AZA

Four days.

Four excruciating, overwhelmingly, stretched thin days, where Del remained out of commission and Aza got to brutally contemplate whether or not the rumors were true--whether she was truly an utter nutcase.

There had been only one other time in her entire existence that she'd had a complete emotional breakdown. It hadn't been long after she'd witnessed her mother's murder at the hands of her father, who was also killed right in front of the eight-year-old's face. Moving to the other side of the country had not helped, and as Matthew Kendall's attention started to move on from her, Aza found herself feeling lost and discarded.

She'd had a meltdown and screamed at some children at the daycare center about how her parents were dead and that no one cared. She thrown toys and sobbed, throwing a huge tantrum. The lady, who took care of them tried to settle her down, but ended up calling her uncle to come get her. Matt had come and had actually tried for a moment to talk to her, but he'd gotten a phone call, then sent Aza to her room, where she'd burst into screams again.

Most of that last experience had gone by in a blur. She didn't remember, but apparently she had punched a kid and hurled a big toy ship at Ms. Bradshaw's face.

Aza had more or less been ostracized from the children after that. Fortunately, Evabelle had come not long after that incident, and things got better.

Now, Aza recognized that she'd had one again back up on that roof. She fallen to pieces like a fragile porcelain doll in front of everyone. She'd kicked and pushed back against Kai, and sobbed like a baby. Everyone around her stayed strong, comforted her, and freaking dealt with the situation.

Gah! I'm such a moron! Aza scrubbed at her eyes. I didn't become a worthless invalid when Lucis had fallen and was bleeding out in the alleyway. Granted he wasn't in quite as bad of shape, but still.

Aza gritted her teeth, and her head shot back up to glare at the man, laying on his side, peacefully breathing in and out. "Why you!?" She snapped at him. "Why? Why was it over you?!"

His void expression did not change, and Aza's anger abated as quickly as it had come. Her expression softened as she gazed over his soft dark hair falling over his forehead, his curved eyelids that held the long dark lashes, shading the jutted cheekbones around his long nose that lead to those wonderful full lips, just parted enough for air to slide in and move out.

Everyday for the past four days Lucis would come in and gently clean Del up, put him in clean clothes, wash his hair and body, being extra careful around the fragile wing.

Calandra changed the sheets every day, keeping them cool and fresh.

In Aza's mind it was as they were giving the loving treatment to the terminally ill within his last few days of life. It was ridiculous, of course. Aza herself had contacted the elves and three had immediately shown up and set to work on the broken wing: setting it, wrapping it, putting salves and potions around it and easing other concoctions down Del's throat. It was plain to see that these people were far superior healers than her uncle, comparing how the man had dealt with Lucis's injuries.

They knew what they were doing, but they still hadn't given a straight answer of whether or not Del would make it through this. All they had said was that his body's going through a great ordeal and that only time would be able to truly tell whether or not he would wake up.

Aza had wanted to kick them.

Now, as she sat in a chair in his freaking bedroom, staring down at his pallid face, she wanted to kick herself. Every bone in her body shuddered in exhaustion as she had practically zero sleep in the past several days. Her eyes were itchy, her back twinged, and her head ached.

No matter what those healers had said, some color had returned to Del's cheeks, and he was breathing normally now. Whatever the elves had done, it had seemed to be working, plus the other three Anahalians each gave him a healing spell at least once a day. It had all seemed to be going well, but he still hadn't woken up.

One of the elves, the one that had actually helped to save them from the traitors in the caves, that cool, sober guy, Baldwyn, had stayed behind to keep an eye on Del. He had said that even with things appearing to get better, that things can go south very quickly. It was like a human patient, who'd just undergone intensive surgery. Even in recovery, there was a chance the body would just end up rejecting it all in the end, even if it had all seemed well at first.

Aza almost kicked him.

Del did have a slight fever that had risen and fallen over the past few days. Apparently, it came with all the strain on him. It made his cheeks seem almost rosy. Calandra had everyone when they took their turn to watch over him, dab at his forehead with the cool cloth, she'd placed on the nightstand. It made Aza feel silly.

