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Today...today, Ares grew up. Sometime this morning. I was utterly shocked when I awoke to see her the way she was. She's so beautiful!! I couldn't believe my eyes! I mean, she was pretty before but now...WOW. I didn't praise her at first, though. I had something on my mind...something I needed to know. As much as I was opposed to the idea, I was okay with Arturo bringing her home, since she trusts him. I was tolerant with him staying over for the night. I was not too happy with him sleeping with her like that, though. What had happened to Seamus? I thought Ares and him were a couple...not Arturo. So, I demanded to know what had happened...which this decision really was that she was talking about.

And she told me. She told me everything. From the day it started, from the two weeks she suffered with this confusion, to the day it ended: last night. So...after two weeks of thinking about it, she finally made a choice? Ares LOOKS happy...demo, why does it seem like something's tearing her up inside? I can only assume it's because she didn't want to hurt anyone... I also asked her why Arturo. She had a good thing with Seamus...so why pick Arturo? Her answer...it terrified me. Why? Because she gave the exact same reason I had given my last boyfriend when I broke up with him. Why I chose this new person over him. Ares...my poor Ares.

I let her go to the shop, hoping it would help her relieve some stress. Unfortunately, going there only caused more. Well, partially. She said she met Simon today (if I remember correctly, that was Em's new feien), and Aria looked down yet again. Hmmm...I wonder what's going on? Aria, I heard, used to be so happy. Ares told me she's no longer speaking with Sunil...and that she left "the gang." Funny...what is this GANG? And why'd she leave? Well, she said she didn't see Seamus today and was a little worried. I've decided that I need to have a talk with him. Without Ares knowing...Seamus has a right to know what was going on with Ares, because they seem to think this thing was out of the blue. It was far from being so...and he needs to know before something bad happens, and it's too late.

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The top of the log seems to have been ripped and torn, more than likely from one of the cerebri that had gotten to it before it was posted. At least it was only the very beginning that was lost...

"What a STORM!" chirped Gogol, peering out the window.

Arturo grunted and straightened from the lunge he had been practicing. "You've been staring out of that window for hours, Gogol. Get a hobby."

Gogol stuck his tongue out and leaned forward, pressing his nose against the glass. "I love the rain," he purred, blue eyes wide. "It makes such pretty noise."

"And such pretty leaks," Arturo noted, darting to the side to avoid a leak.

Gogol giggled, shaking his head. Then he thought he saw something through the rain; something blue. Blue and flying? Hmm? "Hey, Artie?" he began, turning around.

"Arturo."

"Artie, there is someone at the window."

Arturo wiped some sweat off his brow and sighed, placing his "rapier" on the floor. "Who?" he asked, flying over. His sharp eyes instantly recognized the figure. "Ares!"

"Ares?" Gogol echoed, confused.

"Shut up and help me open the window."

Gogol sprinted across the sill to do as he was told, and soon enough, the feien had unlatched the window and swung it open. "Come in!" Arturo shouted over the howl of the wind, the rain stringing his face.

Ares struggled to climb in, practically falling inside once the gust had blown past. Her little body was soaked to the bone, and she coughed hard from water getting in her throat the wrong way. She laid there a moment, breathing heavily, her wings limply drooped over her black and blue body, her eyes trying to adjust to the light. Finally, she spoke.

"M-Mental note...f-flying in the rain i-is bad..."

Arturo immediately crouched at her side. "Ares? What are you doing out in that storm?" he asked softly, stroking her hair. He then turned to face Gogol. "Get her something to wrap up in." With that, he stood back up and slowly pulled the window shut.

Gogol nodded and, in one huge leap, landed on Puchiko's desk. He then struggled to open a drawer and seized from it one of Puchiko's shirts. With a bit of trouble, he managed to fold the shirt into a bundle about as big as he was and offered it to Arturo.

"One moment," Arturo said, flitting down to Gogol and taking the blanket. He then made his way back up to Ares and wrapped the shirt warmly around her.

She whimpered slightly, feeling terrible. She felt like she was intruding, and definitely didn't like that feeling. "I, I'd rather not say...but I just needed to get out of there," she said quietly, looking down a bit. "Forgive me for intruding...I didn't realize where I was."

"It's okay," Arturo soothed. He tucked the T-shirt more tightly around her and kissed her softly. "You're not intruding. We weren't doing anything."

"Arturo was practicing Frenching!" Gogol piped, beaming.

"Fencing, Gogol. I was practicing fencing."

Ares held in the urge to sneeze. Getting sick was not her idea of escaping the house. "W-would it be alright if I s-stayed here a bit...?" she asked quietly, blushing slightly as she held the t-shirt even tighter around herself. She shivered slightly from being cold, even if she was warming up a bit.

"Of course." Arturo said, nodding. "Stay here the night if you want to, or longer. You want to get down from the sill?"

She nodded weakly, now feeling a bit tired. She was out there for a good few hours, she figured, because Neko didn't live anywhere near Puchiko. Though, it was a bit nice to be able to see Arturo again, even if it was in this condition.

