Unification By: ReynardFox Fei grinned as he led the way along the path through Shevat's palace, the smell of freshly cooked food leading him along. "Hey, guys, can't you smell it? I'm so hungry... I'm gonna die if I don't have some of that. Aren't you guys hungry, too?" Billy shot the martial artist a quizzical glance. "Hungry? Fei, we just ate this morning. You're the one who had to finish off your rations-" "Hey, but I'm hungry," Fei broke in. "-and make the entire trip up here miserable for the rest of us," Billy finished with a scowl of exasperation. He turned to the third man, just as the silent figure finished cleaning his glasses. "Mr. Uzuki, can't you do something about his whining?" "I can't help it if those other Gears wrecked our supplies," Fei continued, frowning. "I mean, Ramsus wanted blood, so I figured throwing something at him was a good distraction..." "You idiot! You could've used Ether Machine! Can't Weltall use Ether?" The impact of Billy's hand to his forehead was audible. "I was almost out of fuel," Fei pointed out. "I would've just left myself open for attack if I did tha-" "So you threw the rations over?" Billy interrupted, exasperated. "Well, it seemed like the smart thing to do at the time." "You idiot!" Citan Uzuki merely smiled tightly as he polished the lenses of his glasses with the hem of his robe. The role of peacemaker was on his shoulders once more. "Hmm... I am thinking that if we are able to procure at least a small quantity of food, then perhaps all of us may rest a little easier." Himself included. Watching these two argue arbitrarily was starting to make his head hurt. One hand rose to his face, long fingers splayed as he rubbed at his forehead. "You're probably right, Doc." Fei nodded, eyes roving the hall. All the doors and hallways looked the same with their cut stone and accentuation. Even the guards posted at them looked the same, and it was starting to become more than a little frustrating. "Hey, Doc, you think you know where we're supposed to find the kitchens?" Citan blinked between his fingers as he watched Fei consider the doorways. He still remembered these halls well. Citan did respect Fei for holding onto his sanity after all that he'd gone through, but even the good doctor of Lahan Village had his limits. Both of his traveling companions were beginning to veer dangerously close to that threshold. "The second door to the right, Fei," Citan sighed. "Oh, food... I could die from hunger," Fei muttered, drifting forward and letting the heel of his hand push the door open. Billy followed next, somewhat dubious, and last trailed a hesitant Citan, adjusting his glasses as Billy tugged him along by an arm. "Just curl up and die on the spot..." "It'd be your own fault and we'd be glad," Billy snapped, glancing back at Citan. "Come on, let's get him something to eat before I kill him myself." Citan merely smiled, shrugged, and let himself be dragged along. This was beginning to resemble some horrible comedy of errors he couldn't escape from. He had heard rumor of a visitor here that hadn't been seen in a long time, and he wanted to break away to go see- "Oh, welcome." At the sound of that female voice, Citan's thoughts stopped in mid-word, glasses falling askew as Billy let go of him, the sudden loss of contact nearly sending him sprawling. "Oh, that smells so good, I swear I could have some of that and die a happy man, I really cou-" Fei's voice stopped abruptly, too. In the second or two of silence, a female voice laughed from the other side of the wall. "You look good, Fei." "What? Yui?" That would be Fei again, and from the other side of the wall, Citan could envision the martial artist's slack-jawed, shocked stare. He heard the sound of gentle female laughter, and the doctor found himself chuckling quietly behind a hand in time. He should have known she would be here in the kitchens, of all places. "The meal will be ready soon. Please join us and eat to your heart's content. It sounds like you're hungry," she added, and Citan could hear the smile in her voice. "Why are you here?" Fei's voice sounded a degree or two higher than it should have been, and Citan had to stop himself from laughing outright. "Oh, didn't I tell you before?" The woman's voice raised into nearly sing-song tones. Too innocent - she was toying with him. It was hard to resist, though. Fei's reactions could be comical indeed. Citan heard her laugh once again. "I was born here, in Aphel Aura," Yui stated. "After you left the village, I decided to return to Shevat and take the survivors with me. They had nowhere else to