Disclaimer: ToV does not belong to me.

Okay... admittedly, I've screwed up. I haven't really posted much since before December, and I'm tired. But if I don't get this down now, I don't know when I'll be able to so... yeah, here it is. Hopefully some of the scenes are kinda funny, but I dunno.

Rita Mordio could not cook. The first one to admit this would be... Raven, actually. Before being sucker punched in the stomach by Rita, after which she would probably confess that her talents lie in problem-solving and research, not in wasting her time preparing fancy foods that would only be gone minutes later.

Even so, that evening found Rita Mordio in the kitchen of her home away from home -a hidden laboratory not far from Halure- mixing herbs, spices and oils together into a clear plastic bowl. With a grin, the mage reached into her back pocket and removed a glass bottle containing an opaque yellow liquid, which was sprinkled over the entire solution and mixed in with a wooden spoon. Rita spooned a small amount of the liquid into the wooden utensil and brought it up to her nose, inhaling deeply.

The girl's lip curled at the sound of knocking echoed through the make-shift home. Abandoning her concoction for the time being, she marched quickly towards the door, shouting, "I'm coming already!" after another knock echoed through the house. Stopping only for a moment, Rita took a deep breath and opened the door, smiling kindly at her two guests.

Karol's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her, and he leaned slightly towards Yuri, "Hey, am I the only one creeped out by that smile of hers?"

"Nope," Yuri whispered back, also starring at Rita, "she's definitely up to something."

"Hey," she frowned again, a bit of annoyance creeping into her voice, "Are you two gonna come in or not?"

Rolling his eyes, Yuri walked in, followed shortly after by Karol, whom was lugging behind him a small kart loaded to the brim with boxes. Grunting as he pulled them into the slightly raised door frame, Karol shouted back, "What IS all this stuff anyway?"

"Some new equipment: a barometer, a new burner, a bunch of new test tubes -you wouldn't believe how many I've gone through- and some disposable equipment. The majority of it is new ingredients, though, so be careful not to break anything!"

"Easier said than done when you have to lug all of this junk out of Zaphias, through Deiden Hold and then through these woods! Not to mention the monsters!" Karol sighed in relief when Rita gave him the signal to drop the handle in the middle of the floor.

Yuri, whom had taken a position leaning against a nearby wall, frowned at the girl, "I still don't see why you had to hire US to deliver this stuff. Wouldn't it have been easier just to conduct... whatever experiment you're running... in Zaphias?"

Rita shook her head in denial, "I would have had to move all this stuff here eventually. Why not just get it done?"

"Then why couldn't you just remember to ask the knights to do it before you came here?" Karol groaned, then spun his head towards the window, "Aw man! It's nearly sunset. There's no way we'll get to Halure before dark."

Yuri sighed, then glanced towards Rita, "You mind some overnight company?"

"Not at all. In fact, I was hoping you'd stay for dinner. I made something special and I'd hate to see it go to waste," Rita marched towards the kitchen, paused, then turned back, "You two mind setting the table?" Before they could answer, she turned back and went into the kitchen, "Great! Thanks!"

The two males simply stared at the kitchen door for a moment before Yuri spoke, "Okay, something DEFINITELY isn't right here."

"I know!" Karol exclaimed, "Since when does Rita cook?"

The guildsman gave his superior a small shove, "Seriously, Karol! I don't know; maybe we should try our luck with the tent barriers."

"Which we've been surviving on for days," Karol reminded him, "I don't know about you, but I'm sick of sleeping on the cold, hard ground. I'd like a nice, warm bed for once! And besides, even if Rita has something planned, she won't risk doing anything to upset Estelle, you know that!"

Yuri sighed and shrugged, "Alright boss, I'm trusting you on this one. But if we wake up tomorrow in the middle of Hypionia with no clothes, I'm blaming you."

