Hi guys! I´m back. I´ve been having a bit of a writer´s block: I started this story back in January and it is up to some minutes ago that I brought myself to finish it. It isn´t that good but I hope you can at least enjoy it during these quarantine times.

Again, I´m not a native speaker of English so I apologize for mistakes I might have made.

I hope you enjoy this

Of labyrinths and escapades: The Black Bulls base

A Black Clover fanfiction

It was almost lunchtime when Finral finally grew tired of the squad being an inch close to bringing the building down: he couldn´t wait until Yami came and destroyed the premises himself. In fact, the space magic had been waiting for it. But their captain was nowhere to be seen. They all had woken up late because Asta, whose favorite -though unconscious- job was bringing everyone out of their slumber with his loud training every morning, was out on a "mission" with Noelle and his friends from the Golden Dawn squad: the night before, before he went to bed, Finral had taken his fellow colleagues to the headquarters of said squad and then came back. Asta´s absence had given them the chance of sleeping past six in the morning. At the same time, Asta was the only one brave enough to venture near Yami´s chamber to wake him up: their captain was a heavy sleeper and always woke up turned into a moody monster. The man himself, however, had instructed Asta to wake him up at a specific time, only to threaten the poor kid with killing him for doing his job. With Asta gone, they all had the chance to sleep a few more hours before wreaking havoc and Yami had gotten the chance to keep sleeping for as long as he wanted.

Finral wondered if his captain was still asleep or had gone out: as heavy as his sleep was, Yami was used to getting up somewhat early, without mentioning he had a ravenous appetite so sleeping through breakfast and, least likely, through lunch was highly impossible for his captain. Finral decided Yami had to be out; none of his comrades could confirm they had seen the man leaving their base, though. In fact, they hadn't seen their captain after he went to bed early the night before. Out of the blue, Finral realized, Yami would sometimes go to bed earlier than he was used to, saying he was getting old and needed rest. Had he been going to bed early and also waking up late? At the current time, Finral chose to believe his captain had left the premises before anyone could notice: he wasn't too keen on risking his life waking the man up if, in fact, he was still asleep. In any case, if Yami was really out, it was strange because his captain would seldom go anywhere by his own means: he had Finral to take him everywhere. But, again, hadn't Yami been away on his own a little bit much in the last few months?

Finral shrugged the thought off: he wasn't his captain´s babysitter. The man could do whatever he damn pleased. So he joined the other Black Bulls in the hall and ate his lunch. To his bad luck, however, right after he finished his last bite a magic envelope from the Magic Emperor fell into the hall they were in. It was a hunch, but it seemed it was quite an urgent matter. Such envelopes were meant to be opened only by the captain of each squad and, in their absence, by the vice-captain. Thing was, the Black Bulls had no vice-captain. And, at the moment, they didn't have a captain, either. Gray, however, said she had heard some snoring coming from their captain´s room: he was in the base. Finral then asked who volunteered to go and wake him up to inform him of the message. Silence and dread filled the room and, a heartbeat later, the space magic was left alone with the letter.

It was beyond description how much Finral was shaking with fear as he approached his captain´s room. True to Gray´s word, he could hear some snoring and Yami being asleep at that hour meant he was completely wasted, up for a headache and with one hell of an attitude. Where Asta was when he was needed the most? Swallowing a big lump of fear and crying because he didn't have the chance to marry the love of his life, Finral knocked on the door. Once, then twice. But there was no answer.

He started feeling uneasy.

"Hmm, Yami-san? Are you there?", when he opened his mouth, adrenaline came running through his veins and, finally giving up on his will to live, Finral spoke so fast he barely made sense "YAMI-SAN! The Magic Emperor has sent a letter and, you know, only captains can open them… and you know, right? Of course, you do. Because you are the captain and all and… you see, Yami-san. It seems quite an urgent matter and it would be nice if you could, you know, wake up and not kill me"

No answer.

He felt –sensed, rather- the faintest stir. It was obvious Yami was there. So, after some seconds, Finral knocked on the door as hard as he could, several times, while calling his captain´s name. And then he thought Yami had finally come to his senses, as he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. Well, he had done it: he had woken his captain up. Now he was done for.

"What is it, Finral? I´ve got a monumental… hangover. This better be important", Yami growled after some seconds that seemed to be an eternity. The space mage detected uneasiness in his captain´s voice instead of pure rage. Was that also nervousness and anxiety that he had heard?

