Cross pulled up the hood of his newly acquired coat tighter over his head as he made his way through the Galry forest. He had made it to Curan late the night before, but still hadn't found it very hard to fall back asleep once he rented a room for the night. It was waking up the next morning that had been difficult. In the end it had only been the thought of the large payment, and incurring the combined wrath of Lexi and Servilia, that had convinced him to leave the warmth of the rented bed.

The morning was even colder than the last and Cross had paused at a local shop to purchase a coat. The shopkeeper had been somewhat annoying, trying to sell Cross an entirely new wardrobe and not stopping at just the coat. The sale had come to a very quick end when the man brushed against the pouch strapped to Cross's side and received a rather large jolt of lightning that sent him flying across the store and up over the counter. Cross left payment for the coat, along with a little extra for the trouble, and left without waiting for the man to wake up.

The snow crunched softly beneath his boots as he walked along the lonely, barely visible path. The Galry was far different than Misa's forest. While her forest had been filled with twittering life and green stretched out in every direction, the Galry forest was almost unnervingly silent.

Long, thin trees shot up from the bare ground and speared into the sky. The prickly, evergreen branches rustled like whispers with every breath of the wind. Once upon a time Cross had thought it somewhat creepy, but now, as he walked through the desolate forest, he found it somewhat comforting.

It made him feel less alone.

The pair of eyes he felt watching him helped as well.

The unwavering gaze that had been following him since he had entered the forest did not feel dangerous, but he would still describe it as uncomfortably predatory.

Cross smiled slightly and continued walking for a few more minutes before coming to an abrupt stop. Almost immediately something lightly pressed against his back and he felt a soft, warm weight settle over his shoulders as his hood was pulled back.

"Hello Cross," Kosu sighed against his ear as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Rather cold today, is it not? Look, it's beginning to snow."

"Hello Kosu," Cross shivered as her hot breath washed over the side of his face. He began to walk again. Kosu remained where she was, her arms wrapping around his neck and her body floating lightly behind.

"Rather empty out here, isn't it?"

"It’s quiet,” Cross said as snowflakes began to drop around him, quickly accumulating on the frigid forest floor.

"Is that your way of telling me to shut up?”

Cross paused for a moment before he shook his head and looked up at her. “Not this time.”

“Oh?”

Cross shrugged and continued walking. Kosu followed after him, occasionally knocking piles of snow free from the branches above.

“Kosu?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” Cross spoke without looking up at her.

“For what, dear? There are quite a few things you should be thankful to me for.”

Cross smiled at the gentle teasing and looked up at Kosu. She was on her back, looking up at the sky. She reached out a hand and flicked a branch, sending a scattering of snow raining down on Cross’s head when he took too long to answer.

“You already know why.”

“I do, but it’s so rare that you thank me that I can’t help be want to hear you sing my praise more.”

“Sounds like something a Goddess would say.”

“I suppose you aren’t wrong. Though you did think I was a Goddess once. I wouldn’t mind having you worship me. Though that may not be as much fun. It would be much harder to play with you if you were always venerating me. It might actually make me feel bad.”

“Is that possible?”

Kosu laughed lightly. “Perhaps. I’d rather not find out.”

“Still…” Cross came to a stop and looked up at Kosu. She rolled onto her stomach to meet his gaze. “Thank you, Kosu.”

Kosu sunk down abruptly and pressed her forehead against his. Her mismatched eyes stared deep into his “You’re being unusually agreeable, you know. First with that pretty girl at your guild and now with me. Someone might think you were… up to something.”

Cross took a small step back and for the first time took note of Kosu’s outfit. She was dressed in what he vaguely recognized as the dress uniform of the Voy military. The bars on her shoulder marked her as a Lieutenant, but Cross couldn't remember if it was first or second. Her usually loose, messy hair had been pulled into a tight bun leaving only her bangs to hang over her left eye. Her exposed right eye watched him with amusement.

The prim outfit looked surprisingly good on her, but Cross didn't voice that opinion, not that it mattered as Kosu clapped her hands together and leaned forward with a smile, her eye's swapping color with a blink.

"I agree, I do look rather captivating. Try not to stare too long. Gawking isn't any more becoming than indifference."

Cross felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly and he brushed past Kosu. "I'm not gawking, and don't read my mind."

"Then don't think so loudly." Kosu returned to the air. "You sure you weren't gawking? Not even a little bit?"

Cross was silent for a long time before reaching up and rubbing at his temple. "You look nice.”

Kosu scoffed. "That's the best you can do?"

Cross gave her a one-shoulder shrug and a smile.

"Well that is rather boring."

“It’s who I am.”

