"Haven't you gotten any sleep?"

Marta jumped. Sheena was looking quizzically at her from the bottom of the stairs; she realized she had been rubbing her eyes absent-mindedly. She shook her head. "It wouldn't do much good either way."

"Still no change?"

"No." The word hung in the air like a ghost. It had been nearly a week since their surprise arrival in Palmacosta, and Emil remained unconscious in an upstairs room bedroom. The owner, a graying bachelor who said he'd known Emil's parents (which caught everyone by surprise), had lent them the entire building to them. Even Lloyd—now that it was known that an imposter had been responsible for the Blood Purge—was welcomed into the town. Most people knew something foul had been afoot in the world, and recognized at least some of the party as working to stop it.

However, the fact that Emil was so slow to improve made Marta feel useless, despite Raine's suspicion that the pure mana set to flame was what made the wound so stubborn, not the strength or weakness of artes. Richter had apologized for this many times. But ultimately, all they could do was tend to Emil, and wait.

In addition, Marta had trouble keeping her personal feelings aside. What had started as innocent gratitude and affection for saving her life had grown into something more in her heart. She and Emil had endured so much together. The possibility of losing him now caused a deep pain in her.

"Chin up," said Sheena, smiling at her. "People can sense when someone cares for them, no matter what state they're in. And it gives them something to fight for."

Encouraged, Marta returned the gesture. "I'll try to get some sleep. Thanks."

The following days were still difficult. Marta threw herself into caring for her friend while trying not to run herself too ragged. She had to stay optimistic in a house full of people whose hopes were slowly dwindling. Maybe he had lost too much blood. Maybe something had gone wrong during Raine's spell. Whatever they said, she refused to give up on him.

"You should take a break, Raine,. I'll finish up and keep an eye on him," she said after fetching water for the sage.

"Thank you. I daresay I've let myself go a little in light of all this. Don't hesitate to call for someone if you need a break later, though."

"I won't." Marta set about where Raine had left off. Despite remaining in a comatose state, Emil was slowly showing signs of real healing. She place a fresh lukewarm compress to ward off fever before applying herbal salve to the awful stab wound just below Emil's ribs. Lloyd, who was more accustomed to treating warriors' wounds without magic, had suggested sewing the deep gash closed, thus exposing less of it to infection. The drawback was having to work much more carefully so as not to disturb the stitches.

A healthier warmth had returned to Emil's skin, which Marta found heartening. He was also no longer cold or clammy from the loss of blood. Occasionally, they were able to feed him small amounts of water or broth, but these moments were few, and so while he began to recover, he was still very weak.

Sighing, Marta placed a new covering and tightly refastened the outer dressing. There was a wash stand for cleaning up (since she had brought the water herself). Another day of watching, waiting. And yet, she so badly expected it that she almost didn't believe her ears—as she dried her hands, back to the room, there was a rustling sound behind her.

Emil was stirring sleepily. Marta's knees nearly gave way where she stood.

"Hi there, stranger," she managed to whisper, setting a chair at the bedside. "Try to stay relaxed; if the pain gets to be too much, we have medicine that can help."

"Uhnn…" Her friend's green eyes fluttered open once or twice, then he just decided to leave them closed. "W…where am I?"

"Safe," replied Marta. She had to blink back tears for a moment.

"Did everyone…?"

"They're all fine, but worried sick. What matters most now is getting you well again. Do you think you could eat something?"

"'R you kidding? I'm starving." An attempted smile touched Emil's features. Marta called to whoever was outside—and she knew someone was always there—to get some broth, and situated herself so she could support Emil's head. First a little water, then spoonfuls of broth, and more water. The last bit made him cough, which made him grimace.

"Sorry!" she said quickly.

Emil shook his head. "You're doing fine. So when do I get the real food?"

She had to smile at that. They sat for a long time in content silence, the injured warrior cradled by the healing girl. At some point, Emil found the strength at last to open his eyes. Marta couldn't begin to express her relief at how clear and green they were. Ratatosk was really gone, and Emil had survived.

"Oof—ow—w-what's this for?" he stammered, for Marta suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I was too scared to say anything before, and then I almost lost you!" she confessed. "I guess it's true what they say, that you don't know what you have until it's gone. Or seems gone, anyway. I…I've really liked you, for a long time now."

Emil started at her. "Okay…I mean, we have become pretty close friends on this journey."

"No, I mean as possibly more than a friend. Lately I've felt like there's…I don't know…and that maybe you felt it too…I'm trying to say…I….I think I'm…falling in love with you."

"Oh. Oh, Marta." Emil tried to wrap a comforting arm around her. "Shh, it's okay. I can't say I was too much braver. I mean, it was there, but…I guess I was afraid it would disappear if I tried to talk about it." He closed his eyes for several moments, obviously tired out.

"There'll be time for that. Just rest now," Marta told him. She continued to hold him until he drifted back off to sleep.

"So this is it, huh?" mused Regal. "Our task has been accomplished, and you're on the mend. Time to go back to the lives we had before we were thrown together."

"One thing's for sure, though—we have friendships that won't be forgotten," Emil pointed out. Marta gave his hand a squeeze.

"That we do."

"You'll stop by to visit sometime?" Marta piped up.

"Of course," said Regal, nodding.

The three of them stood outside the house which had been their shelter for nearly a month. Once Emil was able to move about again, members of their party finally began to go their separate ways. Only Raine and Genis were still in the house, and they were packing.

"I suppose you're heading back to Altamira? Your company has been without its president for some time now," Marta queried.

"Yes, it's time I returned to stay for awhile," sighed Regal. "Although they do a very good job of handling things when I'm away. I'm not worried. What about you too? Any big plans?" He winked.

Emil turned bright red. "Not too much. I was going to take Marta to visit my aunt and uncle, and then we were going to come back here. Ian said he wants to fix this place up into a lodge; we offered to help. Marta's father okayed it in a letter yesterday."

"I see. Well, I wish you luck. We all know better than most the cost of a peaceful world such as this. Treasure it always. And I'm not just saying that because you're young and in love."

"Goodbye, Regal. It was an honor to journey with you."

The brawny businessman nodded once more, hefted his rucksack, and turned towards the open road. Emil and Marta watched him go with their hands still intertwined.

"It's strange, realizing that 'normal daily life' goes on without everyone around," said Marta. "I'm going to miss them."

Emil's smile faded. "Yeah. Like Tenebrae. I suppose we won't ever see him again, since he's part of the Gate. I never thought I'd actually miss his dry comments and how he made fun of us all."

"I know."

"But some of us might be around more often than you think," said a kind voice behind them. Raine and Genis stood in the doorway of the soon-to-be inn.

"We promise not to forget you, if you do the same!" Genis chimed in.

"Of course," replied Emil. "And thanks, for everything."

"Don't mention it," smiled Raine.

They waved the two half-elves off, who were going back to Iselia. This journey was over; the dawn of the rest of the world was just arriving.

Fin!