"Well, we just got a letter from the Magic Emperor and it seems quite urgent. Since you are the only one supposed to read it and Asta´s not around, I came here to…", he trailed off not only because he was hesitant on how to go on but also because he had noticed whispering and noises from inside the room as if there was some pacing around. Some frantic pacing around, to be specific.

Yami didn't answer.

"Yami-san, are you alright? Shall I come in?"

"DON´T EVEN DARE, FINRAL", Yami yelled and Finral was already halfway down the hallway when Yami continued, "I´ll be at the hall in a minute. Have my breakfast ready or I´ll kill you!"

But Yami-san, was Finral´s last thought as he ran for his life, it´s lunchtime!

Charlotte had always been a daring woman: she was always up for a good challenge. A dangerous mission? She was down for it. A tough battle opponent? Bring them on. She was no damsel in distress and no one was to look her down upon. Since a very young age, she had gained fame for her battle prowess and her power. It was the reason why she would proclaim "The battlefield is my only lover". Without a shadow of a doubt, however, the most challenging adventure she had ever faced was dating no other than Yami Sukehiro, the Destruction God and the one man who stood now right next to the battlefield as her only lovers. It had taken her years and years to admit her feelings for the dumb brute, only to find out he had felt exactly the same and that their hesitation had held them back from being happy together. Now, though, she felt like nothing could bring them apart. Still, nobody knew about their relationship. Most of the things that had led them in the past to hesitate about confessing to each other their feelings were now preventing them from revealing their relationship to everybody else. They were happy on their own, but their secret relationship still presented some challenges for them. Meeting was the greatest.

And as soon as she became aware of the banging on Yami´s bedroom door she realized they were about to get discovered.

Meeting, again, always brought them a dilemma: her place or his? An inn in the middle of nowhere or near the castle? They were sneaky, yes. But it was always hard to decide where to meet. At first, they had decided he would visit her at her mansion: it seemed like the best place to meet because he would usually come to the capital to gamble, to visit his mentor or as the Black Bulls captain for a meeting and thus no one would suspect. Not only that: she knew certain spots within the Roselei domains that were lovely and special to hide. However, the best course of action worked but quickly fell short because Yami was always disposed to see her, even if it meant breaking in; literally breaking in: Charlotte once found him about to smash his fist through a wall when all the ways in were closed and he had lost his patience. Had she been a second late, Yami would have burst his way through to scandal and revelation. So, it was really risky for them to meet at her place, though they once in a while still meet there. They had almost been caught several times, too. To be exact, most of the time, they barely managed to get away with their escapades. Just barely.

So, they moved into their next option: somewhere within the capital. Luckily, for the most part, they met during the night and their chance of being caught significantly reduced and it gave them privacy: they were both very careful about their private matters and their secret rendezvouses led them to work the extra mile to guarantee they were completely alone. However, in any case, the two of them were famous enough to be easily recognized everywhere, during the day or during the night, Charlotte especially. It meant they had to meet briefly, often arriving late because someone had recognized them in the way and had forced a conversation on them which they couldn't slip out from soon enough. And they had to be extra careful about not being followed: after all, why were they out in the streets so late at night? And why so often? Much too soon, the overwhelming sensation of getting caught anytime started wearing down on them.

Then, meeting somewhere far away from her place and from the capital became their primary option: it would be a matter of pure bad luck to run into someone of one them –or they both- knew. So they planned a few escapades. But somewhere far away from everything and from everyone also meant they wouldn't be able to meet as often because they couldn't manage to get away from their duties regularly and much less could stay away from them for long. Yami could, as he gave missions away to his shenanigans and was involved only when it was strictly necessary, but Charlotte and her strict personality, always in the first line of action, couldn't make up an excuse as to why she would be absent: she did get away with it once and even twice but it caused her impeccable reputation to crumble a little so goody-two-shoes Nozel suggested she was becoming "foreigner and commoner-like". He had full intention of offending her, without imagining the actual commoner foreigner was the reason she had been nowhere to be seen. Luckily, no one connected the dots when both Yami and she had been MIA and if they did, they had shrugged the thought off.

