Hello! I apologize for the wait on this one. Things have been crazy lately.

Regardless, please enjoy!

The Guild assistant stared at Riaku with wide eyes above a mouth that had fallen open in shock. The same expression was shared by many of the nearby staff, as well as other hunters who had heard the name of the monster that he was requesting a cart for- a name that had abruptly ended the low hum of conversation around him.

After the silence had stretched on for an uncomfortable duration, the staff member blinked twice and regathered her poise while clearing her throat. "Forgive my surprise, Mr. Haidoji. It's just that… Well, are you positive that it's a rajang? Maybe it was something else- a melanistic blangonga, perhaps?"

He shook his head. "No, it's definitely a rajang. It has horns, and its pelt turned golden during our fight."

"I see…" Her eyes shot toward another worker uncertainly, who shrugged at her in response. "Well, then, we can certainly provide a cart for you, as well as a channel through which to sell unwanted materials… In exchange for a bit of zenny, of course."

He smiled inwardly. Nobody in their right mind would sell materials from such a rare and powerful monster, though he supposed that the option to do so was nice. They agreed on a price and he handed over a sack of coin before he returned to the dim streets outside, where Tyra was waiting for him. Not long after, the duo led the cart to the rajang's carcass, and after a bit of measurement-taking from the staff that had accompanied them, they returned to Pokke once more.

A familiar buzz waited for them at the settlement's gates as a small crowd had gathered to see the rajang. It wasn't quite as large as the crowd for the tigrex had been, though that could have been due to the later hour or the fact that Riaku was no longer a greenhorn hunter. There was a familiar blur of people congratulating and complimenting Riaku, Tyra watching on with an unamused expression all the while, before a member from the Guild- uniform and proper to a fault- approached him with a grunt.

"So, then, Mr. Haidoji, how would you like to go about managing the materials? Of course we could always give you the whole of the body, though it may be more effective to have them compartmentalized by the proper professionals."

Riaku opened his mouth to answer, though Tyra spoke up in his place.

"He'll take the pelt, horns, and claws," She began, her aquamarine eyes idly inspecting their trophy. "As far as the meat goes, give us the heart, liver, ribs, and backstrap."

The man was only momentarily confused by her answering in Riaku's stead before nodding and scrawling what she had said on parchment. "I see… And what of the rest? The remaining meat, bones, and other materials?"

She raised her hands to the back of her head casually. "Sell 'em and use the cash to cover the butchering and carving costs."

While the man went back to scribbling his notes, Riaku shot an astonished look at her. He couldn't say anything, though, before the man finished with his writing and tucked the parchment under his arm.

"Very well," He said with a small bow, "The Guild will also receive a small share of the zenny to cover the costs of handling. You can expect to receive your materials in a few days' time."

"Sounds good, but I'm gonna take some a bit early." She turned to Riaku and held her palm out, "Hey, gimme your knife for a second."

He did as he was told, then curiously watched her cross to the cart. From there she got to work cutting strips of pelt from the rajang's front arms, draping them over a shoulder before making her way back and returning the knife. At seeing that the two were content, the Guild rep gave another bow and made his way back inside the building, leaving the couple alone save for the few stray bystanders who were still looking the rajang over. It was only once they had achieved this relative privacy that Riaku turned on his mentor.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked in a tone somewhere between disbelief and anger.

"Hm? What d'ya mean?"

"I mean, why do you get to decide which materials we keep?" He crossed his arms, "And why would you sell all that stuff? Don't you know how rare rajang are?"

She began her answer with a sudden flick to his forehead, then continued as he gingerly rubbed the area. "Listen, if it weren't for me, then you'd have been thrown off a mountain. We worked together to kill that monkey, yet you're the one getting all the credit for it. Since you get all the clout, I get all the materials. Fair?"

"Hardly," He muttered reproachfully, "I finally have the chance to get materials as good as my tigrex stuff and you're taking it away? You could at least give me some of it, you know."

"Ah, quit your whining. If you're lucky, maybe I'll let you try some of the meat."

He turned from her in a huff. "Thanks. How generous of you."

She eyed him carefully for a moment before spreading her arms at him. "Hey, don't be like that- fair is fair. Now come give me a hug, shortstack."

He looked at her and away again with a deepening frown. "Why would I do that?"

"Do you want to know what rajang tastes like or not?"

He remained still for a long moment before sighing in resignation and turning toward her. He shot another glance at her face and away before stepping close. Her grin broadened as she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him tightly against her, though he didn't return the gesture. She eyed the furious look on his face, undermined by the pinkness in his cheeks, and chuckled in her throat before raising a hand to brush the bangs from his forehead.

"See? This ain't so bad, is it?" She asked, and after failing to receive a response, continued. "And now that we've made up and all, how about lending me a bit of celebration money?"

His anger was quickly subverted into disbelief as he shot an incredulous look at her. "Money? It's not enough to take the rajang materials- now you want my zenny, too?"

She grinned. "Calm down, I don't want much. Just a few hundred should do. Now c'mon, cough it up."

He seriously considered declining her request, if for no other reason than to pay her back for taking the materials that they had worked together to gather, though saw a daring spark in her eyes at his hesitation and decided against stirring the pot. Gaia had always warned him to pick his battles- specifically when it came to dealing with women- and despite his lingering anger, he knew that this was a petty reason to start a fight. She had saved his life, after all, and he was indeed getting the credit for the kill.

That didn't make giving in any easier for him, though.

With a grumble of discontent, he pulled out his coin bag and began rifling through its contents. Tyra's grin broadened and she gave his hair a rewarding ruffle, only releasing him from her hold once he had given her the money.

"You're a doll~" She tossed the coins into the air and caught them with the same hand before pocketing them. "This'll go to a good cause. Trust me."

He chuffed sarcastically while still refusing to look her way. "Yeah, right. Unless you've named the bartender's pocket 'a good cause', I somehow doubt it."

She chuckled and started to turn away, but paused before walking off. "Oh yeah, and one last thing… Mind if I borrow your coat for the night?"

His eyes finally met her own, but only in order to narrow suspiciously. "What for?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was cold?"

He eyed the exposed skin through the tears in her armor and shook his head. "Nope."

"Ah, you know me well," She laughed again before holding her palm out toward him. "Truth is that girls like to wear their partners' clothes from time to time. Maybe I want to be cutesy for once, y'know? Besides, everyone in this hole knows that the coat is yours. Seeing it on me might keep all those horndogs at the tavern from making a move on me… So save us both the trouble and hand it over, already."

His face pinked at the thought of Tyra flaunting around in his clothing, a display to everyone that she was with him. It made him feel… Warm. Like he was something worth being proud of. Besides, he thought, if it was only for one night, then he was sure he could manage without it.

He groaned and began to undue his jacket. "Fine. Just don't spill any drinks on it, alright?"

He handed it over, and she immediately draped it over the shoulder opposite the rajang strips. "Thanks~ I'll take real good care of it!"

He grunted and turned to start making his way back home, but was stopped when she grabbed his right forearm. By this point he was already thoroughly annoyed with her, and turned toward to give her a piece of his mind- though as soon as he faced her, he was silenced with a kiss.

Her soft lips lingered against his for a long moment before she pulled back, smiling into his surprised blue eyes with a lidded gaze. "You did good out there today. In every way."

She turned and took a few steps toward a line of shops, as though that was all she had to say, but paused to give him one last grin from over her shoulder. "Keep it up, alright? I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched her turn and continue walking until she had disappeared into the night. It was only then that the full weight of the moment caught up with him, and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he, too, turned and began walking away.

Riaku's eyes opened to the sound of songbirds and distant music outside his window. He sat up with a yawn and stretched an arm over his head before habitually reaching for his coat. He was confused for a moment when he found it missing from the end of his bedframe, but then remembered lending it to Tyra the night prior.

