"...and that's the plan." Elanore concluded, glancing out the window. "I know it sounds hasty, and slapped together, but..."

Darius sighed, and walked over to stand next to her, looking out at the desert, lit by the light of the moon. "I can't say that I completely disagree with you... we've got maybe one in a hundred chance of suceeding at this... but deperate plans call for desperate measures, don't they?"

"Yes... so you're willing to go along with it?" Elly asked, quietly, not looking at him. Darius wrapped his fingers around hers, gently holding her hand.

"Yes... I'm willing to. But you shouldn't have to shoulder all of this by yourself... what can I do to help?" he asked quietly, glancing out the window.

"...... Help?" She smiled. "I'll need help all right, but only because this isn't a -good- plan. Shaina's been pounding her head on the wall for the last hour trying to convince herself that Victoria hasn't gone insane." Elly continued to stare out the window, basking in the moonlight. The room itself was dark - Bledavik hadn't had electricity for days now.

Darius nodded. "So... what do we do when we get out of the city, and we have a bunch of Kislev gears come charging out after us?"

"Well... we really don't know how many gears we'll have at that point, or what type of shape they'll be in... and we were... um..." Elly flushed slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice in the dark.

"Going to play it by ear?" Darius asked, a ripple of amusement passing through his voice.

"How did you guess?" she replied ruefully, letting her forehead fall forward to rest against the glass. "I told you they're crazy. I remember......" She fell silent.

Darius smiled, and tightened his grip on her hand. "Well, I guess all of us madmen must stick together then. Listen, I have a good idea where they are storing Weltall... So I should be able to make it to my Gear first. Once I'm there, I can draw off the guards, and give you guys a chance to escape."

Elly finally looked up, eyebrows contracting. "Darius......." Her eyes were shining too much. Was she crying? "You can't....... that's too dangerous! We'll make it on our own okay. You don't have to......"

She tightened her grip on his hand suddenly. "Don't put yourself in danger like that......"

With his free hand, Darius brushed her hair away from her eyes, brushing away one of her tears. "Don't worry about me... but I can't let you put yourself in danger without doing something to prevent it. If I draw them off... well, I can fight in Weltall, and I can always surrender if they overwhelm me. But by that time you should be well and away..."

"But........" She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Not for me......."

"If not for you... then who else?" Darius asked quietly. "Elly, if one of us is going to be captured, it should be me. I don't have anything to live for... but if you escape, maybe I can atone for what I've done. You have your whole future ahead of you... I've forgotten my past... destroyed my present. I don't have a future..."

Elly threw herself into his arms, squeezing his waist tightly. "What are you saying? No one should have to suffer! There's no point if you die........." She squeezed tighter. "I can barely remember my own name, much less my life. But I can make a future without that...... and so can you."

Darius simply stood there for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her and holding her. "Well... there is that. But... are we really so similar? Elly... we barely know each other, but I've felt like I've known you forever..."

She smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Maybe... we met before, sometime in the past?" she asked quietly.

Darius nodded. "Maybe."

She gave a little laugh. "Even if we did, we can't remember...... But I think I would remember someone...... like you......" He rested his head on hers, breathing in the scent of her hair. She sighed. "Maybe it was......" she laughed again, shortly. "Kyoko says it's destiny. But she believes in weird stuff like that......"

"Well, I don't. There's no such thing as destiny, or fate..." Darius replied, holding her against him. "There is only life, and what we make of it."

Elly sighed, and leaned into him. "Promise me that you won't do anything suicidal Darius... please, promise me."

Darius sighed, and kissed her on the crown of her head. "I promise Elly. Nothing suicidal when we get out of here."

She looked up at him, nearly close enough for their noses to touch. "Not if you get caught, either," she added, giving him a reproachful look. "I'll make Shaina come with me to rescue you."

"Not if I get caught either. And you won't have to worry about rescuing me... I can handle myself." he replied, breathing in the scent of her. This was... unsettling. He really hadn't been this close to her before...