The only place left was… his place. But he didn't have a house: he only had the Black Bulls base, which meant his kids were around… all of them. It was his home, obviously and Charlotte understood that the link that kept Yami´s squad together was really strong -to the point they resembled a dysfunctional but loving family- and she actually found their relationship adorable but… they weren't the most discrete kids around. She was one of the least captains who would be up to a social call, and therefore she had no reason to show up at the Black Bulls base. Especially not by herself. Just being somewhere near would be a great deal. Yami agreed, but he had sorted it all out: she needed to fly to his base during the night and he would ask one of his kids –Henry- to set up a specific entrance for her in the back of the building. He would meet her in Henry´s room and then they would wander around the forest that surrounded the base and would come back in when everyone was asleep. The antimagic kid rose up early every single day to train, so his screams would alert them before the other ones were up and she could go back home sneaking out of the mansion using the same setup entrance, while he was distracting Asta. Henry was rarely visited in his room and she could still hide under the bed or in the closet if someone was to come in and the other kid was just clueless and would never suspect a thing. Yami had said he would need to wake up early, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant she could stay over.

Well, she had thought, they had survived their escapades at the capital and at her own house, how hard would it really be to trick the Black Bulls? Their captain knew them better than anyone else in the world and he was the one setting the whole thing up.

"You have been thinking about this, have you not?", she had asked him after he had given her all the details.

"For a while", he had answered, "I want you to get used to the base. It might go down as the only place we could meet"

At the time, she couldn't have imagined what getting used to the base actually meant.

"So, you are telling Henry? About us?"

"It would only be fair to do so if he´ll help us out. But it´s fine, he won´t tell a soul. You´ll like him, Charlotte, I promise. He´s the only sensible member I´ve got".

Yami´s plan seemed thoughtful and, to her later dismay, she had believed it was.

Charlotte arrived a little after sunset, as planned, only to find the Black Bulls were gathered up around a fire outside the main entrance, so it was easier for her to go in without being detected. There was a door right on the back of the base, as promised. It was her first time going in: she had stopped by a few times but had stayed outside the building every single time. Having never been inside the Black Bulls base before, Charlotte had no idea the whole place had been rearranged to make the secret entry for her. Or that it rearranged itself every single day. The building, as on itself, was majestic but she couldn't appreciate much of the inside as she started walking through a dark passage with no windows or doors. Yami had told her the place was a former mansion but their occupants had abandoned it, leaving a precious someone behind. It wasn't very long until she was standing before a door she didn't hesitate to knock on. A febrile voice had told her to come in and then she met the precious someone that had been forgotten by his parents.

Henry was a total sweetheart. After the Magic Emperor, Henry became the second person to become aware of her relationship with Yami. The Blue Rose captain soon noticed how much Henry appreciated his captain and his friends, though for the most part he was prostrated in bed. It made her sad because Henry was so young and pure-hearted…and an evil curse had prevented him from living his life to the fullest. Having been cursed herself, she easily befriended him. As Yami had promised, she liked him very much. He told her about his curse and his relationship with the other Black Bulls, so Charlotte convinced him to go and share the meal with his friends. She assured him she didn't mind waiting for Yami all alone.

An hour or so later, hunching everyone was outside, Charlotte went looking for a bathroom. Sensing mana, she convinced herself that indeed no one was inside the base. Unless Asta decided to make a sudden appearance, she was safe. She started wandering around, looking for the bathroom and admiring the place at the same time: some areas were a total mess, but some others were decent enough. She liked the base, actually. Soon, however, she gave up about the bathroom and decided to go back to Henry´s room. But she hadn't expected the place to be as humongous as it actually was, so she had forgotten to keep track of every turn she had taken and, therefore, was very lost. She took a seat while she decided what to do. Out of the blue, she became aware of footsteps. A sudden wave of panic rushed to her. Luckily, it was only Yami, with a plate in his hands. He led her to the bathroom and, on the way, he would point to doors that led to the hall, the bathhouse, to bedrooms… until they reached the bathroom. This time she made sure to remember everything. He kept walking and told Charlotte his room was down the hallway, so she could meet him there and eat what he had brought. Outside, the Black Bulls were screaming, laughing and fighting and Charlotte knew they were happy. Even Yami had a content smile plastered on his face.

It had been several weeks since they had seen each other and they spoke about their doings while she was eating. From time to time, the building would shake, or smoke would fill their nostrils and it gave them reasons to laugh. Charlotte thought she could get used to that and, in the back of her mind, she felt bad for keeping Yami away from the fun his kids provided. She even wished she could join them or to at least watch from a close distance and not take only peeks at them from the windows. So, the conversation about going public came once again but the ability of the Black Bulls for secrecy still made Charlotte uneasy; Yami promised he would threaten them to kill them if they spoke a word. Such conversation was souring the mood and they decided to sort it out another time.