A slideshow of memories ran through his head, each a different occasion in which the bluenette had been drinking until she could hardly walk straight. He grimaced at the thought of her stumbling about with his precious coat on and a sloshing glass of whiskey in her hand… The last thing he needed was a set of stains on Kira's handiwork and a lingering stench of liquor wherever he went.

I'd better go check on her.

He hopped out of bed and threw on the remainder of his armor- helmet excluded, as he had been going without it more frequently of late- along with an undershirt before exiting his room and quickly descending the stairs. As soon as he reached the landing, he turned for the dorm hall but paused when he heard a loud snore from the kitchen.

"Tyra?" He turned toward the sound and, sure enough, found a mess of blue hair resting atop bare arms at the table. Even more curious to Riaku than her rolled-up sleeves, though, was what lay beneath her head; it looked to be his coat, but something was… Different. There was a flash of blue amidst the tamed tans and whites of the coat, though it wasn't the same shade nor texture as the tigrex scales on his shoulder guards.

Shooting a sideways glance at the sleeping girl, he crept over and cautiously pulled the coat from under her. He turned it in his hands so that it draped in front of him, and was dumbfounded by what he found; melting seamlessly from the dark blue scales at the shoulder's border was a deep cobalt, only broken up by horizontal stripes of striking orange. The pattern continued all the way until the end of the sleeve, with rows of dark beads descending along with the fur- larger at the top and gradually shrinking until they ceased completely at the elbow. It was obvious that it was an attempt at illusion, making it seem as though the tigrex scales slowly faded into the fur before disappearing altogether, and as far as Riaku was concerned, the design had achieved that goal. The arrangement was breathtaking.

There was a sudden break in the snoring, and when Riaku shot a glance back over at Tyra, he found two groggy aquamarine eyes looking up at him. He stared back at her, still shocked by the incredible addition to his armor, before a glint on the table drew his attention. With his mind set on the coat earlier, he had failed to notice the variety of odds and ends that littered the tabletop: thread, strips of fabric, bent needles, beads, and emptied glass vials of various shapes and sizes.

"Damn…" Tyra breathed amid a stretch, "You woke up before I did… And here I was supposed to give you that gift as part of this big surprise I had cooked up. I didn't even get to see your first reaction or anything."

Riaku gawked at her for another moment before finding his voice again. "You did this for me?"

She chuckled. "Sure did. Told ya that the money was for a good cause."

His eyes trailed back to the arms of the coat, and he took a moment to run a thumb over the fur that now covered them. "Those stripes, though… And the texture… Is this-?"

"-Yep. Rajang." Her teeth flashed in the sunlight that filtered through the window. "You really hadn't figured it out yet? I could have sworn you knew what I was up to as soon as I asked for your coat and some cash."

He avoided her eyes with an awkward laugh. "Oh, man… I really thought you were just going to get drunk again. Sorry…"

She chuffed. "Don't worry about it, scrub. I would think the same- but no, I didn't drink last night. Instead I bought all this junk and… Well, let's just say that it took me a little while to get everything juuuust right. I'm not exactly the most artsy girl, but… What d'ya say? Do you like it?"

He looked the sleeves over again then beamed at her. "Like it? It's amazing! Thank you so much!"

"Glad to hear you're grateful," She chuckled as she stood and spread her arms at him. "But I'm more of a 'show don't tell' sorta person, so…"

In his excitement and gratitude, he quickly stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's great, seriously."

She hummed and rested the side of her head on his shoulder. "Don't think about it too much- you'll hurt yourself. I just couldn't let pony girl show me up, is all."

"Oh, really?"

Both of their heads snapped toward the new voice, finding that Kira had appeared at the foot of the stairs without a sound. Her crossed arms and fiery eyes betrayed intense anger, and at seeing her expression, Riaku made to release Tyra and begin deescalating the situation- though it seemed that Lady Tigrex had other ideas.

"Damn straight," She shot back while pulling Riaku closer to herself, "You're a smart girl, so you must know what this means, right?"

"War?" Kira asked with narrowing eyes, "If so, I'm happy to oblige."

In the tense moment that followed, Riaku's eyes flitted from face to face. While Kira's fury hadn't wavered in the slightest, Tyra wore a toothy grin below eyes that sparked ambiguously. In that moment, the young hunter could have sworn that he saw flickering lightning connecting their stares.

"Y'know, Riaku," Tyra began without looking away from Kira, "It was a lot of work getting those stripes to come through in the arms."

"I-Is that so..?"

She grunted in the affirmative, her gaze still not shifting. "I had to go to that guy we helped out- Ivan or whatever- and have him activate the pattern with an electric sac. Then, I had to dye the golden hairs orange and the black ones blue… And don't even get me started on sewing the beads in."

"Oh? Is that all?" The edges of Kira's mouth rose in a condescending smirk. "I killed the tigrex myself, then picked through the reward for the finest scales. I sold the rest for durable yarn and knitted traditional patterns in-between the monster parts. Whittling down the teeth and claws was also quite tedious, as was embedding them into the leather- though I suppose you could say that it was a labor of love."

"So, you killed a tigrex yourself?" Tyra barked with laughter. "Big deal. News flash: we killed the rajang together, and just the two of us."

Kira's anger momentarily subverted into surprised confusion before returning with a vengeance. "You took Riaku to fight a rajang alone? Without even consulting me first? Do you understand just how ignorant and dangerous that was?"

Tyra tsked. "We survived, didn't we? And now he's got more of that precious experience you're always goin' on about."

"That's not my point! If something had happened to Riaku, the consequences would have been tremendous!"

While the general volume of their argument continued to rise, Riaku shot a nervous glance at Gaia's door. As bad as things were, he really didn't need the farmer to be woken up by their shouting and join in the fray.

"Can we continue this conversation outside?" He asked, finally pulling away from Tyra's hold and flinching as two sets of sharp eyes swiftly turned on him. "I-It's just that… You know, Gaia's in the next room."

Kira's expression eased slightly, though the transition from indignance to great annoyance wasn't much of an improvement. "Very well. Today is a C-Day, isn't it? I could go for a hunt right about now."

Tyra grunted. "No disagreements here."

For the first time since becoming a hunter, Riaku feared for the sake of their quarry.

The conflict between the two Origins seemed to calm down as they gathered their equipment, though no sooner had the trio set out of the house, Riaku felt Kira curtly take his hand in her own. In the same beat, Tyra's arms wrapped around his opposite bicep, and the two resumed their standoff.

"It's funny," Kira began with a smirk, "I seem to remember you telling me that you had no interest in Riaku. You had said that he was unimpressive and that you failed to see the great qualities that I see in him."

"What can I say? I changed my mind." Tyra rested her head against his shoulder as they walked, "And guess what? He's just as into me. Said so himself."

"I didn't really-"

"Quiet, Riaku." Kira scolded before shifting her anger back to Tyra. "While we're speaking of things he said himself, you should know that he trains hard every day just to prove his devotion as my mate."

"Well, that was a part of it-"

"Be a dear and stay out of this, 'kay babe?" Tyra's grasp on his arm tightened until it had become uncomfortable. "You should already be aware of this, Kira, but his training wouldn't have ever gotten to this level without my expertise."

Kira mirrored Tyra's gesture and squeezed his hand with a surprising amount of strength. "Be that as it may, my guidance has surely proven to be more valuable to his growth. And I'd thank you to refer to me properly, Tyra."

By this point, the trio had begun making their way into the more populated part of the settlement, and were now receiving odd looks left and right. The two Origins didn't seem to mind or really even notice the extra attention, though Riaku fought to keep his face from growing red as they continued to argue at his sides. The conflict had become so heated that the party failed to notice when a young woman paused in sweeping a shop's porch and waved after them. It was only after they had walked past without responding that she rushed forward.

