bandaged hand came over her head carefully and was mindful of its presence when only the fingers peeking out from it were what brushed over that little crown of red on her fragile head. ?Her eyes are blue.? he said with an excited smile, finding everything about her fascinating.

?What will her name be?? Corea asked, taking note of the finer details in-front of her: perfecting the baby's blanket after they'd taken her back and cleaned her up, her and his hands both holding her, and the baby finally meeting the face of the woman she'd only heard the voice of for so long.

?..Marissa...? was his response. The missing word in a haiku that was being written by the sea for many years. He seemed to have given it some thought, because when he said it, he looked and sounded sure. Corea looked down to the child, and tested the name.

?Marissa..? Hey... hey this is your father.? she said, handing her to him.

?Huh? What.? Corea I--? Dyarhk was energetically expressing his unsureness of what to do, but it was too late. Holding the infant in his arms, looking down to her and realizing no bomb had gone off, he calmed slightly. But his heart was still racing furiously, and for that, he could not explain why; but could explain who. ?..........And Marissa.? This, is your mother.? he said, to the child, yes, but to what ears that mattered it was also directed at Corea. It had been directed to be heard by anyone and everyone, because that is what he wanted people to know if they ever saw her with this child. Because if anyone asked Dyarhk, he had that front covered to tell them who her mother was very proudly. Corea herself was shocked, and not just because she had given birth, but because of what he had just called her.

She had been considering his proposal, imagining herself at his home with this other woman. At the very best, she saw herself switching one servant role for another, only in this one she would be able to stay close to Marissa. Jessica was the mother of the child, or so she believed until he had called her the mother. What did this mean? If he was the father, and she the mother, did that make them her parents? Did that make them together? ?....Dyarhk, what are you saying??

His smile calmed to a plain seriousness for decreeing truths and indisputable words. ?You carried this child, you loved her and nurtured her every day. You gave birth. You did all the work!? he closed his eyes, looking away. ?It's only right you get to be one she calls her mother.?

?.....Oh no, Miss Wong would not approve.? she looked down to the infant again as she found herself doing so much.

?Jessica will be apart of her life. But you will be a bigger part.? he eased her back into the instinctual cradle of Corea's arms.

?.... ? ?

?She's got to be brought up, and it can't be done alone. And I would see you there every second for every moment of it..?

?... .? she blinked, looking at him and then looking down to Marissa and processing, no, ?imagining? this like he had suggested it. It was beautiful, but it was hole-filled. There was still another woman for which none of this was explained. ?...Dyarhk, what of Seirichi? The woman you spoke of??

?Cuuuuuuuuuuuute!~? Seirichi said, crossing the distance from the door over to the bed. Corea blinked seeing her come up. The woman from the camp that so suddenly changed the involvement of Dyarhk and thusly Wong, in the invasion of Rhy'Din. Seiri gripped the adjustable railing on the hospital bed and looked over at the infant, hypnotized by her beauty. ?She is precious... Can I hold her?? she looked up to Corea, who, looked to Dyarhk as if seeking his permission. He shrugged, wide-eyed and held out his empty hands to her saying it was her decision; her opportunity to get to know her; to see if they were capable of friendship.

?..... ..? Corea handed Marissa to her carefully, being taken in Seirichi's hurried but loving arms. A reach out of worry from Corea that was quickly withdrawn once she saw she was in safe hands. ?..Her name is Marissa.?

?Marissa.?? she stared into the bright blue eyes of the baby, showing her-her beautiful smile. ?Hey Marissa... ? ? she looked up and to Corea. ?You know I have a son.? You don't know how relieving it is going to be to have someone else in the house to talk girl talk with. ? ?

?Girl... talk?? Corea asked, watching her and keeping her eyes on Marissa.

? ? Yeah. This big guy just doesn't get it.? an up-nod to Dyarhk who waved his bandaged hand that Corea had squeezed.

?Why would I.?? he muttered.

?We have a bed and a crib made for you and the baby... When did the doctor say you can leave.?? Seirichi asked to Dyarhk's removing himself of the conversation.

?..That is just what I'm going to go find out.? he stared angrily through that door outside, leaving a loving touch of fingers on the foot of Corea's bed which she took note of before he walked off, a hand coming to each Seirichi's shoulder and Marissa's head before he crossed the room and went out the door. Seirichi looked back to the door automatically closing. ?... ? .!? coming back to Corea and approaching her bedside, showing her a display of emotion from the infant she had not likely seen yet. Happiness showed both their faces.

The walk back was a much shorter one. There were not so many worries now. Dyarhk questioned how things had gone so smoothly; how he had remained so calm, how she had been so cooperative, and how brief it had been. Perhaps, he thought, she was thinking for her daughter in the end. His hand pushed open that door, and what he saw inside initially unnerved him, seeing a giant figure clothed in black and other dark colors. It was Havelast.

?Have ? Your Highness, what are you doing here.?? Dyarhk asked, coming up to stand beside him and Seirichi gathered around Corea in the bed.