Karol grinned and laughed off the comment, tossing a few plates Yuri's way. The two set about preparing the table as Rita had instructed, something that irked Yuri, and he did not do anything to hide this fact. Karol, for the most part, ignored it; Rita, beyond being a scientist, was more than trustworthy. She has proven this over and over again in the past and Karol didn't have the innate instinct of survival that warned him of bad tidings. Yuri's gut instinct style of survival competed with Karol's own dependence on experience and knowledge to get through a strange situation.

The two were pulled from a conversation when Rita burst into the room, a loud, "Dammit!" giving away her arrival. Both males stared as she calmed herself before explaining, "The stupid meat burnt! Sorry guys, looks like we only have enough for two." She turned to Karol, "I hope you don't mind. I made you a plate of instant-cook noodles instead."

The younger male smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "Nah, I don't mind. I like noodles."

And thus, dinner was served. Before Rita and Yuri were two well-done plates of sirloin, with a side of vegetables for Rita and croquettes for Yuri. Karol helped himself to the bowl of noodles placed in stead of the meat, his smile falling as the food entered his mouth.

Yuri noticed this, "Something wrong, Captain?"

"Nah, just tastes funny..."

"Hope you don't mind," Rita interjected suddenly, "I topped it with a custom dressing. Mostly oil and garlic, but I did add a special ingredient to give it an extra 'kick'."

Yuri's face transformed to one of slight alarm, "Yeah, this 'extra kick'... it isn't alcohol, is it? Trust me, the old man tried that once... been there, done that, and that's all I have to say on the matter."

The words didn't dampen the smile that had sprouted on the younger woman's face, "Relax Yuri, it's not alcoholic. Just a little special something." It was at that moment that Rita lifted the cup of water to her face, taking a few sips before setting it down and politely making conversation. Something about this simple action nagged at Yuri's mind for the rest of the night, but it wasn't until hours later, when he was drifting somewhere between dreamland and reality, did he realize why.

Rita, disguising it with the simple action of taking a drink, had smirked darkly towards him.

The next morning saw Yuri Lowell awake at sunrise, to his annoyance. If he could help it, he preferred not to awaken before dawn. Hey, didn't the savior of the world deserve a little sleep? With a groan, he sat up, rubbing at his own eyes before glancing to the person sleeping next to him. Karol hadn't awaken yet, but he was tossing and turning uncomfortably, which just might have been what had woken Yuri up. Slightly concerned, he placed a hand on Karol's forehead, relaxing again when he confirmed that the boy was not ill. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, Yuri got up slowly, so as not to awaken Karol, and crept into Rita's laboratory, where he was unsurprised to find her already working.

"You're actually awake?" Rita snorted, not looking back. Her eyes were focused on the liquids she was mixing, holding a steady gaze that focused on the almost invisible numbers indicating volume.

Yuri shrugged, the same, aloof grin spreading across his face as he leaned against the far wall, "Well, I wouldn't dream of leaving you here alone. Especially when you're conscious and no one else is."

"Afraid I might try to 'zap' you?" Rita quoted, pausing to glance over her shoulder.

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if you did," Yuri eased himself away from the wall, turning, "Once Karol wakes up, we're out of here."

"Where are you going?" Rita asked, returning her attention to the concoction in hand.

Yuri thought for a second, "Halure, Nor, Heliord, then back to Dahngrest," He finally responded, "We'd take our time, but Judith and Raven are the only ones handling guild jobs back in Dahngrest, so..."

"Yeah, you'd better hurry back," Rita agreed. Yuri would have commented, but a light groan brought their attention to the doorway. Karol leaned against the door-frame of the room, rubbing his temples.

"Hey, boss," Yuri greeted, then frowned, "You alright?"

Karol waved off Yuri's concern, "Fine," He mumbled, "Just a headache. And I feel like I got no sleep last night. Think I'm too used to sleeping on the cold, hard ground," At this, Karol chuckled. Yuri glanced at him, concerned, "I'm fine, really," Karol continued after a moment, "When should we leave for Halure?"

"Well, the sun just came up, so we should probably leave soon, if not now. We should make it there by midday."

Karol nodded, "Then we'll be in Capua Nor by sunset. If all goes well, we should be in Dahngrest in three or four days."

