Title: Catch me if I fall

Characters: Kayli, Louis Amamiya

Pairing: Beginning of Kayli/Louis, implied Karen/Aurora

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Code Vein. Bandico Namco Entertainment owns Code Vein and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: The cathedral held answers, but it held more questions. Louis and Kayli have a chance to chat.

Timeline: After completing Cathedral of the Sacred Blood

Warning: Spoilers for Cathedral of the Sacred Blood, and the Successor of the Ribcage

Author's Notes: 2nd in the 'Compassion and Expectations' Series.

Lean on Me, I'll be Here

(No Matter What)

Silence followed the group as they made their way back to the base. Too many things were whirling around for them to attempt a conversation. Too many questions had gone unanswered and after their interaction with the Hunter, they had been left unsettled.

Kayli looked at Louis out the corner of her eye, wondering how he was coping with everything.

He had come face to face with Aurora, a person from his past and had almost lost her if Kayli hadn't returned the relic to her, only to discover that his sister was a successor and was the one weeping tears of blood.

Kayli sighed as she turned her gaze back to the front, relieved when they reached the base, missing the way Yakumo and Mia shared a look before Yakumo shrugged and Mia shook her head in return.

"Welcome back!" Murasame greeted them, cheerful as ever, her hands in the air in cheer only to falter when she noticed everyone's expression and immediately became concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"We're fine," Yakumo assured her with a tired smile. "Just a little…overloaded."

"Oh, okay," she nodded. She looked between all of them.

"I'm going to get some rest," Louis spoke up. Kayli looked at him to see him hand Murasame his weapon, who took it with a pensive look before he rounded the corner.

Kayli sighed as she shrugged off her veil and toed off her boots, sighing with relief when her feet met the ground.

Mia greeted Murasame with a small smile, rounding the counter to be at the redhead's side while Yakumo handed his weapon over to the weaponsmith.

Kayli placed her Queenslayer blade on the wall, her fingers lingering on the blade for a moment. Was it fate that she would have picked the blade that matched her past? Was its familiarity that drew her to the blade in the first place?

Taking a step back, she pushed down the memories and made her way over to the jukebox on the far side of the room, giving Io a small smile when the girl looked at her with concern.

Music was the best thing to distract her, she thought to herself as she pressed a few buttons and a familiar beat filled the air. She closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her before wandering over to the board Louis created.

Her eyes took in the different pictures, his handwritten notes posted, and her hand reached out to touch a note regarding the cathedral.

Whatever they had expected to find, it had not been what they had discovered. She felt like she was drowning under everything they had learned; she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Louis.

And she still hasn't admitted to Louis to what she saw within her memory. She was just glad that no one entered her memory with her. She didn't think she could bear the look on his face when he discovered the truth.

And it was a truth she knew that would come out, sooner or later, with or without her permission.

Kayli sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach as she thought about what Jack said, about them needing her powers and to think about what he had said.

Of course, there was nothing that could sway her to his side. Not after her memory. He killed her, out of mercy, of course, but she had promised her powers to Louis and after what she has seen, she knew Louis was a far better way of them surviving.

But she couldn't help but wonder of Eva, of her singing ability. Jack had said that Kayli was stronger than Eva's ability so did that mean Eva had the same ability as her?

Kayli frowned. Nothing made sense to her. It seemed any answers she got only brought more questions. She felt like she was chasing her tail.

A gentle push to her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up at a Yakumo, who was looking down at her with a pensive look.

"Go and talk to him," he told her. Kayli frowned. "Louis, go and talk to him."

"Why me?" she asked him, confused. "You're his best friend."

Yakumo stared at her for a moment before he sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"I swear…" he muttered, looking at her again, "I'm not spelling it out for you either. Just go to him."

He walked so he was on her other side and gently pushed at her side, urging her toward the stairs. She tried to resist but Yakumo merely gave her a pointed look that she sighed and turned around.

She walked past Coco, who was chatting with Davis about some things Davis had found in the recent depths they had cleared and mapped out before heading down the hallway and reaching Louis' room.

Kayli faltered in front of it, her fist partly raised to knock on the door only to bite down on her lower lip.

What did one say in a time like this? Sorry, your sister is a successor, and that her lover is stuck in a humanoid-wolf form?

'Come on, get it together,' she thought to herself, mentally shaking herself and she pushed past her fear, knocking gently on the door.

The door opened under her pressure, but she heard no response from within. With a frown, she gently pushed the door open to see Louis was sitting on his bed with his back toward her, hunched over.

The mirror on the other side showed his expression, he looked so…lost and lonely and it made her heart tight at the sight.

Louis never looked lost or lonely. She had seen him angry, annoyed, smiling, laughing, confused – especially when the blood veins confounded him and Yakumo – but never like this.

"Louis…" she shifted on her feet nervously.

She watched as Louis' stiffened at her voice, a hand coming up to scrub his face before he turned around to see her standing there. She gave him a nervous smile before clearing her throat.