Arturo knelt and carefully gathered Ares into his arms. With hardly a word, he made his way over to Puchiko's bed and set the damp feien down on a pillow. He affectionately brushed some of her wet hair out of her face. "Can I get you anything?" he offered.

"N-no...thank you..." her voice piped up. "B-but I think I s-should rest...at least for a moment..." It was hard to keep her eyes open. She'd wore herself out without realizing it until she'd stopped.

A few hours later...

Ares' three eyes slowly blinked open, a little dazed. At first, she couldn't remember where she was, but it came to her. Her red eyes scanned the room a moment as she sat up slowly, her entire body a little sore. She ran a hand through her slightly frizzy blue hair, her hand coming to rest on her neck. How long had she been sleeping?

"GOOD MORNING!" chirped a voice near her ear. Gogol bounced out from behind a pillow and beamed. "Though it isn't morning. You only slept an hour or so. I wish it was morning, though. I hate the dark! It's scary, don't you agree? It's still raining! D'you hear? I like to hear the rain. I don't like water, but rain make everything sparkle and - "

"Enough," grunted Arturo, eyeing the white feien from the doorway. His rapier was tied around his waist again, resting against his hip, and he carried a large grape in his hands. Swooping over to Ares, he dropped down on the bed near her and held out the grape. "Hungry?" asked the feien, smiling faintly.

Ares rubbed her ear a bit as she listened to Gogol, giggling a little bit. Yep, he was definitely the perfect feien for Tosten, without a doubt. She smiled a little at Arturo. "Yes, thank you..." she said quietly, shakey hands taking the grape. For a moment, Ares could only look at it. It was as if she had to process the thought of leaning down and taking a little bite, which is what she eventually was able to do.

"I'm sorry I couldn't offer more," Arturo muttered, sitting down cross-legged on the bedspread. Gogol soon joined him at his side, beaming vapidly.

"Arturo tried to make you something on the stove and nearly set the house on fire." Gogol said, smiling.

Arturo rolled his eyes. "No. You nearly jumped into the pot of boiling water. After I told you not to."

She blinked a few times, stopping in mid bite. Once again, she couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "It's quite alright," she assured them, smiling a little more now. Even if she didn't feel well physically, she was feeling a lot better emotionally. "This is plenty enough for me, really."

Arturo nodded and scooted closer to Ares, one arm looping warmly around her waist. "You okay?" he asked, trailing a finger down his cheek.

Gogol might've been thick, but he knew that the two wanted privacy. With a wave, he leaped from the bed onto a pillow below him and scurried out of the room.

Ares nodded slowly, smiling a little again. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm just a bit sore right now, is all."

"May I ask what happened?" Arturo said, tilting his head to the side.

She looked down at the grape, a little sadly. "It...it was just something I saw," Ares explained. "I'd rather not say what it was..."

Arturo nodded. "I understand. If you need to talk, I'm here." He held out his arms towards Ares, offering her to snuggle in for a hug.

Ares scooted over to him the best she could, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I know, but this isn't something I should talk about," she told him. "If I were to talk about it, it would have to be with Neko since it deals with her." She rested her head on his shoulder gently.

Arturo wrapped his arms around her, and his fingers gently kneaded at her back, a comforting touch. "It's okay," he muttered into her ear. "You'll tell her when you're ready."

She closed her eyes for a moment, sighing against him. Ares had no idea how she'd be able to face Neko with this. The look in her eyes...the anger and bloodlust she felt. Was that truely the real Neko? "I hope so."

Arturo kissed her temple lightly. "Is there anything I can do in the mean time?" he asked.

Ares smiled slightly. "Maybe, just keep me company?" She really didn't know what she wanted to do at this point. All she knew was that she couldn't go home right now.

Arturo chuckled. "Happily." he replied, hugging her close. His rapier jabbed awkwardly into his stomach, but he said nothing; though it reminded him of something. "Have you worked on fencing at all, Ares?"

"I tried a little bit, but I've been busy with...something else," she admitted, looking up at him as she leaning against him a little. "My current project has been taking up a lot of my time lately...I haven't even been visiting the shop as much as I used to."

Arturo's eyebrows knit together. "What project?" he asked.

"It's a surprise," she said simply with a grin. "You'll find out once I have them all finished."

Arturo raised an eyebrow and laughed. "You're all secretive now, hmm?" he teased, smirking.

Ares continued to smile. "It's just something I've been wanting to make for a few feien I know. It's a little easier for me since I'm bigger now, so I want to try to get them done as soon as possible."

"Can I help, or is it too secret?"

Ares shook her head. "It's too secret. Mainly because I'm making something for you, too."

Arturo laughed. "You don't need to make me anything. I'm happy to just have you," he muttered, kissing her hair.

She smiled, closing her eyes again. "Yes, but I want to. Once I've decided on something, it's pretty hard to change my mind."

Arturo had something to say to that, but decided it would definitely kill the mood. Instead, he moved on to a subject he found more amusing. "Sunil and Seamus were going to ambush me, you know."

Ares blinked a few times, looking up at him. She didn't want to believe what she'd just heard. "What...?" she asked, just in case she heard wrong.