The small drained blonde girl leaned forward in her seat. "You're strong," She whispered. "I know that, so don't prove me wrong. You remember, girls don't like being proven wrong. It's just rude." Aza swallowed. "And that would really make you a jerk. I know I've called you a jerk over a million times, but I...well, no. You're a jerk, but so am I, because I didn't let myself look beyond that to see that you're a lot more than just a jerk."

Aza pushed away again so that her spine pressed against the back of the chair. "What am I doing?" She murmured. This was Del.

The first time she'd ever laid eyes on him, he'd been leaning against a wall all cool, watching the crowd, with that 'I don't care about anyone' look. She'd watched some poor innocent girls approach him and then witnessed a total shutdown from him. He couldn't let them down easy. He couldn't be kind. No he just had to be just like Dylan Briggs, who knew he was too cool to be with anyone....

That, of course, had been what had ran through Aza's head at the time.

He still acted cool and sarcastic, but there was some very distinct differences between the two. Dylan had taken every advantage with his popularity. Del didn't. Sometimes, it seemed he didn't even like the attention at all, which was bizarro.

Dylan had been a shallow asshat. And Del...Aza thought back to the moment when the two of them had been stargazing and she'd looked into Del's eyes and, in shock, found a whole new sky filled with stars.

Dylan Briggs had stolen her most precious possession. Del had riskily dove into a pool and searched and found that very same item, and insured that she got it back.

Aza started to feel emotional again. She stomped her foot. Stop it! Please don't tell me this is actually happening! Evabelle's words after the unspoken occurrence between Del and her came viciously to mind. "I don't know if I'll ever find someone who loves me like that, but Aza don't throw something like this away just like that," Back then Evabelle had seen something, something that Aza had denied then, and horrifyingly realized she'd been denying over and over since then.

She'd denied it when Del and her had danced together, when his hands had guided her effortlessly to one of her favorite songs. She'd denied it when he'd noticed her in pain, when her uncle hadn't. She'd denied when he single-handedly wrapped her wounds, got her an icepack and told her she was crazy. She'd denied it in the staircase where she thought that he might just kiss her again. She'd denied it when she saw his little hints at genuine smiles at something she'd said. She'd denied it when he'd almost squeezed her hand back before the Annihilator fight. She'd denied it all until that moment when she saw him falling and there was no possible way she could hold it in.

That was why she broke.

The beat girl put her head in her hands, trying her best to put back up that denial wall. It was nice wall that prevented awkwardness and stupid smirks. Denial was a good way to live. But was it possible to go back?

Aza gave a long groan between her palms. She was so tired. She didn't want to think anymore. Not about this. Not about anything. She should definitely try to go to sleep. Maybe she'd forget about this whole thing. Maybe she'd have a clearer head and realize that is was fatigue that was making her think all this insanity in the first place.

There we go. Brick by brick, she could bring that denial back where it belonged.

Running her fingers through her messy, tangled hair, Aza clipped something small and metal. The sound of a ting against the floor had her glance down to see her little flower charm.

The flower her mother had given her.

The flower that Del had saved for her.

Stop that!

Aza sighed and leaned over to grab it when something stiff and hard snatched her wrist, pulling at her arm.

"No!"

The blonde's head shot up as all the air in her lungs abandoned her.

"Please, don't leave me," Del's voice was hoarse and weak, but it was the heart-wrenching plea in it that made Aza's heart reach a standstill. "Please..." His face was contorted. Eyebrows pulled down, his mouth gasping for air, with his eyes only half open.

Aza took his hand from her wrist and grasped it in both of hers. Her heart now thudded like a hard base. "I'm here," her voice cracked. She quickly cleared it. "I'm here. I'm not going to leave you."

Del's hand tightened around hers, the pain in his expression melting. "It's you," he murmured, his voice holding a tone Aza had never heard him use. It made her feel shivery all over. "It's really you,"

Aza wasn't sure what to say. She swallowed and glanced around his bedroom. The door was shut. She was the only one there at the moment.

Del's eyes widened a little bit, but Aza could see the thick fog over them, and it made her wonder what he was really seeing just then. She could feel the heat just from his hand, but it radiated off from his whole body. His fever was high. Maybe too high.

"Yep," She looked down at him again, having absolutely no clue what to say to that. She should probably go tell Lucis that Del was conscious...sort of... He was speaking. That was good, right? His breath was quick and a little strained, but it was so amazing to hear. "It's...me,"

Del's calmed disposition, slipped away for a moment, a flash of a different kind of pain. "Where did you go?"