"I just…" she bit down on her lower lip, "I just wanted to see how you were." Her hands went behind her back and she looked down at her toes. "It's been a pretty hectic time."

"I'm okay," his voice drew her attention back to him and she looked at him to see a soft smile on his face. "Sorry for worrying you."

Kayli rolled her eyes.

"Was I that obvious?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"You wear your heart on your sleeve," came the answer.

"Oh, great," she remarked sarcastically, smiling when Louis chuckled.

"You can come in and sit down if you want," he told her. She looked around his room nervously before looking at him and giving a small nod. Her feet barely made any noise on the wooden floors, carefully rounding the bed.

"I thought you might want to talk," she admitted as she sat down next to him on the soft bedding. "Even though I am not exactly sure how to even process everything we've seen." He chuckled softly as he returned to his previous form.

"Yeah, well, we found the source of the blood beads. And we happened to find my sister at the same time. I guess I can't complain too much."

"Louis," her hand went to his shoulder and she gave it a gentle squeeze. His hand came up and covered hers, turning his face toward her and there was that warm glow in his eyes again.

She cleared her throat, looking away from that expression.

"I wanted to thank you," he told her. She slowly turned to face him. "For restoring Aurora's memories. It…must have taken a toll on you." She looked away, pushing down the memories the vestige held. "It looked painful, when you were trying to calm the relic so, thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," she shook her head and looked at him, "I'm just doing what I think is the right thing to be doing. Too many people have sacrificed themselves for the cause."

Cruz's warm smile, her warm touch as she gently touched Kayli's cheek.

"It's only right that we save as many people as we can."

"Please, save everyone."

"I…see," Louis was watching her carefully and she gave him a small smile.

"Really Louis, she gave up so much to protect your sister. It was only right of me to return her memories. They are hers, after all," she finished softly.

"We never did talk about your memories-"

"There's nothing to talk about," she cut him off sharply, meeting his surprise gaze. "It was just a brief memory." She swallowed painfully. "I still don't fully understand it so…"

"Okay," he nodded. "Well, you know where I am when you are ready to talk about it."

That was not going to happen, she promised herself. She killed Cruz, it was by her hand that Cruz's blood was spilled, and her body turned to ash.

It was Cruz's blood that sent her into a frenzy, and it was by Jack's hand that she met her fate, losing her memories.

'Carrier of the blood' is what Jack called her when they ran into him back in the crypt. She had the ability to calm the relics. Too many questions and not enough answers.

It was not enough to talk to Louis about it. Beside…with his feelings regarding Cruz…Kayli pushed the emotions down as hard as she could, swiftly quelling the jealously.

A hand touched her elbow and she looked up to see Louis' concerned red ones staring down at her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"This isn't about me, it's about you," she told him, shaking her head. "I'll…deal with my memories when I remember more. Until then, it doesn't matter."

The look he gave her made it clear that he didn't agree with her. She just merely pressed her lips together and he sighed, clearly giving in to her stubbornness. And she was relieved.

"You do so much for us," he reached his hand up, brushing her hair away from her face, "And we barely do enough for you."

"You are there for me when it matters," she told him, leaning into his touch when he cupped her cheek. "You helped me during my lowest point. If I can help our world, then what right do I have to keep it to myself?"

"Even if it means it's hurting you?"

"What's a little pain to bring peace to others?" she said, her voice low. She lowered her eyes to look at the ring resting at Louis' neck. "I can endure the pain, Louis."

"You shouldn't have to," he told her. As if it was that simple. As if it wasn't because of her they were in this mess in the first place.

"Well, I have to," she said firmly, unsure if she was telling him or herself.

Louis was silent and she risked a chance to look up at him. To her surprise, both eyes were visible instead of one hiding behind his dark hair.

He had an unreadable expression on his face that made her feel nervous before she sighed.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Louis blinked and tilted his head. "You found your sister Louis, but she's a successor. You got to meet Aurora again, but you had to fight her. Louis," she sighed, "It was a lot to take in."

"I'm okay," he told her. "It was a shock, at first. I mean, the last time I saw my sister…"

The memory of Louis holding Karen in his arms as the area was filled with rubble and fire flashed through her mind. The feeling of pain and despair washed over her, and she looked away.

"It's a relief, knowing she still lives, even if she is a successor."

Her lips pressed together at the word. It felt wrong to say and hear it. It made her feel tense like she didn't fit in her skin and frowned.

Was it her feelings…or hers?

"And Aurora…well," a soft chuckle brought her back and she looked up at him, "Well, she was always protective when it came to Karen. I'm just glad that you managed to save her. Especially for Karen's sake. Karen would have been upset if something had happened to her."

His smile was warm as he stared down at her that she felt her cheeks warm under his expression.

She had noticed that he seemed to be looking at her with that expression quite a lot lately and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I get the impression she and Karen make quite the pair," she broke the silence, shifting so she was facing him, one knee resting on the bed.

"Heh," the smile turned brighter, "They two of them were always together. They were always talking about what they could do, what experiment to run next and things like that."