They went outside the building a little before the others went to bed and did some walks in the nearby forest. By the time they were back, it was late already and everyone was sleeping. The whole building was in silence. Charlotte and Yami went to bed, but sleep came for them much later on, as they were engaged in other activities that kept them awake. The reason they hadn't met in weeks was the absurd numbers of missions they had to be part of, without a single chance of working together. And having a bit of a late-night didn't exactly help to conceal the fatigue they both felt. But, well, sleeping -and doing more than sleep- in each other´s arms always rejuvenated them.

However, they had been worn out. With Asta gone –something they had totally missed out- and being exhausted, Yami and Charlotte had slept through half of the day. Charlotte had been the first one to acknowledge the knocking on Yami´s room and was mentally preparing to quietly slip out when she realized a more mature voice than Asta´s was calling her lover´s name and saying something she couldn't understand. She stirred in his arms and shook Yami´s shoulder.

"Yami", she said, trying not to doze off, "Someone´s here"

"It´s just the little booger", he groaned.

"It´s not him, I believe"

They were about to doze off again when a loud knock startled them. It was followed by other knocks that soon turned to a frantic banging in the door. She shot her eyes open, only to be completely blinded by the midday light that was a far cry from the tenuous morning light she was supposed to see before leaving the base. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. She felt a pit in her stomach and her heart sank. She and Yami stared at each other in realization.

"What time is it?", she jumped out of bed, searching for her clothes.

"I don't have the slightest idea. But, damn. I guess it´s really late"

"What happened to Asta? You said he wakes up early every morning"

"It´s beyond me. But I ain´t kidding when I say I´ll kill that twerp as soon as I get hold of him"

"If it isn't him, who´s that at the door, then?", she was starting to freak out. Yami didn't seem that recollected, either.

"What is it, Finral?", he answered loudly while she was getting dressed, "I´ve got a monumental… hangover. This better be important"

The someone out at the door, now that Charlotte knew who it was, went on to say there was an urgent letter that needed to be read. Great, just great. Perfect timing: they slept through the morning and now there was a pressing matter to attend to. From the Magic Emperor himself, which meant there was a very same letter in her room, at the house she was meant to be at. A house that certainly had taken notice of her absence.

"What are we going to do? I need to get out of here, right away. But they all must be up already: they will see me! Do you have a broom? I left mine outside and the fall would probably break my legs if I jump out the window, so I can´t fly my way out. And I need to go back to my squad. If there´s an emergency meeting or a mission and I´m not there…", she said, pacing around the room.

"Charlotte", Yami grabbed her shoulders, "Calm down. Breathe, we will figure it out… Eventually."

But Finral spoke, after knocking once again.

"Yami-san, are you alright? Shall I come in?"

Her heart skipped a beat

"DON´T EVEN DARE, FINRAL".

And then the space mage was gone. The two of them were now alone, again. Charlotte fell on complete defeat in the bed. Yami could see all the gears inside her head spinning very fast: his own mind was in no different state. Asta was a goner, for sure. Where could he be? The annoying brat never missed a training day, absolutely never. The base remained silent during the early mornings only when the annoying brat was gone. In any case, Charlotte was a more urgent matter at the moment, because she was freaking out. Yami put on some clothes and stared out the window.

"I think you should stay", he said while lighting a cigarette, "it will be easier to sneak you out at night. I can get you a broom, but Charmy is outside, looking after her vegetables: she´ll probably see you flying out of this room, which is bad since this is my room. She might not connect the dots, but she´ll ask the others and someone will figure it out. Same if one of them catches the smallest glimpse of us"

"I knew this was a bad idea all along. I should have never come", she answered, only half-listening to him.

"It ain´t that bad", he replied, sitting by her side in the bed, "I mean, we still haven't got caught"

"I know, but there´s the letter. If there´s a captains´ meeting, what will we do? How will I leave, in any case?"

"We can still stick to the original plan, you know? Only that I have to distract the whole squad this time. Are you down for it?"

"How will you do it? It won´t be as easy to convince me as last time was, though"

"You´re right. I still need to find out why the little booger didn't show up. To be honest, though, I´m starving and I can´t think straight on an empty stomach. I´ll go down, read the letter and bring something for you to eat. If it is indeed an urgent matter, we´ll come up with a plan for you to leave right away. If it isn't, maybe you could stay longer?"