Aza really wasn't sure now.

Del continued for her, though. "Lucis never believed in you, but I did. I knew you would come back, Cedia." He said the name with a faintly, lost, floaty expression that made Aza's cheeks flush and her insides wither.

Cedia.

Aza let out a little cough before saying. "Well, you were right. I'm...here."

"I love you,"

Aza sat stock-still, the blood that had rushed into her cheeks a moment ago, flooding out even faster. An icy frost blew down her spine as she felt something inside her chest compress.

Silence stretched for a long time that Aza thought her ears might have stopped working completely. But then Del started to say the girl's name again. "Cedi--?"

"I l-love you too," Aza tumbled the words out before he could finish. Sayonara denial, my old friend.

Del released Aza's hands and Aza feared she'd done something wrong, but he instead grabbed her forearm and started to gently pull her down toward him. Aza tensed. She should pull back now. This was taking it a little too far, but he grabbed her shoulder now, and Aza tilted herself sideways so that she could practically lay her head on the pillow beside him. Half her body was now on the bed and she could feel the heat billowing of his fevered skin. Small beads of sweat clung around his temple. Aza should get the cool cloth and wipe them away, but now they were face to face.

Heavy lidded eyes were starting to consume Aza. His pupils dilated as his gaze enveloped her further, so much so that the purple became meager, fragile rings. This was not right. Del was clearly trapped in some fever dream. He leaned his head forward, so that their noses touched and Aza couldn't move a muscle. He turned his head up just a bit and moved in the last few millimeters, his eyes closing. Chapped lips barely brushed Aza's before drawing back, and she realized he was unsure, perhaps even nervous.

Now was definitely the time to pull out. Aza could pretend she was this Cedia to comfort him, but ultimately she was not. This was going way too far.

Aza put a hand against his cheek, her thumb sliding into the hollow below the arched bone, the tips of her fingers catching the back of head, brushing the fine threads of hair at his nape, and pulled him in, their lips falling together, lighting the girl's mouth on fire.

Del's chest expanded and then he pressed in, more confident, but still such a gentle hold. His hand went to her waist and pulled her all the way onto the bed and right up against him and she gasped, her leg twisting in his sheets, overlapping his.

Aza slid her hand down from his face, gliding down the burning neck and onto the soft pale blue sweater, letting her fingers travel over the sharply sculpted muscle underneath that tightened and shifted at her touch. The faintest moan buzzed between the pair of lips. The tang of his mouth and tongue vanished in all the flames that fed down Aza's own throat that almost purred as she coiled in against his smoldering body, letting her own be engulfed in the heat. Her hand found its way back up and ran through his soft raven hair, her leg sliding up and slipping over his waist, pushing herself forward and rolling him back enough for him to jerk a little, wincing at the pressure on his injured wing.

Aza froze and tried to pull away, but Del came in again, rolling her forward. She could almost feel him laugh against her. His fingers curled around her hip where her shirt had come up, as his mouth went over her cheek and down her own neck, softly kissing her collarbone, making her arch back as fireworks exploded behind her eyelids, but then he released her side and his hand found her face, cupping it and he was back on her lips.

This kiss was drastically different than the one in the rain. There had been a fire yes, a wild, confusing, uncontrollable fire that blazed hot in that moment. It hadn't made sense. It was a fight that turned into insanity as their minds got carried away into the lost. But Aza could feel the difference in this kiss. It was hot and heavy, but at the same time it was soft and held a tender warmth of actual desire. A hunger that she could taste as she bit his bottom lip. The groan that rumbled from his chest and furled in his throat made the girl's veins pound with thunder. Small, popping, effervescent strands of lightning burst under her skin as he poured himself over her, ink black hair dancing across her cheeks, and she longed to drink it all in.

But the knowledge that his body still had to be in unspeakable pain, and this display conveyed that he couldn't even hold himself back for her. Aza understood that this was the longing of a man that truly loved this woman.

Cedia.

It was this understanding that managed to pull Aza out of her own delirious head. Slowly, she eased herself out, pushing away gently, easing him back onto his side, but still leaving with soft kisses at the corners of his mouth, her fingers running through his hair, in a strange way to reassure him.