"Excuse me- um… Excuse me! Mr. Haidoji?"

Kira and Tyra finally fell quiet and turned in time with Riaku to face the woman. Her brunette hair was tied into a loose bun behind a headband with Pokke's icon stitched into it. Her outfit was comprised of a modest blouse and apron, so bland that Riaku almost doubted that she had come from the direction of a tailor's shop.

"So sorry to have stopped you," She murmured in a pleasant voice, "But… Well, I could really use your help with something."

Riaku briefly exchanged a look with Kira. "My help? With what?"

"My store…" She paused to gesture back at the small wooden building, "You see… I'm always trying to expand my reach and touch the lives of those around me with the clothing I make. Unfortunately, business has been slow lately… But I think I may finally have a lead that could help me out."

"Okay," Tyra prodded, "But what does that have to do with us? In case the swords didn't give it away, we're monster hunters."

"Oh! Right…" She nervously giggled before turning back for the porch. "Perhaps it would be best to show you, rather than tell… Please, do come inside!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, they complied. A bell rung softly when the door opened, and before they knew it, the hunters were faced with a cramped though very tidy shop. Mannequins boasting all different forms of clothing and armor lined one wall, while the other held racks full of hung dresses and other such garments. A small counter separated the wares from a curtain, and aside from the mystery of whatever lied behind it, the most curious thing about the setup was found in the products themselves; though the coats, vambraces, and coils on the mannequins distinguished them as sets of armor, their designs weren't traditional in the slightest. Nonconventional color schemes and other such themes separated the sets from one another, and quirky additions such as oversized buttons or artificial tails and wings threatened to make them seem more like costumes than protective equipment.

"How cute," Kira murmured as she looked over a particularly eccentric design- one that would make the wearer look like a giant ladybug.

"They're somethin', alright," Tyra said as she slowly walked along the display line, her expression varying from set to set with different levels of confusion and distaste.

The tailor held her hands to her chest and beamed at her visitors with an energetic sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you! It's very kind of you to say that!"

"So," Riaku began after casting a brief glance over the outfits, "You said that you needed our help with something?"

"Oh!" Her face grew pink with embarrassment. "Yes… Though I suppose I should properly introduce myself first; my name is Rosa, and this is my store. As you can see, most of my shop sells run-of-the-mill clothing, though my real passion is combining fashion with armor."

"And why would you do that?" Tyra asked with one hand on her hip and the other dangling casually at her side. "Isn't it pointless to go into a hunt lookin' all cute?"

Rosa shook her head vehemently. "No, not at all! Hunters should be able to express themselves on the battlefield, just as they would otherwise!"

She extended an arm at the line of mannequins. "Hunters have been forced into the same old armor setups for far too long! To see a generation of hunters in which everyone looks different, their armor an outward expression of their individuality as people- that is my dream."

"That sounds like a very considerate ambition," Kira's eyes eased above a polite smile. "Though once again, I'm not sure how we can help you achieve it."

"But you can! You see, I need the pelt of a rare monster…" She paused to tentatively tap her fingertips together, "Though it may be a difficult fight, and I'm afraid I won't be able to pay you all that much…"

"A rare monster?" Riaku echoed, "It sounds like there's a story there."

She nodded. "Just yesterday, a hunter stopped by and asked if I could help her design a unique armor set- one that had never been made before. After a bit, we ironed out the last of the details, and I made to get started on it… But…"

"But?"

Rosa sighed and averted her eyes. "She had some… specific requirements for the set. It had to be soft, warm, and resilient. More so than the materials I originally wanted to use."

"Oh yeah?" Tyra shifted her weight impatiently. "And what monster did this hunter want to use instead?"

"She asked for snowbaron lagombi materials, in place of regular lagombi pelt."

While Riaku's eyebrow cocked at hearing the name of an unfamiliar monster, Kira and Tyra locked gazes before simultaneously responding.

"We'll do it!"

The young hunter shot a curious glance at them both while Rosa lightly squealed with excitement. "Thank you so, so much!"

"No problem…" Riaku said slowly while turning his gaze from his party back to the tailor. "Though you said that this snowbaron lagombi is really rare, right? How are we supposed to find one?"

Rosa's brown eyes sparked. "Luckily for us, a little birdie told me about a nearby sighting! Do any of you happen to have a map on you? I'll show you where to find it."

He fished out a map of the local mountains, and after a brief set of directions from Rosa, the trio were on their way. Riaku waited until they had passed the village gates before speaking up again.

"So, why were you two so quick to accept her quest? I think I'm missing something here."

"Snowbaron lagombi are real tough," Tyra replied from his left, "Since I'm gonna be teaching you how to use force from now on, I thought a quick demonstration couldn't hurt."

"So that's it," Kira's red eyes shifted past Riaku to focus on Tyra. "I thought you might be using this opportunity to show off. So, I'll be showing Riaku that elemental prowess is even more effective than brute strength."

Tyra put on a toothy grin, though her eyes flashed with ill-concealed annoyance as they met Kira's. "I don't know about that, pony girl. You can try to keep up if you want, but before long Riaku's gonna know that brawn is the way to go if you wanna deal with monsters quick."

Kira curtly hummed. "I'm doubtful. When in the right hands, something like my electricity is unmatched in terms of power."

Riaku eyed their staring match uncomfortably for a moment before deciding that he should change the subject. "So, what's up with these snowbarons anyway? I've never heard of that type of lagombi before."

Kira finally averted her eyes to favor him. "That makes sense… Not many have fought one. Do you recall our conversation about subspecies?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you were telling me about how some subspecies were created by the Great Force while others came from evolution. So, which one is the snowbaron?"

"Snowbaron lagombi are the product of evolution, similar to those tigrex with extra claws or diablos with many horns." Her red eyes rose with thought. "These particular lagombi have developed a sturdier coat of fur, as well as a more muscular stature."

"I'll say," Tyra muttered as she raised her hands to the back of her head. "I've seen them throw chunks of snow even bigger than themselves. They slide faster than an arrow flies from a bowgun, too."

"Wow…" Riaku breathed, "Sounds like this'll be a tough fight."

Kira nodded. "Most hunters need a special ticket in order to engage monsters this dangerous. Luckily for us, this isn't a Guild quest, so we're exempt from that rule."

"Not like it'll be a problem for us anyway!" Tyra flexed one arm while slapping her other palm against its bicep. "The thing's not even gonna know what hit it!"

Kira chuckled briefly in her throat. "Very true. Just don't get in my way."

An aquamarine glare shifted toward her. "I should be saying the same to you."

After a bit more conversation, unfailingly tinged with passive aggression between the two Origins, the trio reached the mountain range that Rosa had shown them on the map. A brief trek later, they were eyeing their prey as it rooted around in a snowy field.

True to the description that Kira had given, this lagombi boasted more fur on its forearms and hind legs than ordinary lagombi did. It was also considerably larger than the last one they had fought, and its white pelt was broken up by brown on the lower half of its body.

"So that's it, huh?" Riaku thought aloud while observing the monster, "Since this thing is so strong, I guess we should come up with a plan, right?"

"Correct," Kira turned her eye from the lagombi and raised a fingertip to her cheek. "Given its strength and speed, we should focus our attacks on its-"

She was cut off by a low, guttural moan coming from the field. Riaku joined her in shooting a glance at the lagombi, and both were momentarily shocked by the sight of Tyra charging toward their prey, sword at the ready. The lagombi had quickly noticed her approach, and was now preparing to fight back in the wake of its roar.

"So much for being tactical about this," Riaku muttered while unsheathing his sword.