Charlotte agreed though she was thinking that, if they managed to get away from their current predicament, she still needed to come up with an excuse for her family and her squad. When Yami left, she took a peek outside the window. There was a small but well taken care of orchard and a little child with several fluffy sheep working there. Charmy, she thought. Yami had gifted her cupcakes Charmy had baked and Charlotte´s heart had been won over by the small chef and the Blue Rose captain intended to ask her to teach her to cook. If there –ever- came the chance.

It was about half an hour later that Yami came back. And with food: she was starving. As she ate, Yami explained why their original plan had backfired: Asta was indeed gone: he left during the night for his village. He and his childhood friend, Yuno, planned to visit their friends and asked Vangeance to cover for them as a mission assigned to the Golden Dawn, which he did: he had written Yami a letter requesting him to allow Asta to accompany Yuno on his way to Hage. Noelle tagged along and had told the truth to Finral while he was taking them to William´s base. Finral was given the letter on his way back and he had left it in the main room since Yami "was" already in bed. Finral, trying to get his captain to not kill him for waking him up, threw his friends under the bus and spilled the beans to Yami. Talk about bad timing, the Black Bulls captain had thought with a poker face as he took the details in.

"In any case," he said to Charlotte as he ended the recollection of the events "I´m gonna kill the little booger as soon as he comes back. Noelle as well. I can´t believe their gut: I´m still not sure whether I should feel impressed or offended, because they aren't exactly… bright. Probably the idea came from that stupid fresh-faced pretty boy, though. He needs a good ol´ chewing out, but the golden chicken headed masked man is behind this as well, so I ain´t counting on it"

"What about the other letter? The one from the king?"

"It´s just the invitation to the Star Awarding Festival next month. Nothing to worry about, Charlotte."

She breathed her frustration out. Now, she just needed to come up with an excuse for her squad and her family. And leaving Yami´s base first. He went on to tell her everyone was curious about his monumental hangover since he had gone to bed early. Well, he sure wasn't the brightest tool in the shed but he was a real master at lying, so he told them he had given them an excuse to fly out of his window to go gambling, as he had been doing for the past several months (they didn't need to know he left to meet with the Blue Rose captain). No doubt, however, Magna had been hurt for not being invited. The rest of the squad bought it without an incident, though Charlotte found his excuse totally lame. Only Finral had asked about the whispering and the pacing in his room.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I was whispering how I would smash his skull open for waking me up. No need to say a thing after that"

She laughed and he smiled at her.

"You need to go back to them. Otherwise, they will start to wonder why you are still here. You don´t normally lock yourself in your room, do you?"

"No, but if you´re in said room, I just might"

Yami kissed her and left the room. He said he was going to distract his squad, so she should be able to leave right away. Minutes later, Yami –she peeked out the window again- had gone to Charmy, followed by everyone else in the building. As soon as Yami said something about payday, vacations and money, all the Black Bulls cheered and a pandemonium began: alongside the letter, the Emperor had sent everyone their money and all the Black Bulls were beyond excited. Their captain, however, only looked up and met Charlotte´s eyes: it was her chance to leave. She had to be quick, though. In the back of her mind, she suppressed the thought of Yami being quite mean. In a heartbeat, while fixing her clothes and hair, she recalled her adventure inside the place the day before, so she made sure she remembered her way out without getting lost: some several turns, a couple of stairs, quite a short distance straight ahead in the dark and she would found herself leaving by the same door she had gone in. She furrowed her brow as she suddenly remembered Yami mentioning he wanted her to get used to the base: the place was humongous, yes, but some quick directions and she would be totally familiar with it. Had he thought she was so clueless as to be unable to find her way inside a residence similar to hers?

As soon as she opened the door and started running, however, Charlotte Roselei understood what her lover had meant all along.

Her head throbbed as soon as she smacked herself into a wall. She bounced back and fell flat to her ass. At first, she had thought she had run into someone but no, there was a wall where there wasn't one the day before. A wall that seemed quite big now that she was staring at it from the floor in disbelief. She went over the details she had gathered while Yami gave her the tour and the "route" they followed when they sneaked back in after the squad went to bed, but in reverse: several turns, some stairs and a short distance walking straight ahead in the dark. There wasn't a dead-end right next to Yami´s door: she left his room and turned right, the same direction they had come from the day before. Then, how? It felt like she had been moved to another building.

