Will:

Will looked from Ash to Alründ and back again. Her brows pinched together like they always did when she was upset. He extended his spirit outwards, feeling her golden spirit spiral into a blue tornado. His smile faltered, and he glanced across to Alründ. What did you do?! She loathes me.

Nothing, he replied.

"Excuse me a second," Ash said as her phone beeped.

Will felt her relief the second she turned towards the stage. Tuning into her thoughts, he discovered her concentration was split between answering a text to her friends in the crowd, the fast song being performed on stage, and the mystery of who he was. It was good she was distracted. He needed to interrogate Alründ.

Sure, it was nothing, Will said. If you were watching her from the shadows I could believe you, but you're only meters away. You've been talking to her.

Fine! She bumped into me at the hotdog stand. The girl was a calamity waiting to happen. I had to get her out of there before she caused a riot or sustained an injury. We ate together. Barely spoke a word, if you must know.

You make it sound so innocent.

The side of Alründ's jaw twitched. She was my friend, too, in case you have forgotten. It's not all about you, Will.

I never said it was. But as for Ash being your friend, that's stretching it a little, don't you think? The two of you used to bicker constantly.

He shrugged casually. Whatever.

Will stepped up to him. No. Not whatever. You were supposed to stay in the shadows tonight, never to be seen or heard.

I was hungry. Such a terrible offence! Forgive me!

Fix this, Alründ. Introduce me.

Alründ's gaze almost burned a hole into Will; he was that irritated. Fine. "Ash?"

Ash whipped around, then paled. "Yes?"

What did he say to her? Will wondered.

Nothing, Alründ answered. I did nothing!

Get out of my head!

It's not my fault you can't protect your mind.

Will wanted to punch him in the mouth. Not that it would've stopped him talking.

Alründ smiled pleasantly. "Ash, meet Will."

She frowned, then mustered up a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Will said, remembering to don his Uncle's British accent at the last second. He offered his hand. Ash shook it and stepped back, as if he were not to be trusted. She was breaking his heart in a few short seconds. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," she whispered.

Alright, that was uninspired, he thought. I could kiss the back of her hand... No. Alründ's here, watching my abysmal performance.

You're right. It is abysmal. Alründ shook his head. "I'm going for a drink. Ash, look after him for me, will you?" He slapped Will hard on the back, and with one last look at Ash he strode away.

Will hated that her gaze followed Alründ as he disappeared into the crowd. She looked lost, as if she couldn't decide whether to stay or follow his friend. As much as it stung, he soaked in the sight of her, at her unusual ringlets of gold, red, and brown, all of which gleamed under the lantern light. But as she tucked a golden ringlet behind her ear, he sensed she was about to cry.

Disaster.

Suddenly, Will wished he was back on surveillance duty, because whatever was going on with her and Alründ, he couldn't ease a thing. He gave her a reassuring smile. Ash's eyes narrowed, her black painted lashes making the look all the more dramatic. Unable to bear any more, he turned away.

It's not her fault she can't remember.

But it hurts.

Really hurts.

Ash's hand fell lightly to his shoulder. Her spirit was close, almost wrapped around his, just as it should have been. This was the Ash he loved, the one who cared if he was miserable, who was so in tune with his spirit that she knew his every mood as strongly as he knew his own. He reached over his shoulder and grasped her hand, reveling in the fact that she was with him again. Nine excruciating months he'd waited for this—since the time they'd shared their second kiss. But the distance was necessary if she was to remain safe. The thought of losing her... He couldn't lose her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered behind him.

Now they were close again, he avoided reading her at all costs, even though her apology had confused him completely. He kept hold of her hand and spun around. She looked so fragile, like she could have been swept along with the passing crowd if he didn't have hold of her.

"Why?" he asked.

"You remember me, but I don't remember you."

"How do you know that?"

"Al kind of mentioned it."