He didn't get an answer, though, as Kira sprinted after Tyra with a firm glare on her face. Riaku gave a quick sigh in exasperation before following her lead.

Meanwhile, Tyra was quickly closing in on her target. The snowbaron rose to its hind legs with her approach, in what was likely an intimidation tactic. That strategy probably worked on a majority of its threats, though Tyra's grin only broadened at the sight. Without a sliver of hesitation, she ran into a crouch before launching upward. Riaku's eyes widened in awe as she lifted her sword over her head at the height of her jump, several meters over the towering rabbit, only to swing it downward in time with her descent. The steel flashed in the midmorning sunlight, though the lagombi was just quick enough to raise an arm to block the attack.

Against any other hunter, it likely would have deflected the blow- or even swatted its attacker away- with ease. Its revered strength, as well as the way that the snowbaron dwarfed Tyra's form as she approached it, made either one of those options seem all the more likely. However, in a feat that was as impressive as it was cartoonish, Tyra's sword met the forearm of the lagombi and continued in its trajectory without pause. Riaku's awe quickly morphed to disbelief as the sword forced the arm to slam into the head that it had risen to protect, which was also forced downward from the pressure of the attack. By the time that Tyra's feet had met ground again, the snowbaron's face had been plunged deep into the snow, leaving its limbs to flail about in a panic.

Her teeth flashed as she straightened and turned an eye on Riaku, who had unconsciously slowed to a stop to gawk at the spectacle. "Take notes. See what brute force gets ya, scrub?"

He swallowed hard before nodding. "That was… Incredible."

She barked with laughter, one of her hands finding rest at her hip while the other held her sword over her shoulder. "Hell yes it was. And guess what? I'm gonna teach you how to be just as strong."

He couldn't answer her before the lagombi found its bearings. It planted its paws into the snow and wrenched its head from a fresh hole, though it didn't take but a moment to recover before turning to pay Tyra back for her attack. Riaku called after her with a start, as she had her back to the beast and couldn't see it hunching into its hind legs- likely in preparation to launch itself at her- though his warning was cut off by something incredible.

Before it could make its move, the snow at the snowbaron's feet flashed a whitish blue. A sharp crack sounded immediately after, and before its echo could even rumble off the cliffs around the party, a blinding flash consumed the monster. Riaku flinched and shielded his eyes in response, the ground trembling beneath him, until the sudden explosion had ended. When he shot a look back at the lagombi, he found it reeling amid the veil of steam that rose from the snow beneath it.

"And that," Kira's voice called from nearby, "Is what a mastery of electricity gets you."

Riaku turned to find that Kira's hand was still extended toward the monster, its fingers spread to allow an electric blue light to beacon from her palm. He looked back at the giant rabbit and found it shivering and disoriented. It seemed that in just two attacks it had been severely damaged.

"I can't believe it…" He managed to reply.

Tyra growled in her throat and started toward Kira with a furrowed brow. "Hey! You done showing off yet?"

Kira chuckled in a curt, sarcastic way. "That's rich, coming from you. I have just as much a right to display my might to Riaku as you do."

"Oh yeah? At least I share my element with him!" Tyra jabbed an accusatory finger in Kira's direction. "You've let him use your lightning, what, one time? Then you have the nerve to flaunt it around, like you're dangling a treat in front of his face. No wonder he likes me more!"

That wiped the smirk from Kira's face. "Yes, I do withhold my element from Riaku. That's because, unlike you, I care enough to be sure that he can handle it. A considerate mate would wait until he was ready before flooding his body with something he's never used before."

The back-and-forth continued at such a fever pitch that Riaku had nearly forgotten about the lagombi. It was only once the rabbit bellowed that he looked back over and found that it had recovered enough to face the trio again.

"Guys?" He called, raising his sword in preparation for the remaining fight.

"Oh, as if you know what's good for him!" Tyra spat, "Have you already forgotten begging for my help a few months ago? You were hopeless without me then, and nothin's changed!"

"Begging? I scarcely remember begging you for anything."

"Guys!" He shouted, but it was no use. Amid their fight, his comrades failed to notice that the lagombi was now rearing into its haunches for another launch. There was a glint in its eyes at hearing Riaku's voice, and a small adjustment later, it shot after him at a dizzying speed. He barely had enough time to dive out of the way as it careened past, and by the time he had turned to face it again, it pivoted toward him and dug its claws into the snow. He cursed under his breath and leapt forward, but it was too late. The snowbaron flung a massive chunk of snow and ice at the hunter; so massive, in fact, that it buried him in an instant.

It was only after hearing the crash from the attack that the Origins realized what was happening.

"Riaku!" Kira swung her hand back at the snowbaron, and another sharp crack of electricity caused it to flinch. She used this time to sprint at the pile of ice that Riaku was stuck inside.

"You're going to regret that little stunt, snowflake." Tyra growled, her grin returning as she dashed after their quota instead.

While bangs and groans filled the field from the direction of the fight, Kira knelt beside the mound of snow and planted her palm against its surface. Veins of blue light spread across it before a crisp pop sent chunks of ice flying about in an explosion of steam. The remainder was packed in a tight ball around Riaku's torso- large enough to cover his body from his shoulders to his waist. He sputtered and coughed as Kira helped him to his feet.

"Don't move," She said while fishing through the folds of her coat, "I have a vial of cleanser in here somewhere…"

"W-W-What about th-the lagombi?" He stammered, fighting desperately to keep his teeth from chattering against the bitter cold of the ice that encased him.

"Dead," Tyra called as she sauntered over, hands behind her head casually. "Don't worry, scrub, I got him back for ya. So what, are you stuck or somethin'?"

Riaku looked past her toward the unmoving form of the lagombi, and in his amazement at her efficiency could only manage a small "Yeah…"

"Ah, here it is." Kira smiled warmly at him as she finally pulled out a vial of light blue liquid. "Hold still, Riaku. This should only take a moment-"

That was when a powerful impact rocked against his back, shattering the snowball and sending him to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and whipped around to gawk at Tyra, who was grinning carelessly with her arm still extended from swatting the ice off him.

"There," She proclaimed, "Problem solved!"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Kira yelled while clenching the vial, "You have no consideration for Riaku! What if that had injured him?"

"Jeez, he's fine! Ain't that right, babe?" She barely paused for him to nod before scoffing at Kira. "You act like he's some delicate flower. Just face the facts: he's tougher than you think he is. He doesn't need you to mother him."

"Be that as it may, in another moment I would have melted the snow off without any risk. Do you lack even that much patience? No… You just saw an opportunity to outshine me and took it- how childish."

And so the two began to argue for the umpteenth time that day. Riaku watched them go at it with weary eyes until he sneezed and caught their attention.

"Riaku, are you feeling alright?" Kira asked as she stepped close, "Here, let me feel you…"

He avoided Tyra's unamused stare while Kira placed the back of her hand against his forehead. A moment passed before she sighed.

"No fever yet, but we should warm you up quickly. Let's head back to Pokke."

And so initiated a long, cold, and tense trek back home for Riaku. It seemed that the conflict between his mentors had only built upon itself since that morning, and as the walk to town was either spent in complete silence or noisy argument, Riaku hung back a few steps and kept to himself. He knew that having two women- attractive and powerful women, at that- fighting over him was supposed to be flattering. After all, what teenaged boy didn't want to feel desired on that level? However, he didn't feel good about the situation in the slightest.

His eyes swept from the back of Kira's head to Tyra's. They were both incredibly important figures in his life, both by virtue of being his trainers and as personal friends. They were each great in their own ways, and he wanted nothing more than to make them happy and proud. Instead, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had let them down somehow. He felt guilty; even a bit disgusted by himself. He knew that, if only he had rejected Tyra despite her advances, he could have prevented all this.