Charlotte stood up and swallowed a big lump of indecision: if she went back to Yami´s room and waited for his return (or until he noticed her peeking again out the window), she would probably have to wait until night came to be able to sneak out; if she decided to venture by herself, again she might find herself at a complete loss. Since she didn't know the whole building had changed, the Blue Rose captain thought she had made a mistake and decided to go a little further to check she wasn't completely in the wrong. She remembered Henry´s door was a little different from others and that she needed to pass by it before leaving so finding it became her goal. His room was far from Yami´s, she recalled, so she needed to go slow to make sure she had only forgotten about the dead end. She kept telling herself she had gotten things mixed up because she had been around during the night: now, on broad light, she was seeing things she didn't notice the day before.

Poor, poor Charlotte.

She followed the directions she had gathered and everything seemed fine until the short distance going straight ahead in the dark (now on broad light) brought her to the dining hall. Had she taken a wrong turn? Her heart was running wild and the thought of anyone walking in on her wandering around the base made her sweat. She ran all her way back to Yami´s room, but the anxiety she felt and the fear of getting caught confused her to the point that, just when she was about to take a turn that would take her to Yami´s room, she went exactly the opposite way. She started losing her cool as she thought she was running in circles: her cheeks were tainted red due to her frantic running, her palms were sweating and she wanted to scream. She wondered how, in a place so big, there seemed to be no windows she could jump out from and how she hadn't come to realize it before. Charlotte kept trying to go back to Yami´s room or to reach his exclusive bathroom (it would be awkward to hide in such place and even worse the situation that would bring him in, but if he were to find her then so be it) and to her own disgrace, she reached the very place Yami hadn't brought her to and the very one he had forgotten to mention: the dungeon. It was the darkest place so far and Charlotte started feeling uneasy because of the eerie sounds coming from it. She felt like turning back but curiosity got the best out of her, so she kept going. A sudden breeze of air dimmed the light coming from some torches and she drew back in fear, only to collide with what seemed to be some cell bars. She didn't have long to wonder as something growled right into her ears. She turned around and came face to face to some beasts staring down at her, growling menacingly. She froze. They plunged into the bars to reach her, but abruptly stopped and started sniffing her. As soon as they sniffed her neck, the beasts started wagging their tails and stopped growling. To Charlotte, they were like little puppies. But why would they want to eat her one minute and befriend her the following one? Then, it hit her: she hadn't taken a shower and she had snuggled with Yami: they were smelling his essence in her. She sheepishly patted their heads, breathing her frustration out. But her sudden wave of happiness and calmness was broken as soon as she heard some screams mentioning "dungeon" and "beasts", followed by oncoming loud steps: the Black Bulls had heard the growling and barking and were coming to check in on the beasts.

Oh, no.

There was no other exit aside from the door she had used to come in. So Charlotte panicked and, in a split second, she made a decision and mentally apologized to Yami´s kids: she opened the gate and set the beasts free to use them as distractions. They growled excitedly and ran away quickly as she stayed behind. From what she could hear, they had stomped over one or two Black Bulls who started following shortly after. Outside, screams that announced Yami´s beasts were roaming free could be heard as the ground trembled because of the beasts running around. Charlotte could also hear Yami´s annoyed voice threatening his underlings with killing them if his puppies weren't caught. She started running again, looking for a window or something that would let her outside. She had no idea where she was going but, at some point, for the second time in a day, she smacked herself against a hard structure. This time, to her luck, it was Henry´s door. She was close to the exit. She quickly opened the door, asked for the directions to the way out and said goodbye to the occupant of the room, without realizing he was partly to blame for her current distress. He told her she had to go straight ahead and she would be outside in no time: her broom should still be there and, given everyone was either chasing the beasts or running for their lives, they wouldn't notice her leaving. She started walking and caught her breath, relaxing a little and sighing a small sigh of relief.

As soon as she noticed the open door, she felt as if the heaviest burden had left her shoulders. Charlotte had never felt as victorious as she did just then as if she had survived the most dangerous of missions. A silly smile crept up her face and she congratulated herself for having managed to dodge that bullet. She kept walking with a calm heart and she could already see the forest outside. At the same time, she was cursing Yami for not mentioning the dungeon: had she taken a shower, the beasts might have eaten her. It had been a mere chance of luck they hadn't devoured her, though she had been forced to dodge their drooling. And she was fuming over the fact that the whole building seemed to have changed in its entirety and Yami hadn't felt like sharing such important information. She couldn't stay mad for long, however. She kept smiling because she had survived after all. She had managed to sneak in and out without being caught and she had managed to solve the labyrinth the Black Bulls base was. Moreover, Charlotte was happy she had had the chance of spending quality time with Yami and, indirectly, with his squad. She looked after meeting her lover again and maybe, just maybe, visiting the base again if he made sure Asta would wake them up on time and if Yami led her on the way out. Yes, she had completely lost her mind running around but now that she was about to leave she decided it had been a fun experience.