"Ugh, will you just leave already?" Rita groaned, slamming the beakers onto the table in front of her. Karol jumped.

"Alright already!" He responded, then turned to Yuri, "Sheesh, what's with her? Yesterday she was all nice -or at least civil- and now she's back to her grouchy old self."

Yuri smirked, "Karol, there is a simple explanation for such behaviors from women. Some people have different names for it, but for the most part it's simply known as PMS."

The boy blinked, cocking his head to the left slightly, "PMS...?"

"THAT'S IT!" Rita shouted, a red glowing circle forming underneath her feet, "I'M GONNA ROAST YOU ALIVE, LOWELL!"

"Well, good luck, Captain!"

"Huh? Wait, where are you going? Don't leave me here! AHH!"

"That wasn't nice, Yuri," Karol pouted.

The older male simply responded with a laugh as they finally approached their destination. Halure hadn't changed a bit since they last left it, one of the few towns that had been functioning well on it's own since the loss of the barriers. Despite periodic attacks from monsters, the town was small and peaceful, exactly how Yuri liked it.

The younger of the two males stopped and panted, having ran all the way here to keep up with Yuri, "H-how are we doing on time?"

In response, Yuri looked up, shielding his eyes with one hand, "Mm, better than we thought. It's not even midday yet," He turned and caught sight of Karol's exhaustion, "...but we should take a break here anyway. I'm getting pretty tired."

"Y-yeah," Karol agreed, standing as straight as he could, "Let's see what's fresh at the market, and I'll cook."

"M'kay," Yuri nodded, following as Karol made his way to the square not far from the inn. Despite only being mid-morning, many of Halure's people were out tending to their daily chores. It wasn't nearly as busy as Dahngrest or Zaphias could get, but it was still a sight to see a crowd, even a small one, in a town like Halure.

Karol frowned, his expression growing more and more pained as they moved into the crowd. There were so many people... and they were all talking at once. And loudly, at that. Karol groaned and put his head in his hand, rubbing at his temples to calm his aching skull. It quickly became a chore to stay focused, and Karol had to stop to avoid walking into anything.

Yuri noticed when Karol wasn't moving anymore, "Hey, captain... you alright?"

"They're so loud," The boy moaned in response, hiding his head in his hands, "Please, make them be quiet."

"Huh?" Yuri blinked, "Karol, what are you talking about?"

The younger of the two continued ranting, "There are so many people... and they're all speaking at once... please, make them stop! Make them stop!"

Karol was screaming now, sobbing into his hands. The voices were intermixing, some being about his strange behavior, and some about simple things, and others still about more complex things. A woman's loud voice wondering where she could find milk. A man's soft whispering about his unrequited love. Many voices murmuring concern or annoyance at his actions. And above them all was Yuri's concerned voice, wondering whether or not he was alright... wondering whether they'd really get to Dahngrest so quickly... and whispering softly about his concern for the guild, for the others... so many things at once. So many voices...

Karol gave a pained gasp before fainting dead away into a frantic Yuri's arms.

Yuri was right there by Karol's side when the boy woke up. It had taken hours, but Yuri had sat by Karol's side every second of it. When he woke up, the first thing the younger male did was murmur softly and roll towards the window. The second thing he did was screech in pain, which put Yuri on high alert.

"You alright?" He asked, turning Karol back towards him.

The boy responded with a groan, his eyes screwed shut, "The light... could you close the curtain...?"

Yuri nodded, walking over and drawing the curtain. Karol sighed in relief as Yuri sat down by his bedside, checking his forehead.

"You still don't have a fever..." He noticed, "How do you feel?"

"Alright..." Karol murmured, "My eyes hurt though, and so do my ears... could you lower your voice?"

The elder nodded, wondering what could have happened. Immediately, his thoughts went to Rita's devilish smirk last night. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the amusement in Rita's eyes as she'd watched Karol eat the 'special' noodles she'd prepared. If she was responsible for this...