go, and it wasn't safe to rebuild there. Soldiers from Aveh and Kislev alike were starting to show up, and I wasn't entirely sure what either side may have done." "I see..." Ignoring Billy's pointedly confused expression, Citan tapped on the former Etone's shoulder, edging past him. "It is good to be back..." He smiled broadly at the sight of the woman at the counter, and his expression only broadened at her returning smile. "Thank you for your trouble, dear heart." "Hyu-" She covered herself from the slip, clearing her throat. "Citan!" Shocked, she crossed the room in a light-footed bound, throwing her arms around him. "I thought you were dead, or worse...!" Her voice was muffled, words spoken into his shoulder. He chuckled, gently disentangling himself from her. "I am alright, as you can see, and so are the rest of us... if a bit hungry" "Could someone please explain what's going on, here?" Billy's blue eyes fixed on the doctor, head stuck through one of the kitchens' narrow doorways. "Who is this? What's going on?" Citan glanced down at an odd shape near the hem of Yui's dress, only to catch sight of a child clinging to the fabric. Brown eyes regarded the newcomers with some suspicion. Yui chuckled. "She didn't want to stay in her room, so I took her with me to the kitchens. She wanted to help. Isn't that right, sweetie...?" Midori merely hid behind Yui, wary. "It is good to see her again." Citan's smile towards the child seemed almost melancholy. "So, as you can see, even such a melancholy city as this is capable of offering happy endings..." He reached up to rub at his chin in a contemplative gesture, eyes turning upward for a moment. "Ah, my apologies, Billy. Let me introduce you to my wife and daughter." Yui curtsied neatly, smiling gently. She didn't seem to notice his Etone's habit. If she did, she didn't let it tamper with her warm greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Billy. My name is Yui Uzuki. This is my daughter Midori," she added, resting her hand on the girl's head. The silent girl didn't seem to notice, shyly ducking behind her mother's dress again. "Fei already knows who we are." The martial artist nodded in response, smiling. Billy crouched down, laughing. "Hey, it's alright. Why don't you come out? I have a sister about your age. Her name's Primera, but I just call her Prim." Midori didn't answer him, but wide brown eyes regarded the gunslinger from behind Yui's dress. Yui shook her head, laughing. "It's alright, sweetie... why don't you come out and say hello?" Midori clung steadfastly to Yui's skirts, stubbornly shaking her head. The woman shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "She's shy," she explained helplessly. "She doesn't always like meeting new faces... she's always been quiet." Billy shook his head, dusting off a sleeve as he rose. "It's okay. Prim doesn't really talk much, either. There was an accident... she hasn't really spoken more than a few words at a time since then." "I'm sorry," Yui offered, the words sincere. "It's okay. That's just how things are." Billy shrugged, watching Midori. Citan absently fiddled with his glasses, though his eyes remained on the assembled company. Fei was inspecting the contents of a pot simmering on the stove. Billy loitered near the doorway, while Yui checked on the contents of various pots and pans every few minutes, stirring food as necessary. Fei followed her lilke a lost puppy, while Midori trailed along behind him. Yui paused, absently tasting whatever lay in the pot nearest her, turning to add spices from a jar. She didn't seem to notice that after a few moments, everyone was watching her. Even Midori's expressive brown eyes were turned up to her mother. Yui's eyes darted back to the visitors, still staring like hungry wolves. She offered a slightly awkward smile, fidgeting somewhat now that all the attention was fixated on her. Every few seconds one or all of them would glance at the stove. Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what they wanted. "Dinner should be ready in a few hours," she offered awkwardly. "These vegetables still have to simmer. Why don't you all get some rest until then? You look like you could use it. There are guest rooms down the hall that the Queen has been kind enough to offer," she added, hand forming a loose gesture westward. "You're free to come and go as you please, in the meantime. You can also explore Aphel Aura if you want." She paused, tapping her chin with a forefinger. "Oh, yes. Once you've had some food in you and some rest, the Queen has requested that you meet her." "The Queen? Queen Zephyr?" Citan glanced over at Yui in alarm, brows nearly disappearing into his hair. "It has been some time indeed since she has last directly requested an audience with anyone..." "Ten years," Yui offered with a deceptively mild smile. "However, she seems interested in you." Yui smiled enigmatically, as though enjoying some kind of private joke. "I'm not certain what she wants, but it would be in your best interest to meet with her - all of you," she added, not unkindly. "After you've eaten and had some rest, though. In the meantime, why don't you get some rest until dinner's ready?" Fei nodded, apparently agreeing with this line of reasoning. "Then let's get some rest." Billy turned to leave, shaking his head. Fei followed him, though the martial artist cast a longing gaze at the food behind him. That forlorn expression seemed to ask - can't I just have a little? Yui chuckled at his expression, lightly snapping a dish towel in his direction. "Go on ahead, Fei. I'll make sure you're told when dinner's ready." Citan watched them go, casting his wife a slightly worried glance as Midori trailed after Fei. She shook her head. "Let her go, Citan. She'll be alright." She paused, casting a critical eye to the dark rings under his eyes or his slight but uncharacteristic slouch. "What about you? You look like your Gear stepped on you, and I mean that in the kindest possible way," she added, concern and amusement mingling in her tone of voice. "I'll assume it's safe to say the trip up here wasn't an easy one." "It was not." The doctor turned to lean against a counter, rubbing at his face. "Kahran Ramsus..." He offered the name slowly, almost reluctantly. "Ramsus was there and quite intent on killing Fei. Fei threw the supply block at him to distract him while we attempted to drive Kahran off... well, it went very much downhill from there," he added, arching his brows in a worried expression. "My own Gear - Heimdal, borrowed from the Yggdrasil's crew - well, the engine flooded when we miscalculated a chasm and fell to the bottom of Babel Tower. Then..." He blinked, cross-eyed, at the forefinger held over his lips. "I think I get the idea. You need rest, love. The food shouldn't be ready for another few hours... let me take you home and clean you up a little. You're bleeding," she added, frowning in concern and moving her finger to prod at a cut on his forehead. He winced, but continued on. "As I said, Heimdal fell a good several thousand sharls-" His mouth was held once more by her forefinger, and she smiled at him. "Enough. You really ought to get some rest. I'll take you with me... you can stay with me as long as you're here in Shevat. I've missed you, and I would love to spend some time with you. Midori has missed you, too." He gently pried the finger off his lips, taking her hand into his and glancing down at it disconsolately. "And I have missed you as well, dear heart. There have been many nights where I have wondered what became of you. Both of you," he added, turning a sharp glance up to her. "You could have been dead or worse." "But I'm not," she returned, absently checking under a pot lid and stirring the contents. Citan's stomach wrenched at the aroma of cooking stew, and it took him several deep breaths to dispel the urge to seize the pot and run with it. With a careful taste, Yui moved to check the next pot in line. Steaming vegetables greeted the doctor's senses next, and the woman smiled at his hopeless expression. "I take it you haven't eaten, either, love." "I have not." He paused, raising a brow in a slightly sheepish expression. "Is it that obvious?" "It is," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Just a little while longer. Come on, I'll take you home." "But Fei and Midori-" Citan began worriedly, adjusting his glasses. "-Will both be fine," Yui finished for him, smiling. "Come on, love. You need rest. You can tell me what's happened since you left Lahan Village. I'd love to know." "I suppose," he sighed, accompanying her to her quarters. "You suppose," she replied playfully, shaking the ladel at him threateningly. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not. You're a mess! But, still..." She smiled, expression softening. "It's good to see you again." Citan reached up to rub at his forehead, ignoring what little blood rubbed off on his fingers. "It is good to be here," he agreed quietly, voice dipping into nearly confidental tones. "I do not consider myself to have any true home... it is wherever you are." Yui set the spoon aside, glancing over to the exhausted healer. "Agreed... let's go home, love."