“I suppose so.” Kosu sighed and reached down. Her fingers began to idly run through his hair. “I know why you’re acting so agreeable. You’ve been thinking about it, haven’t you?”

Cross almost missed a step.

It would be a lie to say it hadn’t been on his mind since the first time she had mentioned it. He had done his best to push it off to some far corner, but she was right. Even if he pretended, he wasn’t thinking about it, it was always there. A fear that was so large he couldn’t even comprehend it, so he had let it fade into the black.

“Not really.”

"You really are a bad liar." Kosu said softly in his ear as she dropped back down lower. “The time grows close. The ripples in time will come together. I do wish I could tell you more, but the rules cannot be broken. All I can say is that someone will die. Someone close to you. And it will be soon.”

“I know” Cross said with a heavy sigh. “I know.”

“But enough of that.” Kosu returned to the air. “What will happen, will happen. It is entirely possible there is nothing you can do, so perhaps there is no real reason to worry.”

“It doesn’t really work that way, Kosu.” With her embrace gone, Cross suddenly found himself very cold again and pulled the hood back into place.

“Does it not?”

“No.” Cross shook his head and continued in on silence. Kosu moved above him, slowly rotating in the air, occasionally letting her hand drift down fair enough to brush against the top his hood. After a few minutes of this she began to poke him more incessantly. Cross ignored her for a time but found it to be an impossible task when she began to push his hood over his eyes, repeatedly forcing him to reach up and readjust the fabric.

“Kosu?”

“Yes?” she answered, blinking her large blue eyes innocently as he looked up at her.

“Are you going to be here the entire trip?”

“Ah, so the pleasantries have ended?” Kosu spun around and around. “I do think I like that scowl on your face better than the simpering smile. But to answer your question, no, I won’t be here for your entire trip. Just for the interesting part."

Kosu reached up and used one hand to brush against a long, snow covered branch. As it swung back it caught Cross in the face.

“I don’t think things are going to get very interesting.” Cross grumbled through the fresh snow stuck to his face.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Kosu grinned as she floated away. Cross watched her go, still rubbing at his face where the branch had struck him.

xXx

Perched on a thick branch high above the ground Avril continued to breath in and out at a slow and steady rate as she had been for the last several hours. She barely felt the cold and or even registered the dizzying height, her mind focused on the moment that was coming to a head before her.

A long rifle sat across her lap with a single bullet already set inside the chamber. It was with this bullet that she would change the course of history.

The barest hint of movement far in the distance caught her eye and she sucked in a sharp breath. Slowly she pulled the glove from her right hand and flexed her fingers before letting her hand fall down to the rifle's grip, her finger resting lightly on the trigger guard. Narrowing her eye, she focused on the lone figure moving through the forest. As he moved in and out of her sight, obscured by the branches, she tightened her grip on the weapon before leaning back and sliding from the branch.

Gravity tugged at her for a moment before the rope secured around her left leg pulled taunt and she was left hanging upside down. Her right foot moved to the underside of the branch, securing her in place beneath the tree line and giving a clear line of sight through the forest.

Just like Cross had told her during the carriage ride there was indeed a path through the Galry forest. She had ridden hard all night to overtake his carriage and reach the forest with enough time to find the small blazes notched into the trees and move into a suitable position from which to take her shot.

It needed to be quick, clean, and out of sight. The point she had designated was nearly an hour's walk into the forest. The sound of the gun wouldn't draw any attention, and with the snow beginning to fall, and the winter season just beginning Cross's body wouldn't be found for months, if ever.

Cross followed the path exactly like she expected him to. He moved slowly, occasionally looking up and around, but she knew he wouldn't be alerted to his presence. Even with his Sight, the distance between them would be too great for him to perceive her.

The rifle was light in her hands as she trailed Cross until he came to a gradual stop. At this distance she could only make out his figure, dark against the fallen snow, but it was more than enough. She cocked the hammer back. The wind brushed against her face and she adjusted the rifle accordingly to compensate.

Her pulse slowed to a crawl, each beat lasting an eternity as she moved her finger to the trigger. The metal was cold but she barely registered the feeling. The Queen would have her exiled for this, maybe even executed, but that mattered little. A lifetime of training, months of traveling, collecting information, and dead ends had brought her to this moment and she would not let it pass her by.

She took in a soft breath, secured her position, and pulled the trigger.

The rifle buckled against her shoulder and the recoil nearly spun her around, but she managed to hold her position, eye wide as the bullet traveled the long distance between them.

She watched as Cross's body jerked, his head snapping back from the force of the shot, before he dropped to the ground.

Avril slowly lowered the rifle and let out a deep breath as the weight she had been carrying for so long finally fell away.