"I see." Will tried smiling, but he couldn't believe Alründ had done such a thing. "You know, I'd originally come over here to ask you to dance, but I'm not sure if this is the right song."

"It's not?"

He pointed to Emmy and Lara were on the edge of the crowd with their boyfriends, the four of them jumping to the music. "Jumping isn't really my thing, but feel free..."

She laughed. "Nah. I'm good, thanks."

Her friends stopped bouncing, took one look at Will and gave her an encouraging wave. Lara mouthed the words, "Go for it, Ash!"

Ash's cheeks turned a rosy pink and her gaze shifted around the festival, over everything but Will.

He cleared his throat. "Friends of yours?"

"Um...yes. Although, I'm questioning that right now."

He didn't say it, but he had been questioning that same thing for a while now. Over the time he'd guarded Ash, he disliked her friends more and more. "You should really find replacement friends."

"Like you?"

He shrugged and smiled.

As she studied his face, her mood quietened. "We used to be friends, didn't we?"

"Yes." Best friends.

"Why is it that you and Al remember me, when all I remember are hints that we've met before?"

Will could feel her exasperation from here, and he blamed Alründ for all of it. She shouldn't have been asking those questions. She shouldn't have known there were pieces missing from her life. He was tempted to let Lücan know, but getting his mentor involved never ended well for anyone.

Will took her hands and swayed her to the music, but it didn't soothe her the way it did when they were five or six. He was about to hum her favorite tune, then stopped before the first note escaped. His last option was to give her some semblance of the truth—the version without the horror. "We were young when you had to leave.

"I can't think of any good reasons."

"That's because you can't remember."

She whacked him playfully on the arm, just like the old Ash would have done. "Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious."

"That's what I'm here for." As he twirled her under his arm, she shot him an evil look. It always made him smile. "And to dance with my friend on her birthday."

Laughing, Ash twirled under his arm once more. She stepped closer, swaying in time with every fourth beat, her hair swinging around her waist with the music. Everything about her was more vibrant, and his pulse raced as he swayed along with her.

Immortal Kiss launched into a raging song with harsh guitars and drums. Jasper's singing seemed to get better every time, so much so, that Will wondered if the singer might abandon his post as an undercover Lyrethian guard and try his hand at a music career. This might be a small time gig, but the crowd adored him. Of course Lücan, leader of the Sepheri, would disapprove of that idea—protecting Ash superseded just about everything. Jasper had been guarding her for four years, and in that time Ash had never connected the dots. In the past two years that Alründ and Will had been guarding her she'd connected the dots far too often, meaning that twenty-one times her memory had been in need of adjusting, and twenty-one times Will had felt miserable because of it.

Ash and Will swayed faster and faster to the music until he caught her by the waist. "Do you want to go somewhere less crowded? To talk?"

He swore Ash stopped breathing altogether. Her smile turned shy, but her emotions pushed against each other—happiness, nerves, then doubt. If only she knew that she could trust him more than anyone, that he was as much a part of her as she was of him.

Ash nodded warily.

Spirit spinning, he wasted no time in taking her hand and leading her past the stage. As they arrived at the trees on the outskirts of the parklands, the crowd thinned. Finally, they had a chance to talk, but they walked in silence, taking a pathway between old gum trees and native Australian shrubs, the odd streetlamp lighting the way. Behind them, the lights from the stage sifted through the leaves, and the music thumped through the earth as a reminder that the festival would soon be over, along with his time with Ash.

Her nerves buzzed restlessly in his spirit, compounding his own nerves. He wondered what he'd planned to talk about. If he said nothing, she'd think he had an ulterior motive for being alone with her. Alright, he did want to kiss her, but she'd only just met him again. If only she remembered that he was the little boy who visited her dreams every night. Taking a chance that she felt the connection too, he stopped suddenly, then brushed away the ringlets blowing across her face. "Would you mind if I kissed you?"

Her smile wavered. "I..."