"I don't want you to get hurt........" Her voice was so soft he almost couldn't hear it, and there -were- tears in her eyes. "Promise you won't get hurt......"

"I won't lie to you... I might get hurt doing this. I might get killed. I might never see you again." Darius ran his hand down the side of her face, wiping away her tears. "But if I do, Death is going to have to drag me away kicking and screaming... and if I have my way, he'll look worse than I do."

Seeing that his jibe hadn't lightened the atmosphere any, he added. "I will try my damndest to return to you Elly."

She shivered, tears glittering like diamonds on her lashes. "You...... you promise me?"

"I promise." he replied, kissing her, tasting her tears. "I'll come back to you, no matter what happens. Be it fire, or earthquakes, or the end of the world, I'll follow you."

Finally, a smile lit her eyes -- it was small, but it was one of the most beautiful things he could remember seeing. "I'm going to hold you to that you know......"

"I'd expect nothing less, my blue eyed angel." Darius replied with a smile of his own.

----------------------------------------------------

Elanore lay awake in the dark, wishing there was a window she could walk up to, and open. It would have been nice to her the wind blow across the desert, or even the wind chimes by the servants' quarters.

But all she heard now were the low whispers from the corner Shaina and Victiroa had taken, and Kyoko's heavy breathing next to her on the bed. They weren't keeping her awake....... but she wished -something- would come along and lull her to sleep.

It was just a faint whisper at first, drifting across the the night breeze... some type of stringed insturment, like a guitar, but with a richer tone. The tune was slow, as if the player were plucking each string one at a time, marveling at the tone. Elly smiled as the music wrapped around her... how... beautiful... it rememded her of something... from so long ago...

"El.."

"Ell..."

"Elly..."

"Elly..."

"La... can..."

The door to the small cabin swept open, and a young man staggered into the room, sweat dripping off of his youthful face. But on that face was plastered a smile that made her heart skip...

"Elly, I got the contract for that family! I got it! Five thousand gil!"

She smiled as he scooped her up, twirling her around in his arms. "You hear me, five thousand!" he shouted, before setting her on the ground and kissing her. "We're in the clear... at least for a while longer."

"That's wonderful." she said, similing at him. He cupped her cheek in his hand, running a thumb down the side of it...

Elanore gasped, starting awake again.

She could feel it....... his fingers running down her face, so gentle......

**Him. Just like...... him.......**

"...No... But I have received another commission. I had to talk to Van Richtes about suspending his contract for the time being. My new patron ...has paid him five thousand gil in order to suspend my contract. And has given me five thousand gil in order to facilitate my journey and pay for any expenses."

His face was joyful, but downcast at the same time... as if he were worring about some hidden problem.

For a moment, he knelt down in front of her...

Black...

Were these memories of her home? They felt...... so familiar, so homelike...... she longed to be there. Something about them...... something from her heart.

"Lacan......?" she whispered, opening her eyes to the darkness of the room. Lacan........ maybe the man she had met in the desert......?

"...I love you... more than I love anything else in this world. There is no other person that I would rather spend my life with, no one I would want to spend my life with..." he stopped, and placed the small ring into her hand. She held it up in surprise, looking it over. The ring was made of sliver, with tiny gold ivy leaves wrapped around it. She gasped slightly and turned back to face him.

"...will you marry me?"

**Marry........** Elanore bit her lip, clutching at her blanket. Kyoko stirred beside her, but didn't wake up.

"Is that it?" she whispered. "Is that what he meant? Did he come to see me...... and find out that I didn't even know him?" It sounded almost like a bad romance novel, but the feeling clenching itself around her heart......

What else could it mean? And....... how would she even know? She had no idea who he was...... he had spoken to her like she should understand him, like he knew her so well...... what else would it mean?

He refused his name...... somehow she had -known- that was his name, yet when she said it......

The memory had to have come from...... something......

Elanore blinked, surprised to find hot tears welling out of her eyes. She strained her ears, trying to catch that soft melody that had sent her to sleep, into those dreams, but silence, and the breathing of her companions, was all she heard.