Her breath was raucously loud and just as ragged at Del's, whose sweat rolled down his nose as his bangs stuck to his forehead. His cheeks were redder than ever.

That was when Aza saw it.

It wasn't a little glimpse or a faint hint. It was full on. A smile that wasn't sarcastic or snide. It held no angst, edge, or flare. It was pure, unadulterated joy. A ripple spread through every nerve in Aza's body as she gaped at him in wonder.

His eyes were beautiful, yes, but this was beyond any universe that there was out there. Looking at him this close, smiling like this, entirely transformed his face into the freaking sun. It was so brilliant that Aza almost couldn't stop herself from kissing him again.

She gave a self-conscious little titter and slid herself off the bed, her frame shaking.

Del let out several harsh breaths, still grinning ear to ear, making the stars in his sleepy eyes into supernovas, blazing blindingly bright. "Well...that...was...different..."

Aza tensed. "Oh? In a good way... I hope."

Del laughed and Aza's heart pounded as his eyes closed. "Definitely,"

Aza collapsed back against her chair. In her head, she fist pumped. Hah! Take that, Cedia! I kiss better than you!

Del and Aza's panting filled the silence in the room, and now Aza had no idea what to do again. In her head she was doing handsprings, but at the same time those handsprings turned into curling into the fetal position and rocking back and forth.

Yes, that had just happened. There was no denying it. This time Del had not been the one to legitimately initiate it. This time Aza had done it. But Del had also kissed her back. But he also thought she was someone else.

Aza went from feeling incomprehensible exhilaration to gut-wrenching regret. She felt like ripping her hair out. This was not good.

It was official. She was a nutcase.

And she was in love with Del.

Maybe she should kick him.

"Cedia," Del mumbled again.

Aza sat up straight, then leaned over him again. "I'm here. I won't leave you."

Once again that anxious expression slipped away from him and that soft magnificent smile made Aza's warring insides glow. "I love you.... I love...you..." His voice was fading off again, his eyes flickering shut and the blonde sighed, putting a hand on his cheek.

She opened her mouth, about to whisper it back, but then his eyes swiveled back and forth under his lids and his body spasmed. His mouth parted and his eyelids fluttered open again, but this time, they were clear. They widened when they saw Aza leaning down so close.

There was painfully loud silence before Del jolted up, his arm swinging out, sending the startled Aza flying back, her foot catching the leg of the chair, knocking it on top of herself. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He shouted.

Save for his red cheeks, his face had gone white. He half propped himself on his elbow and stared, mortified, down at her.

Aza's entire frame shook hard. The tears had sprung to her eyes so fast, she hadn't had to time to even try to stop them.

It was over.

She pushed the chair off of her and rose to her feet, hands in clenched fists at her sides. Her mind was completely blank. Her lips hurt, but it was her trembling heart that held the most pain. She should wipe the tears away. She should shout something back. She should do something.

Her mouth moved and formed words that made no sense in that moment. They were clumsy and bumbled into each other, but it was all she could give. It was all she had. "I like you better when you smile."

Then she spun on her heel, marched blindly to the door, entered the hall, and ran.

DEL

"I like you better when you smile."

Del breathed into his constricted lungs, staring after her. His mind was a murky muddle that had had a sudden hot flash of adrenaline that had him shouting at the sight of those glimmering eyes. His heart was beating so fast. It lobbed itself against his ribcage that it actually made the bones ache. What was she doing?

He coughed hard, his arm, just holding him up a little, was rickety. He was so out of breath. His whole body felt heavy and weak. Pain in his side. Pain in his head. Pain in his back. What in the world was going on? Nothing was making sense.

The only thing that he could remember was...Del's breath almost stopped. Cedia. For a single moment everything had been okay. Everything had been better than okay. She was there. She was holding him, kissing him, saying that she loved him. But then it all been sucked away again. It had all been a dream.

Del brought his fingers to his lips. They actually stung a little. She'd felt so real. She'd felt better than real.

Aza had been so close...she wouldn't...

Something on the ground next to the bed, caught Del's eye, sparing him from the horrific thought. It was that little flower Aza always had in her hair. Grunting a little, he struggled to lean forward and scoop up the thing.

As he came back up, Evabelle burst into the room. Her eyes were like giant gold plates. "Del!" She cried her mouth splitting into an enormous smile at the sight of him. "You're awake!" She ran to his side, took his shoulder, and tried to turn him over.