He never did hear her answer, though, because a girl's breathless laughter came from a nearby tree, accompanied by the deeper laugh he knew all too well. He tugged at Ash's hand, determined to lead her back toward the festival. She refused to move.

Alründ stumbled out from behind a nearby gumtree, a redheaded girl clinging to his body. He pressed her back against the side of the tree, and her laughter ceased between kisses. The only concession was that they were fully clothed. Although, Alründ had lost the beanie from earlier, which was possibly worse than if he were naked, because his blond hair with its green streaks was roaming over his shoulders. His hair was so messed up from the girl's fingers that it looked as if he'd been in a sparring match. Will was close to shouting at him for being so stupid, but if Alründ knew someone was looking on he would no doubt spill blood—most likely Will's.

Will tugged harder at Ash's hand, but she was transfixed by this new version of Alründ. He groaned inwardly. Some part of her subconscious must have associated his unusual hair from when they were children, when his pale blond streaks had been transformed into white ivy and the darker streaks into green ivy. From the time Ash was six, the two of them were forbidden to train together, due to the fact that Alründ always made her cry. It wasn't just the sparring that had done it either. It had been his words, the loathing in his voice, the way he had whispered it all into her ear. Yet the way she stared at him now wasn't with fear or anxiety. Disappointment? No, it was deeper than that. Something had definitely happened between them tonight, which meant Will needed to get her out of there. He couldn't bear her sadness in his spirit much longer.

Again, he tried to steer her away from the scene, but it was impossible as Alründ planted a long kiss on the redhead's lips.

"Alründ?" Ash said, voice tremoring.

Alründ's gaze cut to Ash. He sprung away from the redhead. Turning his back, he pulled the leaves from his hair and wiped his mouth. The girl protested at his distaste, but when she spotted Ash and Will standing on the path she ran towards the festival and never looked back.

Will was stunned. Mostly because Ash had remembered Alründ's entire name this time. The hair. It was always his hair. She shouldn't have kept remembering him, not when she forgot Will so easily!

No. She is mine. She chose me over him long ago, and there is no turning back from that.

Alründ glared at Will, turned, and punched the gumtree beside him. Will's whole body flinched as bark exploded into splinters, sure that Alründ must have used the full force of his body to fuel that hit. Beside him, Ash had gone white.

"Are you alright?" Will whispered, bracing her waist.

Ash shook her head. Almost certain that she was terrified, he reached into her mind, but it was the last thing he wanted to hear, I need to get Will away from me! Then she shrugged him off and sidestepped away. Worse, she couldn't take her eyes off Alründ!

"We'll just go that way," Will said to him, pointing towards the festival's entrance.

Alründ raised an eyebrow, then stormed away into the parklands.

"Let's go, Ash." Will didn't try picking up her hand, he just walked. Ash caught up and kept pace beside him, but it was nothing like the romantic walk he'd envisioned earlier. As they re-entered the festival and passed the stage, he forced an apology. "Sorry you had to see that. Al's in a particularly strange mood tonight."

"That's one way of putting it."

"What has he done?! Tell me."

She shrugged, then glanced over at the new band playing on stage.

"Ash?" he asked.

"I just... I thought he was someone else. I was wrong."

"Who did you think he was?"

"It doesn't matter." Ash rushed across the reserve and he followed, always keeping a footstep behind her. They were almost at the donut stall by the front gates when she grabbed his hand. He was surprised when she linked her fingers with his and dragged him into the donut queue. After ordering a coffee, she passed him the free donut. He only knew it was a donut because it said so on the bag. Opening the paper, he got a hit of jam, sugar, and dough. He didn't know whether to eat it or throw it in the bin. It smelled...not too bad. He took a bite and devoured the rest of it in seconds, wiping the sugar from his lips.

"You've never eaten a donut, have you?" she asked, half frowning and smiling. "Al doesn't know fireworks and you don't know donuts. Weird."