"You are a lot like your sister," Kayli said, remembering the first time she met Karen. The warm eyes and comforting smile. The same dark hair falling over their forehead. That warm aura that surrounds them.

"Oh?" Louis' brows quirked curiously, and she smiled softly, "How did you meet?"

"I died," she admitted ruefully. "I woke up in a med tent and she was there. She was looking for a way to make things better for revenants. With Aurora too." She picked at the duvet. "She was…kind. Worried for me. I hadn't lost all of my memories at the time, so she was relieved." She wrinkled her nose in amusement. "Bossy too."

A chuckle slipped free from Louis. "She told me to take care of myself."

"That's my sister for you," he agreed.

"I'm glad you found her again," she looked up at him. "It gives me hope that we can still help them." She shrugged softly. "Or at least keep our promise to Aurora that we can save the others."

"And the offer the Hunter gave you?" he asked. She pressed her lips together before she sighed.

"I'm not leaving Louis. I like your way better. We have a chance, they…don't." She thought back to the successor the Hunter had killed back in the Deep Trenches, the memories of the young man in despair.

"He recognized you," Louis pointed out and Kayli sighed.

"Louis, we're not talking about it," she told him, meeting his gaze with a shake of her head. "He's part of the memory I recovered but I still don't understand it."

"You're sure are an enigma," he told her with a shake of his head, his red eyes scanning her face. She could feel her face heat up under his gaze and turned away from him.

Her feelings for him left her feeling mixed. His interactions with her only left her feeling flustered often. She found herself staring at him when they were out together, admiring his form.

They worked well together, their styles seem to mesh on the battlefield that she found herself pairing up with him while Mia would work with Yakumo, covering him on the field at a distance.

And she seemed to have gotten closer to him after her breakdown over facing Oliver's death. He had understood, comforted her, let her talk and cry against his chest. He never once pushed her for any more information – which she had been grateful for.

However, it had only helped to deepen her already confusing feeling the man, who seemed bound and determined to worm his way into her heart without doing anything.

"Kayli," his fingers on her cheeks moved and she looked back up at him, caught in his gaze once more.

"Louis…"

"Thank you," he smiled at her and she felt her heart skipped a beat, "For helping me find my sister again."

Tears pricked the back of her eyes before she shook her head. She reached up a hand, cupping his cheek and stroked her thumb over his cheekbone.

"You helped," she told him. "If it hadn't been for you, I would have never restored those mistles. You did the research. I just helped."

He stared down at her and she felt her heart skip when he lowered his head. Their lips brushed slightly, and her eyes closed to the sensation.

His lips were slightly chapped as they pressed against hers. She let out a soft moan, her hand cupping the back of his neck as one of his arms snaked around her waist.

The position she was in was awkward and she shifted, ending up on her knee and leaning over Louis. He groaned into her mouth, his grip on her back tightened and the hand on her cheek slipped round to the back of her neck

Addicted. She was becoming addicted to his taste, the sound of his moans and the feel of his skin and hair.

His hands weren't idle, his fingers tangling in her hair and gently tugging as he deepened the kiss and she moaned into his mouth, following his lead as the arm around her waist pulled her closer to him as he leaned back under her touch.

She slid her hand into his hair, cupping the back of his neck as she leaned into him, seeking more of his warmth, his touch, and his taste when the images started to flash in her head.

Her memories. Louis' memories. Cruz's whispers.

It all cut through the din of her lust and she stiffened.

"We can't." It felt like it hurt to pull away from him, sitting back and looking down at her knee as she tried to get her breathing under control.

She could hear Louis struggle to get his breathing under control as well. She could feel the weight of his stare on her down-casted head before he sighed regretfully, and guilt nagged at her.

"I'm sorry," he told her. She lifted her gaze, shaking her head.

"You're confused, and grieving. It's only natural you would seek comfort," she assured him.

He narrowed his eyes at her, searching her face before he nodded. A brief look of disappointment glimmered in his eyes before it disappeared, and she wondered if she had seen what she saw.

Deciding she was seeing things, she looked down at her clasped hands before she stood up, taking a step back and wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"I should go," she told him.

"Kayli," he stood up, a hand reaching out to her, lingering in the air. It was like he was afraid to touch her.

She stared at the hand for a moment before looking up at him.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he told her.

"You didn't," she assured him. "I just think we're both confused right now and it's probably not a good idea to-"

"Please don't leave," he whispered, cutting her off.

A gasp escaped her as she looked up into his pained eyes. The hand, that was in the air, curled into a fist before dropping down to his side and she felt herself soften.

"Louis," she stepped closer to him, unwrapping her arms and placing her hands on his arms, "I'm not going to leave."

He stared down at her and she smiled softly, her hands sliding up his arms and wrapping around his neck as she pushed herself on tiptoes.

His arms stayed at his sides for a moment before banding around her body, pulling her into his.

"I will always be here," she promised him, holding him close and he held her tighter, putting his faith into those five words.

She promised, and she could only hope that she could keep it.

The End