Charlotte reached the entrance. As she lifted one of her feet to finally step outside, a sudden shiver crept up her back and all her hairs stood on end. She remembered something along the lines of "walking over one´s grave", which had never made sense up until that moment. She turned around in terror and her heart was caught in her throat when she saw a slender, pale man with large black circles around his red eyes mumbling something in her direction. A heartbeat later, she took in the robe he was wearing and recognized him as one of Yami´s underlings.

No, no, no. NO.

She had gotten caught at the very last minute!

This man kept mumbling and Charlotte thought he was addressing her but, for the life of her, she couldn't understand a single word coming from him, because of his low voice but also thanks to the noise the other Black Bulls were making chasing their captain´s pets. All the blood rushed to her face and she wanted to come up with an excuse and fell short. For some reason, though, she understood he said "…tea after captain Yami´s pets are caught?" and the final intonation of it the hinted to the Blue Rose captain he was inviting her to stay. Again, she decided to use the beasts as an excuse.

"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I was just coming back from a mission when these beasts came out of nowhere and I had used too much power, so I decided to find shelter before I could fight them. As soon as I get a little rest, I will be leaving. I´m sorry for the intrusion"

She got closer –real, real close- to the man and he mumbled again but this time she understood what he said.

"It´s no intrusion: you are a good friend of captain Yami looking for a place to rest. I just heard some footsteps and I thought someone was trying to leave the base in a hurry taking advantage of the commotion, but I guess it was you coming in to hide from our captain´s pets"

He hadn't seen her leaving after all! She internally screamed with joy. And he had just thrown her a lifeline! Charlotte was beyond thankful. Suddenly, she liked this guy, though, for the most part, she couldn't understand what he was saying. He kept mumbling and she decided to nod whenever she half understood what he was saying. It went on for several minutes until the noise stopped and she realized she had little time to leave before the chance of getting caught increased.

"I´ll be taking my leave now. Just forget you saw me: if Yami finds out I got scared of his pets, I will never live this down. Would you do that for me? Maybe I could come for tea some other time"

Gordon agreed and waved her goodbye as she flew away as if her life depended on it. By the genuine smile this man gave her, full of hope and the gesture of him as if making a promise, Charlotte thought she had gotten caught by someone who wouldn't tell on her because he hadn't understood the real reason she was there. She was at ease but that encounter left her not completely sure she would ever go back to the Black Bulls base, which then offered the possibility of calling her relationship to Yami quits.

She reached the Roselei domains and sneaked in. True, she was brought into question because of her absence but, using Yami´s lame excuse of going out to town on her own, did the trick of brushing everyone´s concern off. The Blue Rose girls knew about her feelings for the foreigner but she hadn't told them about their relationship, fearful they might get too excited and let some others know: it would take no time for the whole kingdom to know about her relationship to the man she very much loved. As she went to bed, Charlotte maybe she should let some of her girls know, the most secretive ones, so they could help her out finding ways to meet with Yami: some of them had boyfriends no one else knew about, after all.

It was around midnight when Charlotte woke up because of some scratches on her window. To her surprise, Yami was right outside, throwing pebbles to catch her attention. She smiled happily at his sight but then she frowned: how did he come that far to her room without her help? She had taught him to sneak into the property and they had come together by the house a few times, but Yami shouldn't have been able to get this near on his own. She jumped out the window and he caught her in his arms before kissing her tenderly.

"What are you doing here?"

"You messed pretty badly my squad before leaving. You didn't really think I would let you off that easy, did you? Though I had to be extra careful to come this far"

"Well, had a certain someone mentioned there were some beasts and a dungeon inside such a labyrinth, I would have known better. And by the way, what´s with that building? I still wonder why my nose is not broken after running into walls so many times"

"About that, spiny prickly queen…. You see, I might have been a little too excited about your coming over, so I forgot about the details after I told you I want you to get used to the base. Those changes… they were Henry´s doing."