"Sunil informed me that she and Seamus were planning to attack me." he replied calmly. Arturo hardly appeared concerned.

Ares frowned. "B-but....why?? You didn't do anything to them!"

Arturo sighed. "You picked me. I can only assume he was jealous."

She sighed lightly, looking down a little. "I never thought he'd try something stupid like that..." she muttered quietly.

"He's none to do stupid things," Arturo said, snorting.

She didn't respond to that. Ares merely snuggled closer to Arturo, frowning a bit. "I hope they don't fight you," she finally said.

"They won't," he reassured her. "And if they do, I doubt they'd. win."

"Even so, you have to admit...if they were to attack together, even you might get a little hurt," she said, looking up at him. "And I'm afraid of them getting hurt as well."

"Well, all that matters is that he doesn't attack. I don't think he wil without Sunil, and she's not doing it."

"How do you know?" She was a bit skeptical of that. Sunil wasn't one to back out of a fight.

"I spoke with her." Arturo said, blinking.

"Hm??" Shows how much she knew. "I still think there's something fishy about that. Ah well..."

Arturo laughed, a surprising amount of warmth to it. He let his hands trail down Ares' back before tangling his fingers together at her waist. "Well, I suppose I'll just rely on you to protect me, then?" he teased.

"Phfft!" Ares laughed, rolling her eyes. "Oh yeah...I'll protect you. The feien who was stupid enough to fly through heavy rain and wind for three hours." She was silent a moment before she threw her arms around him, closing her eyes. "I would give anything....ANYTHING....to make sure you were safe," she said with utmost seriousness. "I know I'm not much, and I know I can't do a lot. But if you were ever...EVER...hurt because of me..."

Arturo's arms tightened around her protectively. "Ares," he said, just as serious. "You do more for me than you could ever imagine. You make me happy."

"I don't mean like that," Ares said, her own harms tightening around him a little. "I'm so weak...I have no real power. I have no defense for myself...I have to rely on others to protect me. But...you don't have to worry about things like that. You're strong...you can defend yourself. All I can do is watch...even though I want to help."

Arturo sighed. "I'm not all that strong, Ares. I just work hard. Given time and experience, you can be a far better fencer than I am, I'm sure. You just need to want it."

"I know...I doubt I would be better than you, but I can't say that I wouldn't be at least...good," she said. "It's just...what can I do before then?" Ares looked up at him, calmer now. "What can I do if you need me before that happens?"

Arturo smiled. He lifted a hand from her waist and stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger. "Do what you can." was his simple reply.

She blinked a few times, thinking about that a moment. True, it was simple enough, to do anything she could providing it would help at all. It was just a matter of what, really? Ares decided not to say any more on the issue, snuggling close to him. He was safe right now, that's what mattered. And when the time came, she would do her best to protect him. That's all there was to it, right?

"Besides," Arturo began, as if sensing her thoughts. "I'm in no immediate danger. None of us are, really. Although if Seamus decides to go after you instead, I will throttle him. Simple as that." He shrugged.

Ares smiled a little bit. "I doubt he'd be THAT stupid..."

"I don't." Arturo snorted.

She laughed a little at that. "Okay, no more talk about that...I don't exactly like the subject."

Arturo nodded. "Agreed," he said, yawning. With a sigh, Arturo kissed Ares softly and pulled her closer, his grip secure, warm, and comforting. "Stay the night?" he asked, almost needily.

Ares kissed him back, smiling afterwards. "Yes...I don't think I could make it back in this condition, anyway," she replied, resting her head against him. "Again, I'm sorry if I'm troubling you."

Arturo chuckled. "I hardly see how you're bothering me if I'm asking for you to stay."

She giggled a little bit. "That's true. I suppose that would be far from troubling, hm?"

"It'd be my pleasure, sweet," Arturo purred silkily.

Ares smiled, and did her best to reach up and kiss his cheek softly. She may have been taller now, but he still towered over her. "It would be an honor," she joked a little.

Arturo yawned again. "I'm tired. D'you mind sleeping with me a bit?"

"Of course not. If I didn't mind before, why would I mind now? ...Though, if you get sick, it's not my fault."

Arturo smirked. "I'll live," he replied, nestling against the pillows with Ares, eyes shut.

Ares came back tonight. I hadn't slept since she left, and merely waited for her return. I assumed she'd be alright...Ares was a smart girl, if anything. So, we talked...and, she told me what she saw the other day. Why she'd run off so scared as she was.

When she touched my finger that afternoon, she had one of her flashes. Unfortunately, she now knows about the other me...the other me from a very long time ago. Thousands of years ago, I used to be just another heartless demon hanyou, killing innocent many innocent people...needlessly, no less. Something...happened one day that caused me to change, and I sealed away my memories, completely starting over with my life. Thus, you have Mira, who was my past self, and Neko who is me now. I explained this to her, and she seems to have understood...but she got worried after I told her it was still possible for me to revert back. Of course, the chances of that happening are slim, but there's still that chance, right? She had a right to know.

Ares...a lot has happened to her. Me changing now is the last thing I want to happen.

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