"Yuri," Karol groaned, sitting up, "I don't think it's gonna help if you killed Rita."

The swordsman blinked, surprised, "So you realized she's probably responsible too?"

"No..." The guild leader's voice held confusion, "You just said it."

"I didn't say anything..." Yuri's eyes narrowed, wondering what Karol meant. Had he spoken aloud without meaning too? Another thought entered his head, but instead of speaking it aloud, Yuri watched for Karol's reaction.

The boy's eyes darted up to meet Yuri's, "You really think I'm reading you're mind?"

"You must be," Yuri responded, "I didn't say anything there."

Both stayed silent for a moment. Then Yuri pushed himself forward, "Hey, I'm going to..."

"Yeah, I know," Karol responded, "Just make sure not to really kill her, okay?"

Rita Mordio groaned at the harsh banging on her door. She yelled that she was coming, but either the person didn't hear her or wanted to annoy her because the banging persisted, if not increasing in volume and speed. If whoever was doing this damaged her door in any way, she would pelt the poor man with fireballs.

The door swung open.

"What the hell do you- oh, it's you," Rita's eyebrow rose at the sight of Yuri, "You should be at Ehmead Hill by now. Why are you still here?"

Yuri moved from his position, staring her dead in the eye. She wouldn't admit it, but the stare he was giving her was ever-so slightly intimidating, "Change of plans. Karol's sick, so we're renting a room in Halure."

"And that has... what to do with me?" Rita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because he's, quite literally, reading my mind," Yuri made sure to emphasize those last three words, suppressing a smirk at Rita's wide eyed expression.

It faded quickly, though, and the young mage recovered, "Oh, so you figured it out, huh? Well, it wasn't like I was trying to hard to keep it a secret, anyhow... but..." Here, the mage took up a puzzled expression, "It shouldn't have taken effect for another week or two. And it certainly shouldn't have made Karol sick... at least, not any more sick than the common cold," Rita stood up, her expression firm, "Alright, take me to Karol."

"Just so you know..." Yuri's eyes followed her as she walked past him, "If you make this worse, I will kill you."

"...yeah, probably," Rita agreed, before heading in the direction of Halure.

"Hey guys," Karol greeted weakly as the two finally made it back to Halure.

Yuri smiled sadly, sitting next to Karol on the bed, "Hey. You sound better."

"That's better?" Rita snorted, "Then what the hell did he sound like before we got here?"

"Like a dying kitten."

The mage winced, "Yes, because I needed to hear that analogy," She approached Karol's bed, sitting on the opposite side of Yuri, "So, how are you feeling? Don't leave anything out."

Karol winced, "Uh, could you speak softer? You're hurting my ears..."

"Okay..." Rita whipped a pen out of her pocket and wrote this down in her notebook, "Sensitivity to loud noises. Anything else?"

"Sensitivity to light," Yuri recalled, "Isn't there a word for that?"

"Yeah, it's called photophobia."

The swordsman blinked, "I don't think he was afraid of it..."

"No, in science, photophobia just refers to any adverse reaction to light. It's not necessarily being afraid of it," Rita closed her notebook, eyes closed in thought, "Hm, though that does make sense. The potion I gave him increased the size and function of certain receptor neurons in his brain. It could've easily improved his senses as well. We can't tell, but his senses of smell, taste and touch have probably increased as well."

"That's nice," Yuri responded, glaring at the young mage, "Now fix him."

Rita blinked, flinching back, "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You did this to him," Yuri stood up from his spot on Karol's bed, "You can fix him."

"W-well..." Rita paused, "Alright, but I'd need to know EXACTLY how his body reacted to the potion in order to create a cure. And for that, I'll need a blood sample..."

Yuri nodded, then caught sight of Rita's thoughtful expression, "Alright, then what's the problem?"

"I didn't bring any of my equipment," She told him, "And it would take hours to find what I'd need. Most of what I'll need is here in Halure, but..." She paused, "I don't think I'll find a syringe. The clinic here isn't outfitted for immunizations or sample-taking," She took a deep breath, studying Yuri's face as she continued, "And that means... I'll have to create an incision to get the blood sample."