"Hey!" He swatted her away. "What are you--?"

"Your wing was nearly ripped off. You almost died!" Evabelle rushed, her hand once again trying to get him to move onto his stomach, so she could see. "I saw Aza run out and I...I...th-thought..." Her voice started to shake.

"I'm fine," He was in tremendous pain.

"The elves made sure you were taken care of," Evabelle cleared her throat and continued rambling. "We've all been using healing spells. But it's been four days."

That got Del's attention. "Excuse me?" Finally the memory of the Annihilator battle swooped in. He remembered fighting, giving everything, when an entire crowd of the monsters had surrounded him at once, clawing at his back, catching his wing and...his vision had gone white with the pain that faded so abruptly to black as he the whole world fell away...or as he fell away from the world. In that moment, Del had believed he was finished.

Well, that would explain the hurt he was experiencing in the current moment. Four days. He'd never been out that long before. His body was telling him that he could probably rest for at least another four. But he hated lying in bed. He couldn't just stay here any longer. He needed to get to the training room. He needed to do something.

Although, it felt like he had been just doing something. Sweat rolled down his face and made the soft sweater stick to his skin. His muscles felt strained as if he'd been using them when he shouldn't have been.

The dream.

It had been too real.

His dreams were always too real.

Aza had been too close.

Del's fingers ran over the edges of the small metal flower that bit into the center of his palm. The cheap silver would be easy to crush in his fist. He loosened his grip.

Ripping his thoughts away from all of that, his eyes flickered down to the pad in the crook of his elbow.

"That's the IV...or well the thing that's been keeping you hydrated and nourished." Evabelle explained. "The elves brought it. It's rather convenient."

Del tore it off. The sting on his skin it left behind was nastily annoying. He tossed it aside.

"Del!" Evabelle exclaimed. "Slow down! You just woke up, but you're not fully recovered."

Del grunted, trying to push himself up further. "I'll get better if I'm moving." He glanced up and blew out a huff of air at the sight of the man. "Don't you start fussing over me either."

The small cough from the doorway made Evabelle straighten up and spin as though she were a child being caught doing she'd been told not to do.

Lucis leaned against the door-frame, arms crossed, his eyes locking onto his brother's. But he didn't say anything.

Evabelle's hand that had been resting on Del's shoulder twitched like a strange reflex and then tightened hard, her nails digging in past the fabric of his shirt. Del's eyes moved up to see the pretty girl's face that looked as though she were about to hurl.

Del rolled his shoulder to get her attention. He had to do it a few times to snap her out of the pained staring at Lucis. "Evabelle," Del murmured.

The princess lurched backward, using her hand on Del to keep her steady. "Right," She fixed her sights back down on him. "I'll leave you two alone. I...just..." There appeared to be something like knots contorting around inside the gold of her eyes. Her expression imperceptibly changed so rapidly through so many puzzling emotions, Del couldn't read a thing. "I'm," She bent down toward him, reaching eye-level. "Just very...happy," She got even closer and then twitched back. "You're okay," Then in quick flurry, she rushed forward again and her lips aired over his cheek, her thick hair tickling his nose, before she shot back, her face going from ash to scarlet.

Del blinked in shock as Evabelle straightened up, bowing her head so low that she was looking directly at her feet. She jerked around on her heel and left the room, striding right past Lucis, who didn't even give her a side glance. Those blue eyes hadn't moved an inch from Del's.

The darker brother, pushed up on his propped elbow about to ask 'what the heck was that?' But Lucis spoke first. "You really shouldn't get up."

Del snorted. "Look who's talking. You never rest enough or give yourself the proper time to recover. You shouldn't have been out there. You were still recuperating from your last dance with monsters."

"I heal faster than you," Lucis said bluntly. "I can take care of myself."

Del grit his teeth. "What and I can't?" He started to push himself up again, a throbbing pulse in his head banging louder against his skull as he did so.

"Wait," Lucis took a step into the room, reaching out a hand to no doubt push his brother back down. "You're strong, Del. But even the strongest of us need to take care."

"Speak for yourself." Del spat.