Yami explained the particulars about the Black Bulls base and Charlotte resisted the urge of grabbing his shoulders and shaking some sense into him. She had learned along the way, true, but with not the best of results: her rear was still sore and her nose still hurt a little because of the first wall she had smacked herself into. But he teased her a little and soon she had forgiven him.

"Anyway, we got away with that escapade totally unscathed, aside from the damage on your nose"

"Well, I wouldn't say totally: I did get caught"

Yami lifted an eyebrow as Charlotte told him about her encounter with the slender man that kept mumbling.

"Oh, that would be Gordon. He totally gives a creepy vibe but he´s a nice guy. Considering he said nothing about a runaway captain hiding in our base, Imma say he´ll keep his word about not ratting you out. Maybe you should keep your word and come to the base for some tea? I guess you don't normally go around promising to stop by squad bases for some tea, do you?"

"No, but if you are the captain in one of those squad bases, I just might".

He laughed a little a kissed her. The chilly breeze reminded Charlotte how late it was as she started shivering. Wearing only a thin nightgown didn't make her any warmer.

"You should go back to your room: it´s cold and you had quite the adventure today. Come, I´ll help your way up."

"You know what, Yami? I think you should stay for the night", she teased, "My house isn't quite as fantastic, but I can promise my girls would be more than willing to hunt you down on your way out. Who knows? I might just wake up early to set them into positions so you will have a hard time leaving"

"A bit resentful, are we not, spiny prickly queen?", he chuckled as he caressed her cheeks.

"I did mean the part of you staying over for the night, though"

He smiled and helped her up to her room. Then, she did the same. Other times they had met within the Roselei domains, Yami had left after some hours: he had never stayed over. For the first time, however, that night they shared her bed and Yami slept peacefully embracing the woman he loved.

Gordon finished his latest doll and added it to his collection: he had worked the extra mile for it to bear a striking resemblance to the woman it represented. Modesty aside, his new doll was as beautiful as the Blue Rose captain. He placed it next to Yami´s doll and decided it would be fitting to sew their hands together: that way, they would not have to separate as they had to in real life. He had suspected for months his captain had fallen in love with a girl: he had never imagined said woman was no other than a warrior princess like the Blue Rose captain. His suspicions were thus confirmed because, during the night, he had gone to the kitchen to pour himself some tea for his insomnia and, on his way back to his room, he had seen his captain holding hands with Charlotte Roselei as they headed to –he suspected-Yami´s bedroom. Luckily for him, they were oblivious to his presence.

The following day, he had seen her again, which meant she had stayed over. She had been friendly, though she had lied about the reason she was there. Still, he knew why she and Yami were keeping everyone in the dark, so he had told her he could keep her and Yami´s secret. For Gordon, he had gained a new friend and, having seen his captain leave early during the night after her departure, he thought soon they might have a frequent visitor in the base. Unknown to him, his captain had fallen asleep staring at Charlotte´s face hoping for the same thing and Charlotte… that night she couldn't help but get strange dreams about labyrinths and drooling beasts.

So, there you have it. What do you think of this?

Again, I started this back in January: I thought it would be hilarious for Charlotte to bump into Yami´s pets. To my surprise, a couple of weeks ago they did an anime episode about them! Partially because of it I came back to finish this story. Not my best, but I think it´s kinda good all the same.

On that note, I want to thank AnakinSLucien, ChikaViento06, Chocolatepanther7, TuryA Chromas 10, EinsZweiDrei123, GuardianOfAll, MegaAltaria, Mr.e I´oI, aparcanaximena, eme-ele, evernightlove and xx sHioN for either liking, reviewing of following "Suspicions". It really makes me happy to know you are reading my stories and that you enjoy them.

Also, thanks to SandraCute, Mr.e I´o´I, eudog3, Torchic2675, Chromas 10 and larasseu for adding me to your Author Alert Subscription and/or for adding me to your Favorite Authors List. I feel honored and I appreciate you did this for me. I really hope you get to read this message.

I also want to thank TuryA, eme-ele, MegaAltaria and EinsZweiDrei123 for supporting me since I started publishing stories last September. It makes me really happy to get notifications from you because it tells me I´m living up to your expectations. Thank you ❤️

This is for TuryA: I know you´ve been wanting me to continue "So close so far". When I wrote it, I never meant for a continuation. However, you gave me the idea to tell the same story, but from Yami´s perspective: I´m working on it. He´s a complex character so it might take me a while, but I´m working on it.

Again, thanks for reading! Stay safe!