The swordsman let out a deep breath, then looked down at Karol, whom was lying quietly on the side facing Yuri. His emotionless face suddenly turned frightened as he looked up at Yuri.

"Are- are you sure that's the only way?" He asked. Rita opened her mouth to give her answer, but was interrupted by Karol, "Alright then, but... be careful. I have a bad feeling about this..."

Rita nodded, opening the drawer used for utensils and pulling out the sharpest knife she could find. Cautiously, she approached Karol, starring him in the eye, "Just relax, okay?" She started, quietly and slowly, "This will hurt a little, but it won't be anything more than a small cut, okay? Smaller than a paper cut. It won't do anything more than sting."

Karol bit his lip before nodding, a slight fear never leaving his eyes all the while. Rita rolled up the sleeve on Karol's shirt and wiped the area clean with a wet cloth. When she finished that, she took the knife and made a small, gentle incision in his skin, allowing a small amount of blood to escape. Rita deposited the drop into a small glass cup, nodding towards Yuri.

"This will be enough," she stated, placing a wet cloth over the glass, "The mayor has a microscope I can use, so it'll just be a little while, okay?" The male nodded, and Rita took off, leaving Yuri alone with Karol. The older male turned around to reassure Karol, but paused mid-motion, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

Karol was clutching his arm, blood already soaking through the thin fabric of his white gloves. His eyes were watering as his mouth moved, making a silent plea for help that couldn't reach his tongue. Yuri moved quickly, using a nearby tablecloth to bind Karol's arm. Already it was beginning to soak through.

"Damn it," Yuri muttered under his breath, knowing it wouldn't matter if he voiced it or not, "Karol, listen to me, okay?" The boy nodded, biting his lip, "Just... hold this here. I'll be back soon with something to help, okay?" Again, he nodded, and Yuri bound off, moving quickly. Karol watched his back as he left, tears forming in his eyes.

He really hoped Yuri got back soon.

It was over two hours later before Rita completed her analysis. As it turned out, the change hadn't been as large as she thought. Reversing it was a simpler process than she might've expected. Still, it required an overnight trip back home, and who knew how much worse Karol would get in that time? Rita took a deep breath before moving outside, preparing to deliver the news to Yuri.

...only to find she didn't have to go too far to find him.

"Hey," She greeted, growing more concerned as Yuri failed to respond, "Did something happen-? HEY!" The young mage just barely dodged an Azure Edge sent her way. She stared, wide-eyed, at the swordsman as he braced himself for another attack, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" She screeched.

Yuri lowered his weapon, "That little cut you made earlier? Once you left it started bleeding like crazy. I just BARELY was able to stop it."

Rita gaped, then quickly recovered, "Hmm? Possible hemorrhage? Or maybe...?"

"Maybe?" Yuri repeated, frowning deeply.

"Never mind. Anyway, I think I've found a cure. It'll take me all night, but-"

"If it fixes Karol, go for it," Yuri nodded.

"Got it," Rita ran off in the direction of the south exit, "I'm going to have to fix it up at my house, so it'll be ready tomorrow morning. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Yuri only watched as Rita's figure disappeared into the growing darkness. As soon as he wasn't able to see her anymore, he turned and headed directly to the inn.

"Hey, Yuri," Karol greeted without even turning to see who it was. His eyes were dropping with exhaustion and his body was heavy, borderline limp, but his mind refused to rest, reading Yuri's concern before he even entered the room.

"Hey, yourself," Yuri answered, and the bed creaked as Yuri's weight joined Karol's. The boy felt a hand on his forehead before moving to examine his bandaged arm. Even without looking or reading his mind, Karol could tell that Yuri was frowning angrily, no doubt upset with Rita, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but..." Karol paused, "I'm scared to go to sleep. What if I don't wake up?" Yuri laughed, but another voice told the younger boy that Yuri was worrying that actually would happen.

Yuri stopped laughing, speaking to Karol in a light yet serious tone, "You don't need to worry about that. I don't think you're going to die in your sleep."