He lowered his gaze to the grass and furrowed his brow. Her devotion to him over the past few months had been absolute, and although she often complained that training him was detracting from her own interests, she let nothing stop them from working together. She was hotheaded and impulsive at times, though surprisingly supportive and kind at others. Letting him vent to her, sharing her food with him, and of course there was…

He held his arms out in front of him. The orange and blue stripes running down his sleeves were beautiful, and the carefully arranged beads glimmered in the sunlight. He could only imagine the amount of time and effort that had gone into the additions… She could have spent her night drinking, but instead she spent it thinking of him. It made him feel a familiar and bubbly warmth- something like what he had felt when Kira made his shoulder guards.

His mind was soon drawn to the other types of warmth that he felt from Tyra. The warmth of her arms around his back, her lips against his, her tongue in his mouth…

He shook his head, unbeknownst to his companions. He was with Kira, after all… And even though he agreed to let Tyra handle smoothing things out on that front, the least he could do as Lady Kirin's mate was stay loyal to her in his thoughts- and so he practiced keeping any non-platonic feelings about Tyra away until they had returned from their hunt.

The only positive to come from the journey came after they had reported back to Rosa and gone home. They were making their way to the front door of Gaia's house when Riaku sneezed again, drawing Tyra's eyes.

"Hey, scrub," She began casually, "You probably want to take a bath, right? I'll get it warmed up for ya- so go change out of your armor."

He shot her a surprised look while he held the door for them. "Really? You'd do that?"

She laughed. "You act like I'm never nice to you or somethin'. Yes, I'd do that. Now hurry up- I'm not going easy on you during training if you get sick."

By that point the idea of having a warm bath was irresistible to Riaku. He made his way upstairs while Tyra headed for the bath and Kira settled on the couch with a book. He was quick to strip from his freezing armor and race back downstairs, now wearing trousers and an undershirt. He noticed that Kira's eyes carefully followed him into the bathroom as he passed, but he didn't particularly care to know why- there were more important matters at hand.

It always amazed him just how well the bath worked; even with its giant faucet and fire monster parts, it seemed impossible that it could heat and fill so quickly. By the time he had made it inside and closed the door behind him, the bath was full and a thick white steam sprouted from the water's surface. Normally Riaku would have been more cautious when entering something that looked so hot, but at that moment he really didn't care- he threw his clothes aside and hopped in. Sure enough, the water was hotter than he would usually find comfortable, though not enough to make him want to get out. He savored the warm relief from the day's events with a contented sigh. His eyes closed and he lulled his head back, a smile tugging at his lips. It seemed that he finally had a moment of peace in what had otherwise been a very dramatic and stressful day. In the end, he knew that the conflict between Tyra and Kira was far from over; though, for now at least, he was allowed a moment to be alone…

Or so he thought.

In his eagerness, he had failed to notice the shadow that hid under the steam- just as he had failed to notice the tattered mafumofu set that had been haphazardly discarded beside the towel rack. As he relaxed, unaware, the shadow approached him and leaped from the water.

Riaku's eyes snapped open at the sound of splashing, but it was too late. An arm had tightly wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his face against something warm, soft, and wet. He reflexively began to struggle, still confused and alarmed, until a familiar voice came from above him.

"So, I get the bath ready for ya and this is how you thank me?"

He lifted his gaze and found Tyra grinning down at him, her cheeks unusually pink. It was only then that a shocking realization hit him- she was as naked as he was, and if she had him in her usual headlock, then that meant…

His eyes trailed back downward before growing even wider; his left cheek was pressed into the side of her right breast. It was the first time he had seen them bare, and even though Tyra's choice in clothing left little to the imagination, he still couldn't have expected what he now saw. For one thing, they were large- much bigger than Kira's, anyway- though their shape and feel was very similar to his mate's. Even the way that her light skin was broken up by the soft pink of her areolae was familiar. However, the tips of Kira's nipples were perky beyond the puffiness of their base… Tyra's, however-

"Your… They're-" Riaku mumbled, unable to keep his eyes off her chest, nor the fiery heat from flooding his face.

"Yup," Tyra said after a chuckle, "My girls are innies. Don't worry, though- show 'em a little love and they'll come right out for ya. Go on, give it a shot~"

She pulled Riaku's face even tighter to her breast, his cheek becoming enveloped in soft skin, though the door swinging open with a crash prevented anything else from taking place. Kira had once again appeared to glare at them above crossed arms.

"I knew it," She said in a dangerously low voice, "I didn't see you leave after preparing the bath, even as Riaku went in. I should have known that you'd be doing something like this."

Tyra didn't waver in the slightest. "And? Is something wrong?"

"Only that you're making advances on my mate." Her red eyes flashed dangerously. "I wanted to avoid further altercations between us, but I won't allow this behavior to go on any longer."

While Tyra chuckled in her throat, her grin broadening, Riaku struggled free from her hold and turned toward Kira. "Please… I don't want you two to fight-"

"-A bit too late for that, babe." Tyra's eyes were still glued to Kira. "Centuries late, actually."

"This is nothing new," Kira agreed lowly. "Now leave. This is between Origins."

Her firm tone persuaded Riaku to rise from the bath and make for the door, but he stopped himself before exiting the water. The air was thick, not just with steam, but with tension. His two mentors were facing off, threatening to shatter the period of near-peace that they had been sharing recently. Of course he knew that the bad blood between them wasn't new; it dated back at least as far as Kira had been protecting Pokke. Still, the way that the two had come together to train him led him to think that they had more or less put their past behind them.

Now, though, they were at it again… And it was all his fault. Sure, Tyra had forced herself on him, but he knew deep down that he wasn't bothered by the idea of being with her. Could he have fought back more than he did? Could he have somehow persuaded her to give up on him? He didn't know… Either way, it was his duty as Kira's mate to be loyal to her- a duty that he had failed. That thought caused his teeth to grit and fists to clench in frustration.

Kira must have noticed his hesitation, as her eyes flickered to his face. "Riaku, go. Now."

"No."

The silence that followed was a testament to the surprise that all three of them shared. Kira's eyes widened slightly while Tyra shot a curious glance at Riaku.

"No?" She echoed.

Riaku took a deep breath. He wasn't good at defying these two- not that he really could anyway, given their strength- but they were good at discouraging him from being disobedient long before it came to that point. To finally break that spell, and during such a volatile time, was as frightening as it was necessary.

"You said that this was between Origins," he began without looking at either of them, "But… I'm a part of this too. Sure, you two have argued before, but never… Like this. I want us all to get along. Can't we just do that?"

There was a long and uncomfortable pause before Kira sighed. "Very well."

When Riaku looked back at her, she was crossing to the bench while undoing the fastens of her coat. He dumbly watched her disrobe before catching on and abruptly looking away again.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a wavering voice.

"The point of having a bath this large was to increase rapport between us," She answered while scrubbing herself down with a soapy sponge. "And the Great Force knows we could use some of that right now…"

Riaku and Tyra exchanged glances in silence until Kira finally finished up and waded into the water with them. Now sharing a bath with two naked women, Riaku didn't know what to do with his eyes. Fearing causing further damage, he opted to stare down into the water with a set expression.

"So," Kira began with a sigh, "You wish to be a part of this conflict as well, Riaku?"

"I do." He answered without lifting his yes.

"All because you don't wish to see us fight any longer?"

"Yes."

There was a brief pause. Both Kira and Tyra were eyeing him carefully- he could feel their eyes piercing him- and it made him uneasy to become involved in their argument like this. Regardless, he knew that he had to step up and do whatever he could to fix things. It was his responsibility to make things right… But how?