"You're right," Lucis sped on. "You're right, I don't like feeling useless either. I push myself too far and you're always getting after me for doing that." The corner of his mouth quirked up. "We are brothers as most have a hard time believing. We had to have something in common with one another."

Del relaxed a bit and returned to his half-up, half-down position. But there was something in his brother's expression that kept him wary. Lucis hadn't just come to tell him to stay in bed.

The blond Anahalian seemed to see that Del knew there was more. He cleared his throat. "I saw Aza run out of here. She was crying."

That was not what Del had expected. His insides cringed, but he kept his face passive. "She startled me and I startled her back." He rolled the little charm around in the center of his hand, keeping his fingers closed around it.

Lucis didn't respond to this. His hand slowly came up and he gripped the spire of bed's foot-board. His blue eyes stared at the dark wood, moving away from Del. "You were dreaming about her again, weren't you?"

An icy flash struck his blood and passed under his heated skin. "Normally I don't dream at all." He gestured with his head to the small box filled with inanis powder.

Lucis's eyes did a quick flash over. "But you didn't take the drug, and you didn't have any Oracle dreams. It was her. It was Cedia."

The nerves under Del's flesh tightened throughout his body like wire pulled taut. "And what if it was?" He said softly. "What if I dream about the one person that I fell in love with?" He put clear conviction into every single word.

Lucis didn't say anything.

Del let out a hiss. "You always do this," He bowed his head and shook it. "You were always against her."

"She hurt you," Lucis whispered. "She abandoned yo--"

"She was taken!" Del's face shot up. "Cedia was weaker than others so they took her to experiment on her." Neither one had brought up Cedia in months because it almost always lead to something like this.

"He never forcefully took anyone. Averno was a manipulator. There were tons of Anahalians that slipped away to follow him years after he left. We know he must have had connections. One of them might have gotten to her, promised a way to restore her strength maybe."

"No," Del said through clenched teeth. "She wouldn't go to him. She loved me. She was different."

Lucis let out a long breath. "Del--"

"We had nothing! We had no one!" Del threw the words at him. "It was just you and me. No one loved us. I get that Kayne did his best to take care of us, but he had to help keep everything together after the royal family was gone. It was just us. But then she came and didn't care that Averno was our father. It didn't matter that I was the Oracle. She loved me." Del adjusted his position, wiping a bit of sweat that slid down from his temple with the back of his fist that held the metal flower. "Even if what you just said was true, you never even tried. She tried to reach out to you, but you never took her hand. Were you just jealous that I let someone besides you love me?"

Lucis finally looked him in the eyes again with an expression that brought more rage clawing its way into Del's veins. That look was one that he loathed perhaps more than any other. So many people had given him this look all his life, but when it came from his own brother it made it so much worse. "She said it many times, but I never heard it." Lucis murmured. "I never heard or felt the love that she claimed to have in you." Del opened his mouth, but Lucis didn't let him interrupt this time. "But I have heard someone's love for you. It was not in the words 'I love you.' I heard it in one word as she screamed your name at the thought that she might have lost you."

Back in that storm, drowning in pain, a piercing shriek that didn't belong to the monsters had sliced through it all and had been that last thing Del's mind had taken in before he was plunged into darkness. He knew what Lucis was implying.

Damp black hair swung in front of his face as he shook his head. "What right do you have to assume that bs? What right do you have to lecture me about love?" He pushed himself up a little. "What about Evabelle? You've never admitted it to me out loud, but I'm not an idiot. What about the girl that you fell in love with when you were ten years old? The only girl that you've ever loved like that? The girl that you never got over, that you've been pining for ever since? The girl that you never gave up on? What about her?" Del spat. "Suddenly she starts actually returning your feelings and you march past her. Suddenly she starts looking at you and you turn away? Don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been treating her. Don't think that I haven't noticed you avoiding her. Why did you suddenly decide to be so cold when she's right in front of you? What could possibly...?" Del's voice trailed away as Lucis turned his back on him.

Though his body emanated an unnatural heat, a chill, colder than the one he'd felt at the mention of Cedia, traveled the course of Del's body, making him visibly shudder. His lungs suddenly refused to draw in air and his heart bounded up into his throat.

Fear. More fear than he'd felt in years washed over Del as him mouth moved soundlessly, trying to process the terrifying possibility that had just occurred to him.