Nothing....... gone just like that.......? She took a deep, shuddering breath and propped herself on her elbows, staring out into the darkness as if she could part it and see the notes of the music drift away from her. Tears ran down her chin and neck, soaking her night gown.

What -was- it......?

"Who...... are you.......?" she whispered. It came out as more of a despairing wail, and she clamped her lips shut tightly, closing her eyes.

**I wish I knew......**

"Who is whom?" a sleepy voice asked beside her. Darius levered himself off the floor, moving slowly to keep from waking the others. "Elly...? Why are you crying?"

"Ah....." She dropped back onto the bed, wiping the tears from her face hurriedly, but they kept flowing. "I-it's okay. Just get some sleep, Darius." How...... how could she explain it? She didn't even understand herself......

Darius sat up, catching one of her hands in his own. "Elly... you don't cry if there isn't a reason... what's wrong? Something bothering you?"

She lay there for a moment, silently holding his hand, and trying to take comfort from it. "I wish I knew," she said finally. "I feel like something is tearing me in half, but I can't remember anything...... and I don't know how to..... 'fix' things......"

Darius nodded, rubbing the palm of her hand with his thumb. "It's like something from your past, something vitally important is trying to tell you something, but because you don't remember, its tearing you apart?" At Elly's startled expression, he chuckled softly. "I've lost alot of my memory as well... I know what it feels like."

"It...... it doesn't go away. I wish it would all just go away...... so I wouldn't have to worry if I'm forgetting something...... or someone important......" She squeezed her eyes shut, closing her hand around Darius's.

A moment later she felt herself moving, as Darius hugged her against him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked quietly, rocking her as she continued to sob.

She shook her head, burying her face in his chest. It felt so natural to be there, she didn't even think about leaving...... she just let him rock her, and tried to choke back her crying so it wouldn't awaken Kyoko or the others. And her need to cry lessened, almost as if he was drawing it out of her somehow.

It felt...... nice.

Darius ran his hand through her hair, feeling her relax against him. For a moment, he just relaxed, letting her stress seep away and trying to channel some of the care and concern he felt into her. How could this young woman have such an affect on him... and what was bothering her...?

"I..... I know you're wondering......."

"What's bothering you?" Darius asked quietly. "Don't worry about it Elly... you don't have to tell me right now. Take your time."

She smiled, though she knew he couldn't see it. "If I knew, I would tell you...... I get the feeling you would listen to me......" she shrugged, sighing. "I.... met someone the other day...... out in the desert. Maybe that's what's bothering me......"

"Someone? You don't know who?" Darius asked in surprise, looking down into her eyes. "What happened?"

"Just......" Suddenly, she wasn't sure she really wanted to say anything about the man she had spoken with. But she had already started, and she could feel Darius's attention riveted on her...... "Just.... a gear, in the middle of the desert. He came down and told me....." she shook her head.

"A gear?" Darius's eyes narrowed. "What did he tell you?"

Elly bit her lip, berating herself silently. Why could she never learn to keep her mouth shut? **But he never said to keep it a secret......** As if that mattered, now...... "Things I didn't understand. And he said..... something about ties...... I can't really remember all of it......"

Darius pulled her against him, and sighed. "It's alright... you don't have to tell me. I think you are entitled to a few secrets..."

"Darius......" What was that note she sensed in his voice? It gave her a peculiar sensation, almost like a thrill. "Is something wrong?"

"Just old memories, that's all." he replied with a smile. "Are you feeling better yet?" he asked, holding her away from him so he could look at her.

"A...... a little......" She smiled at him, still clutching his shoulder. "Thank you for this...... I'd appreciate it if you stay, just a little longer......."

"It's no problem... I'll be here as long as you need me to be." Darius replied, resting his head against hers. "And longer, if you prefer."

"That's so sweet of you....... thank you."

Darius didn't reply, but simply held her as they both watched the moon move across the sky, sinking towards the horizon...

(Summary: Elly reveals Victoria's plan. Later, she experiences a rather unorthodox dream, and finds comfort with Darius.)