"Perhaps this is for the best, after all." Kira thought aloud, "It's indeed true that you're involved in this too. Even if this is only the most recent in a line of previous conflicts between Lady Tigrex and I, it was inconsiderate of me to ignore your feelings on the matter. Forgive me for that."

He quickly faced her. "No, you don't have to apologize! This is… My fault, anyway."

"Oh?" Kira raised a thoughtful finger to her cheek. "How so?"

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's true that Tyra made the first move on me… But I could have done better as your mate. Maybe I didn't fight her off as hard as I could have… So I feel like this is all my fault."

Tyra grunted ambiguously but refrained from saying anything. Kira, however, let out a deep exhale before answering.

"I see. Tell me, Riaku- does this mean that you're attracted to her as well?"

He faced her again with a start. "You're my mate, Kira! I'm loyal to you- maybe I let my guard down this time, but you're still the one I'm devoted to!"

She chuckled but shook her head. "Hearing that makes me very happy, Riaku… But it's no good. Don't deny your feelings, and more importantly, don't lie to me."

"But I'm not-"

"-You're really going to tell me that you're not attracted to her?" Her fiery eyes glinted. "I'm not a fool."

"No… You're not." He agreed after a moment.

"So, why not be honest with me?" She shifted her weight and nodded toward Tyra, who was still being uncharacteristically quiet. "Tell me what you really think about her."

For the first time since the conversation started, Riaku turned to face Tyra. Her arms were crossed, and her aquamarine eyes were fixed on him- though they were unreadable. He couldn't tell in the slightest what she was thinking or feeling in that moment. He stared into those eyes for a long moment; he had always liked them. When they met, those striking blue eyes had intelligently assessed him from the point of view of an apex monster. He liked the way that they lit up with zealous excitement whenever she ate, or when he made progress in his training. Now, though, they lacked that energetic shine.

How much was she staking on his response? Was it more than he had anticipated, or was it nothing at all? He hadn't the slightest idea.

He feared that saying the wrong thing would only worsen the situation. It was easy to imagine either Origin becoming upset depending on his response, which placed a lot of pressure on him. He considered answering in ways that would tow the line and appeal to them both somehow- though it was then that he remembered something.

It was his indecisiveness that had put them in this position in the first place. If he continued to lie to them- to himself- then things would only go on this way. Swallowing hard, he decided to be completely honest.

"Yes," He answered, "I am attracted to her."

A beat, tinged with anxious uncertainty for Riaku, passed before Kira answered.

"I see. Might I ask what it is about her that you find attractive?"

"I guess… For one thing, it's how hard she works for me," He mumbled, "She's always helping me, even though I'm sure there are a lot of other things she'd rather be doing."

"I seem to remember you saying something similar about me…" Kira murmured, "You certainly like to be the focus of others, don't you?"

"I guess so," He gave a hollow, apologetic chuckle. "It's just nice to know that I matter to someone… That they have that much faith in me."

"Let's not go too far there, scrub." Tyra joked.

When Riaku turned toward her voice, he found a small change in her expression. The edges of her lips were raised in a faint smile, and her eyes seemed to have regained some of their sheen. It was a small change, though it was one that reassured him nonetheless. When Kira asked him to continue explaining his feelings about Tyra, he found it somehow easier to be open while looking into those striking blue eyes- and so he didn't look away from them as he went on.

"Apart from that, she's ridiculously strong," He mirrored her tiny smile with one of his own, "And funny, too. It makes her fun to be around… And I somehow feel like just having her near me makes me more confident- like I can do anything if I really try."

"How interesting," Kira mused, "I seem to recall that you mostly praised my appearance when I first asked why you liked me; and yet you seem much more focused on personality traits when it comes to her."

Riaku whipped around. "It's not that your personality is any less great! I mean, you're strong too- and I've never met someone as smart as you are."

"Thank you, Riaku," She chuckled, "But again, this isn't about me."

"She's right," Tyra agreed, "Let's keep this on me, yeah?"

Riaku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Right… Sorry."

"Uh-huh." The bluenette paused to crack her knuckles loudly. "And what's all this about complimenting her body more than mine? Do you seriously think she's hotter than me or somethin'?"

"I never said that!" He paused and wheeled back toward Kira again, "Though obviously I think that you're-"

"-Riaku, it's not going to hurt my feelings if you compliment her. I just want to see where you're coming from clearly." Kira smirked at him. "I'm already well-aware of the fact that you find me attractive."

"Still…" He muttered, "This is hard… It feels wrong to say stuff like this in front of you."

"Would it be any less true if you kept your feelings about her to yourself?" She shot back.

"No, but-"

"Ah, come on!" Tyra growled, "Spit it out, already! This is taking forever."

Their combined impatience dissuaded him from arguing further. He took a moment to look Tyra over- from her messy blue hair, tamed slightly by the water, to her fair and smooth face. A familiar heat threatened to redden his face as his gaze trailed lower, from her shapely shoulders to her large, soft breasts and contrastingly toned stomach. He took in the way her wet skin gleamed in the light along the contours of her thighs and hips, while the water's surface only just concealed her sex.

Realizing that he was beginning to gawk at her, Riaku looked away and muttered his answer. "You're very pretty... I've always thought so."

Tyra beamed. "That's more like it! See, being honest ain't so tough."

Before he could disagree, Kira sighed. "Well, it would seem it's true, then. Riaku really does find you to be a suitable mate, in every sense of the term."

Riaku made to apologize again, but Kira stopped him by raising a palm in his direction. "It's alright. I know that you're eager to prove your devotion- sadly, it's not something that I can indulge in this time."

His confusion was visible. "What do you..?"

Kira shifted a disdainful gaze at Tyra, who was wearing a carefree and expectant smile. "The truth is that this has always been inevitable. Perhaps I should have told you that sooner."

He blinked twice. "Inevitable?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes. I was fortunate enough to meet you first, and so I had you to myself for a while. It wasn't for long- though in that short span of time, I grew selfish. Even though I knew that I couldn't be your only mate forever, I wanted to prolong having you to myself."

"But… You can be my only," He insisted. "Of course I have feelings for Tyra too, but it's like I said: you're my mate. If this is what you want, then-"

"-Then what?" Kira gave a faint smile, as matter-of-fact as it was grateful. "Do you honestly believe that she would just accept your rejection? Especially knowing that you denied her for my sake?"

When Riaku turned toward Tyra, the bluenette shrugged in a way that said 'you know she's right'.

"Not to mention," Kira continued, "If you're truly as the prophesy describes, then she's very unlikely to be the last Origin to take an interest in you. Will you turn them all down too? How many of them will stick around after having their confessions declined, I wonder? Would their wounded egos turn them against you, or even against your allies? We don't have the strength nor time to take that risk for the sake of my selfishness."

"But you're not being selfish!" His voice was growing louder now. "It's totally reasonable to want your partner for yourself, right?"

"For the humans, yes." Kira replied thoughtfully, "But we're not human- neither are you, Riaku. In truth, it's not uncommon for monsters to share the worthiest mates. I always knew that, yet I kept it from you so that I could indulge in experiencing a human romance."

Her smile lightened. "Thank you for humoring me for so long. Knowing that you'd settle for me alone is very touching, but it's never been a valid possibility for our relationship."

He still looked uncertain. "What are you saying?"

She sighed so deeply that it was nearly a groan. "I'm saying that you may take other mates, Riaku. Even someone like her, if that's what your heart longs for. Accepting this part of yourself- the monster part of yourself- will help to cement the bond between you and later allies. In the interest of that… As well as in seeing to your happiness… I am giving you my permission."

He couldn't answer before Tyra stepped close and gave him a rough pat on the back, nearly sending him face-first into the water. "See? What did I tell ya? We're all monsters here, so there's no problem with it!"