The King smiled warmly for him upon seeing him enter and welcomed him with a hand to his shoulder in a hugging motion. ?You do not think I would miss this day you counted down every day to, now do you.?? he asked, which had surprised both Dyarhk and Corea that he had done that.

?Geez, I didn't bother you that much, did I?? and the two men laughed following a ?Sshhh.!? from Seirichi. Marissa, was sleeping.

Corea's face was not so cordial. It was worrisome, ?What did Miss Wong say?? she asked.

?..Pack your things.? he smiled.

Seiri and Havelast both cheered in their own way,

?Allh-right.!?

?Wooo!?

Corea's eyes saddened and she smiled to him, already unconsciously training in holding the baby just right. Havelast sighed, drawing attention towards the gift that he had brought. ?I suppose we should bust into this at a later time, then.? gripping the bow-wrapped bottleneck of a fat-bottomed honey wine.

A hand placed itself onto Havelast's shoulder. ?That time's not far away at all, my friend. Will you be coming with us?? Dyarhk asked.

A small smile formed on the King of Adenna's lips. ?Unfortunately I cannot stay long. The throne's demanding right now while the city adjusts to the end of the war and its first proper king and queen rule in some time. But I wanted to be sure to congratulate you. She's a beautiful baby girl.?

Corea smiled. ?Thank you.?

?Lots of rest, both of you,? Havelast pointed to Corea holding the baby, then turned to Dyarhk. ?You make sure they're comfortable all hours, day and night.? he laughed, ?Seiri, I'll see you around.? he winked and headed out into the hall before he looked briefly left and right and stood there a moment. It was not long until he was on his way. Being the Jr. Sales Associate that he was for Wong he had quite an authority in the complex. Getting out of Jessica's contracts were a little hairier than Dyarhk getting out, but he would make do. Jessica didn't want an Adennian war on her hands, she couldn't profit from it.

Dyarhk stood beside Corea and joined her in looking to this rare image of Corea holding an infant; an image that would lose its rarity as more time went on. This was the time of that great change. ?Well now, I'll go make the arrangements. We can be out of Rhydin before nightfall. I'll try my best.?

?Are you going to be able to walk?? Seiri asked, a peculiar look to her drip that was running intravenously to her beside her bed.

Corea nodded, ?I should be able to when he gets back. Though, the medicine is strong.?

?You're getting out of here, C orea, if I have to carry you.? he smiled, ?All this, it's over. Nothing but wonderful things await you. You'll see.? giddy almost there in the doorway, he left, then came back with a wave, having forgotten to do so. ?Bye!? he left again, but came back. ?I'll be back!? he left again, officially.

A look of agitation on Seiri's face but it quickly left with Corea's small bout of laughter at it. The infant in her arms, too many things were too sweet about this for Seiri to get bothered by anything so trivial.

?Is there anything I can get you?? Seiri asked, wanting to make herself useful, but more than that, she wanted to busy herself with something besides this awkward silence in this situation she had no clue how to behave in. Funny enough, Corea was just as unsure.

?Um... I'm really okay right now. But if you would like, you could help me pack a few of my things. I do not have many belongings; not many that I will be taking with me.? she pointed her hospital-braceleted hand to the chair and dresser at the back of the hospital room.

Seiri looked to it and walked over noticing a few things, one being some very fine jewelry, a hair brush and some clothes. Nothing in particular that stuck out, except for a framed photograph in the desert of her and Dyarhk. Seiri wasn't sure how to respond to the picture. It was a fine setting, indeed. But jealousy set in, and of all the items she was slowly placing into Corea's bag on the chair against the wall, the photograph took the most time to enter it.

?Seiri?? Corea asked. ?Is everything alright?? looking over to her while she held the baby ever so closely. Seiri stalled to say something, anything, but she didn't know what. Corea spoke up again, not giving her that chance. ?I wanted to thank you... for having me over. I know this is a lot to ask of you. I don't know what the situation is myself. But... I hope we become good friends. I wouldn't want to intrude into your home if it was not okay with you.?

Seiri listened this whole time refusing to interrupt until right then. A quick shake of her head, and a forced but important smile to get across. ?No. You are most welcome. It is not just my home. I do not have the only say-so. But even if I did, I know enough of your situation to know there's only one thing that makes sense. That baby needs to be around her father, and her mother needs to be around both of them.?

Corea stared wide-eyed at everything she was saying, disbelieving of the compassion she was showing. ?You are sure it is okay with you??

Seiri smiled, ?I do not think you will be a problem, Corea. You haven't seen the Dearing's house, have you? It's huge.?

Corea sighed. That was not what she wanted to hear, but it had been positive. How to turn this into something they wanted to do instead of something they had to. It was a problem, a real problem. At least until Seiri spoke up next, finishing folding that blue top of Corea's over her chest; it was complete.

?Corea, can you cook?? she asked.

Corea blinked several times with surprise before she read the woman's own stare that gradually turned into a smile, something her own lips soon did. A common ground had been discovered.