"Lucis," Del's voice was low and hushed as he stared at the back of his brother's bowed head. "Lucis, are you--?"

"I know you don't want to be in bed any longer, but they're coming up with another plan and if you want to be involved, you need more rest." Lucis said crisply. He straightened up and strode out of the room, not looking back and swinging the door shut behind him with a snap, making Del flinch.

The dark Anahalian's heart continued to clash hard in his chest and his breath was more ragged than it had been before. How could he have not figured it out? How did he not see this earlier? Looking back, he realized it had been happening for a while. First it had been slow, but now...

Del sat up the rest of the way, staring down at the wrinkled blankets without seeing them. His trembling hand rose up and covered his mouth, shaking his head in numb shock. How could he, the man with visions of the future, seeing far beyond any other; Lucis's brother, who knew him like no one else did, have been so utterly blind to what was happening right in front of him?

~(A/N: [ for those of you who have ever seen RWBY --- in Nora Valkyrie's voice - 'This. IS. HAPPENING!' - My friend is making me watch that show and Nora's definitely my favorite! ] Anyway...the second DAZA kiss!! YAY!!! Except that Del thought it was with a completely different girl...booo! Also I know that the picture above this chapter more or less spoiled the whole thing, but I couldn't help it once I saw it :b

Okay so we've got more with some characters that have taken the background. Jamie is back, but it's brief. Once again, I know I need to rework some things. We got a little more Raoul, who continues to intrigue. I really would love to hear your thoughts on some of the things he said. Also what did you think of Evabelle's response to all of it??

And we got a bit more of a formulation on the new plan, so things appear to be going in the right direction there. Did it make sense? Was anything confusing? Or did it feel rushed?

And yes, Aza kisses Del and officially realizes and acknowledges her feelings for him. But will Del reciprocate? It appears he's holding a torch for someone...Did you see that coming??

And then there's the fact that Del knows something! He knows what's going on with Lucis and he's scared.... :{ What do you think is going to happen?

I bet everyone is pretty fed up with all of Lucis's secrets. Now Del knows. Faux overheard some things in the previous chapter, so he might know something too....Who thinks it's about time Evabelle knows? WELL I DO!!! Who do you predict will be the one to finally let it all out??

***CHALLENGE TIME***

This should be fun! So since most (if not all) of us are pretty big geeks, I thought it would be fun to geek out together about some of our favorite things! Fictional Book Crushes!!! Who have you read about and just fallen head over heels over?! I thought I'd share my top five romantic book men that I just adore. And you could do the same for me :) Maybe give me a brief little tidbit about them and if I haven't read the book they're from, I'll have to go see if they catch my fancy too ;)

-Also just a note: you do NOT have to say any of my characters if they don't reach your top five. I want genuine honesty, so if one of them does make your list, I'll be sincerely flattered! But only if they truly are in your top

My Top Fictional Book Crushes are...

1.) Jem Carstairs from the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare - I could honestly go on and on about him! He's one of my favorite characters of all time! He's so beautiful and pure. He's been through so much pain, but he is always kind and thinking of others. He's also so sweet and funny and just can't get over him <3

2.) Percy Jackson and Leo Valdez from the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - These two are tied. I just couldn't decide. They're both so funny and amazing! Percy is just so sarcastic and fantastic! Leo's story and where he's come from to become the awesome guy that he is, I just couldn't help but love him!

3.) Iggy from Maximum Ride by James Patterson - He's kind of more of a side character, but I do notice that I sometimes tend to be drawn to those characters. He so awesome and quirky! I love him! He's so sweet and smart

4.) Warren Sorensen from Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - He's a little older than the others, but he's amazing too! I don't know how to explain it with him. He's just so competent and clever! He's funny and great! I love him and I really need to start reading Dragonwatch!

5.) Mark Blackthorn from the Dark Artifaces by Cassandra Clare - He so pure and innocent! He's lived in such a vastly different world and suffered so much, but the way he speaks and sees things is so amazing! I love him so much, but I ship him more with Cristina that myself so :b

I love so many characters! Just not as many in a romantic kind of way. I'll have another challenge with your favorite characters that aren't crushes, but you still have a profound connection with and so on, but I already know the challenge for the next chapter....That one should be very interesting....

Thanks guys! I hope you enjoyed this!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS!!!! I love you all!!! :D )~