While she laughed heartily, Kira glared at her. "Let's not say 'no problem' so casually. You'd do well to remember that I am, and always will be, Riaku's first mate."

Tyra chuffed and pulled him into a tight hug- which he noted was a different experience entirely when no clothes were involved. "Sorry, pony girl, but I'm pretty sure that's his decision to make. Don't think for a second that I give a damn about your blessing, and don't expect me to just roll over and let you stay his favorite forever. This is still war."

"Naturally," Kira granted, "Though that can wait for the moment. For now, we should really finish up here before Gaia returns."

"Good idea," Riaku croaked from Tyra's vicelike embrace, "I don't know if I could handle another one of Gaia's lectures… That last one was bad enough."

"I hope you'll find my lectures more to your liking, then." Kira smirked at him over her shoulder as she exited the bath. "It is a C-Day, after all- we'll begin your studies immediately after drying off."

While Riaku groaned lowly and started after her, Tyra laughed gruffly. "Wait, Gaia got on you for somethin'? I've gotta hear about this."

"There's nothing to know," He muttered while wiping himself down with a towel.

"'Nothing', huh? I don't buy it." Her gaze shifted to Kira. "Hey, what really happened?"

Kira chuckled in her throat while hiking her pants up. "To put it in Gaia's words, it was his punishment for being a 'perverted vulture who took the first opportunity to violate some poor girl's privacy'."

"Ohoho, really?" Tyra was giddy. "Riaku, you dog~ I didn't think you had it in you!"

"It wasn't like that!" He shouted while rushing from the room, still getting dressed. When he stumbled over his own trousers in the process, Tyra barked with laughter. Even Kira smiled silently to herself as he shot her a glare- one that was completely undermined by the redness that consumed his face- before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

"And so, in these cultures, 'yin' is thought to be the opposite- a female principle associated with the earth. It is also the dark counterbalance to 'yang'."

Riaku grunted absentmindedly while scribbling notes into a notebook. Even though he rarely revisited the things he wrote during Kira's lessons, he found that he retained more of the information after putting it down on paper. This was an unnecessary process when it came to learning about monsters or combat, though subjects like the humanities seemed to elude his memory after little time otherwise.

He often wondered why it was important to learn about other cultures. At first it was hardly a problem, as Riaku had never left Pokke and was interested in what life was like elsewhere, though it quickly grew old. What he really wanted was to visit these places himself, not to hear about them from a historical perspective.

As if she had read his mind, Kira's eyes flashed at him. "Like it or not, this is as important to your role as fighting is."

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "I need to know about the world before I can save it. You've told me plenty of times."

"And I'll continue to tell you until you fully understand- which you clearly don't yet."

He opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a loud snore. Both of their eyes shifted to the couch, where Tyra was sprawled out and completely unconscious. In her lap was a bottle emptied to the last drop, while another sat on the floor beside her.

Kira eyed her gaping mouth with an unamused expression. "I suppose this was inevitable."

"Yeah…" Riaku was more focused on the impressive amount of alcohol that she had downed before dozing off. "I'm still surprised that she chose to drink here tonight. Usually she's at the bar for as long as she can on C-Days."

Kira hummed. "I can't help but wonder if it's due to our meeting earlier. That, or she's already been banned from every tavern in Pokke."

"Why would she be banned, do you think? Fighting?"

"No, for drinking away all their stock."

Riaku chuckled and turned back to is notes. "Whatever, I guess we can just work around the noise. You said you wanted to come back to Styx, right? That sounded sort of interesting, at least."

"Some other time," Kira closed the book she had been instructing from and slid it over to the neat stack of research material that crowded her edge of the table.

"Huh?" He seemed taken aback. "Not that I'm complaining, but isn't it a bit early to stop for the night?"

"Comparatively, yes." She stood from her seat and stretched before smiling down at him. "Though I thought we could take a break, just this once. There's a place I'd like to show you, if you'd care to join me for a walk."

"Sure!" His enthusiasm was ill-concealed as he flipped his book shut and rose as well.

Kira blew out the candles, replacing the soft orange glow of the room with the dim bluish moonlight that filtered in through the windows. Silently, the two passed a still-sleeping Tyra and made their way outside. It was a clear night, with only a few wispy grey clouds splotching the infinite stars that peppered the sky. The moon was nearly full, lighting their path until the lanterns, torches, and forges of the commercial sector took its place.

"Slow night," Riaku thought aloud, noting the sparsely populated square they were passing through. A couple of hunters were arguing outside the Guild's hall, while a drunkard was crooning about lost love while stumbling past them.

"Indeed," Kira murmured while smiling politely at Ivan's assistant, who was leisurely puffing on a pipe outside of the armory. The stout man grunted and nodded at the two shortly before a lamp-wielding patrol did the same.

Before long they were setting out of the settlement gates, and a quiet gust of chilly mountain air prompted Riaku to pull his coat tighter to his body. "I didn't know we were going this far... Kinda wish I had grabbed my gloves."

"Oh?" Kira smirked at him from the corner of her eye. "Surely the hero of prophesy can bear the cold for a short while- or would he rather warm his hand against mine?"

He eyed the pale hand that she extended toward his own, and while it was a tempting offer, her choice in wording irked him.

"Of course I can take it! This is nothing."

"Aw…" She pouted, her cheeks pink and eyebrows furrowed with discouragement. "You'd really rather be cold than hold my hand..?"

Within a second, he had intertwined his fingers with her own. Kira's expression eased back into a smirk and she chuckled lowly in her throat.

"My, my… It would seem that little has changed since we first met. You still can't help but rush to the helpless damsel's rescue. How cute."

He tsked. "How long are you going to do that to get your way? It's not like I don't know you're only pretending to have your feelings hurt."

"And yet it still achieves the desired effect," She happily replied. "To answer your question, I'll continue doing this for as long as it remains effective."

He grumbled quietly to himself while slipping his other hand into his pocket. "Where are we going anyway? We're getting pretty far away from town now."

"It's a very special place," She cryptically replied, "And it's not much farther."

As it turned out, that was a bald-faced lie. While they traversed barren fields, rocky inclines, and dense evergreen forests, Riaku questioned what Kira considered to be 'far' if this wasn't it. Regardless, the journey was preferable to sitting at home and continuing his lesson; rather than Tyra's snoring, they were surrounded by the subdued orchestra of emperor crickets and night-faring birds against the lowly whistling wind. Kira's hand was warm and soft in his own, and he found himself admiring the soft glow of thunderbugs as they lazily buzzed about the forest.

In the months since he had met Kira and began his work as a true monster hunter, Riaku had explored much of the wilderness around Pokke, and yet he found himself completely lost before long. Wherever Kira was leading him, it must have been a very secluded spot- and given that she hadn't seen the need for them to bring their weapons along, he figured that it must be relatively safe from monsters. Then again, with her electric powers, he figured that they'd be safe from threat regardless.

His eyebrow only raised again when they found themselves at the base of a sheer cliff adorned with a tangle of thick vines. As he eyed the cliff's edge far above them, his expression morphed from confusion to disbelief- a look that he extended to Kira when she told him that they were to climb to the top.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked, noting the way that the vines swayed and creaked with the breeze.

"Not at all," She innocently replied while letting go of his hand. She stepped forward, then began to glow white. Riaku realized what she was doing right as her form began to grow and stretch into the shape of a kirin, and he immediately rushed forward.

"Oh no you don't!"