Karol scoffed at that, shaking his head lightly, "You know, if you're going to tell me something, make sure you're not thinking the opposite outright first."

The boy felt, rather than heard, Yuri nod, and a question formed in the male's mind.

"What's it like to read minds?" Karol voiced aloud, "Well... it's kind of like hearing people speak aloud, only they're not really speaking... except..." Karol paused here, wondering how to best explain it, "There are, like, multiple voices speaking at once. You see, I guess everyone has more than one thought going on in their head at once. Their outermost thoughts, which are the loudest, to their unconscious desires, to even their heartbeats. All of this, and more, go on at the exact same time, and when it's only one or two people, all that extra stuff can be filtered out. But when there are too many people, it's like... it's too much for my mind to filter all at once, and as a result, all of it get's through. And... it really hurts..." Karol sighed, making the effort to turn and face Yuri, "Does that make sense?"

"Mm, kind of," Yuri responded, "It'd be hard to function like that, huh?"

Karol nodded, then yawned, "I'm... tired..." The boy complained drowsily, snuggling into his pillow. A hand went to his face, and Karol relaxed slightly at the feel of a warm hand brushing his hair back.

"Then sleep," Yuri suggested lightly, leaning in and speaking softer, "I'll keep watch all night if I have to."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Yuri leaned away from Karol.

At first, Karol didn't want to listen to Yuri. But it took only a minute for the exhaustion to finally overcome his paranoia, "Okay, Yuri," Karol agreed softly, already half-asleep, "I'm trusting you."

"Just relax," Yuri spoke, his thoughts perfectly in tune with his voice. It was a nice change of pace from the loud voices with soft, fragile thoughts and the soft voices with loud, unspoken thoughts. Feeling secure for the first time since the voices had invaded his mind, Karol snuggled deeper into his pillow, finally letting himself fall into the brace of unconsciousness.

It had taken an all-nighter and at least three failed attempts, but Rita had finally come up with the reverse serum. Her eyes were surrounded by dark rings and her hair was disheveled, but she wore a tiny smile on her face as she made her way towards the inn near the center of the city.

"Ugh," Rita groaned, "This was a lot of trouble. Let's just hope it works- wait, hope?" She stopped and pondered briefly, "Of course it's going to work. Must be the lack of sleep," She muttered as she approached the inn.

Karol was fast asleep, and at first glance it would appear Yuri was too. But as Rita approached, the swordsman turned around and faced her, slight relief in his otherwise dull expression. He smirked, "Looks like I'm not the only one to pull an all-nighter, huh?"

"Shut up," she muttered, dipping a syringe into the vial of solution. Like before, Rita took a cloth and gently cleaned the skin around the injection sight before she pushed the needle into his epidermis and pumped the solution into his system. Karol awoke, gasping, just as she pulled the needle out.

He blinked at them, startled, "Huh? When did you get here?"

"Just now," Rita answered, disposing of the syringe and placing the vial into her bag, "The telepathy should go away by tomorrow, and the sensitivity will take a little longer. But..." Here, she paused, "It will take a little while for your blood flow to go back to normal, so try to avoid getting any cuts for the next month or so, alright?"

Karol smiled, "Okay."

"Well, Rita," Yuri started, "I hope you've learned your lesson."

"Yeah," The mage agreed, "No more non-consensual testing. It just causes trouble."

Karol grinned, jumping up, "Well, guess we're stuck here for a few more days. What do you guys wanna do?"

Yuri and Rita exchanged an emotionless glance, turned to Karol and, at the exact same time, muttered the same tired word.

"Sleep," They sighed as they fell back, finally allowing exhaustion to overcome them. Karol chuckled, smiling, before quietly sneaking out of the room. Later, Rita would wake up to find a dead fish resting on her chest. But that's another tale altogether.

Don't you dare lie to me. This. Sucked. Didn't it?

Ah, well. It was fun. And I have at least two more in the making... maybe three. Didn't mean for it to be this long, though...