"He didn't know what fireworks were? Really?" He smiled, but if he hadn't overhead a couple next to him mention the word 'fireworks' when those hissing explosions had rocketed into the sky earlier, he would have been as ignorant as Alründ.

"Seriously, where have you and Alründ been hiding all this time?"

He laughed, then realized she wasn't quite joking. She wanted to know where they were from, and there was no way he could reply honestly. He wasn't even allowed to think about that when he was around her, just in case she accidentally tapped into his mind.

"Do I have dirt on my nose or something? You're looking at me funny."

"No dirt." He kissed her lightly on the lips, taking her by surprise. "You're perfect."

"Now I know you're lying."

Alründ interrupted Will's mind, Say goodbye. Her curfew's up, and we need to get out of here so she will go home.

It can't be eleven, yet? He glanced at his watch. Five minutes to eleven.

Meet you at the car in five.

If I must. He sighed, pulling away from Ash.

You do. Be there.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I have to go. Do you need a lift?" he asked, knowing very well she'd say no.

"No, my mum's picking me up." She gasped. "And she'll be here any minute! She'll totally lose it if I'm not there. Help!"

Ash grabbed her coffee and pulled Will around the side of the donut tent, beneath a cover of trees. There was a border of sleepers that separated them from the footpath, giving a narrow view of the main road. Cars lined the street. Parents sat behind steering wheels, playing on their phones. Will noted that Ash's mum, Marianne, wasn't one of them.

"Ash, I..." He picked up her other hand. "I..."

"Yes?" As she looked up, her eyes sparkled with fondness for him. He almost believed her spirit was starting to remember his, but now he had to tell her goodbye. Unbearable.

"I just want you to know that you mean everything to me. You always have."

She nodded gently. "Do you know what's weird?"

"What's that?"

"I can feel that it's true. In here..." She slid her hand to his temple and frowned, then moved her hand to his chest. "And here." Her spirit was like a wind on a gloomy day, weaving in and out of his spirit. She clasped her head, then peered up at him with anguish. "How could I have forgotten this?"

"It's okay, Ash." He braced her shoulders. "You know now. That's what matters."

"Can I call you?"

"Ah, that won't work. Where I live there are no phones or computers. I'm unreachable." Unless they used telepathy, but he couldn't very well say that.

"If you don't want us to be friends just tell me, Will, instead of making up some stupid story."

"We are friends. I mean it, Ash."

"Yeah?"

Will nodded. "But I'm serious about the calling each other part. It's pretty much impossible to contact each other. I might not be back for another year. I'm on break from, um, military school," he said, his British accent dissolving during the lie. Her eyes widened, but he continued on, "My instructors are strict, really strict. And old fashioned. The whole base is ancient, so any form of technology is frowned upon. They think it's better for our training without any perks or aids. For discipline and all. And then there's the fact that it's nowhere near Melbourne."

"The U.K?"

He nodded tentatively.

"Aren't you a bit young for the military? And don't they have mailboxes?"

"No. And no."

"Oh."

He winced. "I can always call you in a year's time when I return. Although, you may have forgotten me by then, but I'll take that chance."

He waited for her to speak, but she pulled away and began fumbling inside her tiny bag for a pen. Rolling up his sleeve, Ash printed her number up his forearm. "I won't forget."

Wishing her words were true, he pulled her into a hug. She squeezed him just as tightly, and his spirit lifted higher than it had in months.

"Bye, Will," she said, her voice catching. But her smile was warm, holding a promise that they would see each other again.

"Bye, Ash." He let her go.

It was hard to walk away and leave her there, but a minute later he was striding towards their 4WD. Alründ was leaning against the driver's door, impatient as ever. But Will didn't walk faster; he was holding onto the feel of Ash and the threads of spirit that told him she was still near.

He thought back to the beginning of the night when he'd thought he'd lost her. Now she'd given him hope. This was never really goodbye, just a pause in time until they would meet again.