Just as her transformation ended and she hunched down, he leapt forward and tightly wrapped his arms around her tail- and not a second too soon. Right as he grabbed hold, she sprung upward with incredible force. Riaku was nearly blown off her, as was evidenced by his muffled cry of surprise, though he managed to retain his grip long enough for them to land at the top. Hair swept back by the rushing air, he shakily stepped away from Kira as soon as it was safe to do so. The kirin turned to him with large red eyes narrowed in a way he was all-too familiar with, and Riaku knew that had she been in her human form, he would see her smiling at his expense.

He cast a look down at the incredible drop before scowling at her and smoothing his hair back into place. "You were really going to make me climb all that way alone?"

'And if I was?' She responded while shrinking back into her human form. "Don't tell me that you couldn't have handled it without me."

"That's not the point!" He crossed his arms, his annoyance clearly magnified from being jostled by the jump. "Way to ruin a moment, Kira."

"Oh? On the contrary, I found your reaction very entertaining." She giggled into her hand. "Perhaps I should do these sorts of things more oft-"

"-Absolutely not."

She noted the way that he refused to look at her in his anger, though his defiance was undermined by a stubborn lock of hair that still stuck up from is head. Smiling to herself, she stepped close and reached up to pet it into place. That was all it took to make him lock eyes with her again. Goal accomplished, she took his hand and turned to lead him further.

"Come, it's just ahead."

"Uh-huh," He eyed her suspiciously. "So how much farther, then? Four- maybe five miles? I'm just converting to kirin distance."

"My, you certainly grow sarcastic when you're upset. It's very amusing."

"It's not supposed to be."

She hummed as she led him toward a grassy ridge that rounded the mountain. "Calm now, Riaku. I think you'll find that our destination is well worth the journey."

He had just started to think of biting ways to say that he doubted it when they turned the corner, revealing an incredible sight to him. The path opened up into the flat wedge of a cliff, carpeted with thick green grass. Beyond the edge, the starry sky stretched on forever, the night's lights glittering around a large white moon. The view of distant forested mountains skylighted against space would be incredible enough, though it was little compared to what rested on the mountain ahead of them.

From here, they looked down at a small Pokke village. The settlement was ghostly quiet from this distance, though the flickering of clustered orange lights told Riaku that the village had yet to truly settle for the night. It was as though the mountain of his town was adorned in living jewelry, or otherwise, a small cloud of dark thunderbugs that slowly hovered and floated about.

Kira watched closely as he let go of her hand and slowly approached the cliff's edge. Try as he might, he couldn't look away- after all, that was his whole world down there. It was all he had ever known. He had always thought that Pokke was relatively large- or at least that's how it felt when he was in the heart of it- though now he realized just how tiny it was. So inconspicuous that, had no fires been lit, your eyes may cross it without even noticing the humble bunch of buildings that he knew so intimately.

After a long moment of silence had passed, Kira walked up beside him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is… How did you know about this place?"

"I've guarded Pokke for many years. Whenever I left the area, it wasn't for long- no, most of my time was spent near enough that I could uphold my vow to protect this place. It wasn't always necessary to literally watch over it, though whenever I did, I preferred this spot to do so."

It wasn't hard to see why that was the case. As much as Riaku hated to admit it, she had been right; to be able to see something like this for himself made the trek seem insignificant. Even his anger at her for dragging him along earlier had completely vanished.

He only drew his gaze from Pokke when Kira lowered herself to sit on the grass, mere feet from the edge. When she looked up at him, the faintest of smiles tugging at her lips, he noticed how her red eyes pierced the dark to reach his own.

"Won't you join me?" She asked.

He nodded and sat beside her. They remained like that for a while- silently watching over Pokke together- before Kira leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He reciprocated by wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her closer to him.

"You know," He began in a quiet voice, "If what you told me about how monsters court is true, then you're surprisingly romantic."

She hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose so. In truth, I've been studying."

"Studying?"

He felt her nod against his neck. "It occurred to me some time ago that I'm asking you to embrace and understand your monster side… As such, it only seems right that I try to understand your human side as well."

"And how did you go about doing that?"

"Reading, of course."

"Of course," He agreed. "So all this time you've been 'studying' during my training, you've actually been flipping through romance novels? I find it hard to believe that the Elder has anything like that in her collection."

"No," She murmured, "I've been thoroughly researching anything that could prove useful to our cause. However, I've occasionally come across novellas in shops that indulge in fictional human relationships. They certainly aren't my preferred reading material- though they've given me some ideas. This trip was one of those ideas."

"Gotcha."

He couldn't help but smile, imagining her going through all that trouble just to relate to him. In a way it reinforced his feelings about her, and in an act of renewed appreciation for his mate, he rested his head atop her own. The familiar scent of her hair lulled him even further into contentment. There was only one thing that still bothered him- and as they were as alone as could be, he thought it the perfect time to bring it up.

"Are you really okay with it?"

"Hm? Okay with what?"

"With Tyra becoming my second mate." Even now, saying it aloud- to Kira, no less- made him uneasy. "I mean, I know what you said… But you didn't seem happy about it."

She didn't say anything for a long moment. When she finally replied, her voice was soft but otherwise stoic.

"What would you do if I told you that I wanted you for myself?"

"I'd do it."

"Even considering your feelings toward her?"

"Yes."

She hummed and nuzzled into the crook between his shoulder and neck. "In a perfect world, I could act out that human romance. This isn't a perfect world, though, Riaku… And yet, even though it's not perfect…"

She took a deep breath of his scent, held it in, then released it as a wonderfully warm cloud against his bare skin.

"It's still very good."

He lifted his head and turned to look into her eyes, and she did the same. After a brief pause, they both leaned in and shared in a kiss until Riaku was almost out of air. When they parted, he pressed his forehead against hers while taking slow, but deep, breaths.

"I love you," He whispered just above the sound of the wind.

She sighed, this time in a dreamy way rather than an exasperated one. "Humans are so funny, always reaffirming their affection with words… Though I think it's something that I could get used to."

"How do monsters show affection, then?"

She leaned over enough to plant a long kiss on his cheek, then lowered her head until it rested against his shoulder again. "With actions."

He smiled. "In that case…"

Pulling her even tighter to him still, he laid a kiss on her forehead, then turned to look out over the village. They remained still and comfortable on that cliff for what seemed like hours before Kira finally parted from him and stood.

"Come," She said while dusting off her armor, "We really should go back… It's late and tomorrow's training will be important."

"Why's that?" He asked while mirroring her.

She gave him her signature narrow-eyed smile. "Tomorrow I will begin teaching you to use my lightning abilities."

Riaku physically jolted, as though said lightning had just run a circuit through his body. "Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yes… I think you're finally ready."

"Yes!" He couldn't help but pump his fist victoriously. "I've been waiting for this!"

She chuckled and turned back for the path. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few hours more. We'll begin in the morning- and although it may be difficult, I recommend that you get plenty of sleep beforehand."

That seemed like an impossible request given how energetic he suddenly felt, though he gave a hard nod nonetheless. "I will."

With that, the couple made their way back through the wilderness, hand in hand. Riaku's heart was light, not just because of the day's events, but also because he was finally going to learn how to use an element other than force. Despite the arduous tasks that still lied ahead of him, in that moment he felt as though all was right with the world.

Little did he know that another Origin was wreaking havoc just over the horizon, and that their paths were bound to cross sooner than he could imagine.

Yeah, this chapter was more on the romantic and fluffy side. Next chapter will have much more of an emphasis on training and... Other important stuff.

A gigantic, Raging Brachydios-sized thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter! I'm talkin' to you, PuzzleMaster1998, The Constitutionalist, khanubhai, Krillshadow, reddevil47, Monstersoorustrex, Obs3rv4nt-Onl00k3r, Viperclaw14, and Morinoka159! You people are why I do what I do!

If you have a moment to spare, then please consider leaving me a review- they always make my day.

As always, thank you for reading! See you in the next one!

-S/L