A.N: Spoilers until St. Binah is lowered, allusions to later events.

Guardian

Purplish light filtered through the high windows of Yulia City's conference room, bathing the party members as they finished yet another discussion of what to do next. The people of St. Binah were safe for now, but if they did nothing, the city itself would slowly sink into the Qliphoth and be destroyed just like Hod and Akzeriuth. After speaking with Teodoro, the general agreement was to fly to Shurrey Hill in the hopes of manipulating the passage ring to keep the Citadel afloat.

The meeting dissolved as the groups split off into smaller factions. Luke, with Mieu bouncing along beside him, was in some sort of discussion with Guy as they exited, while Natalia had drawn aside Tear and Ion and started a conversation. Within a few moments, the room was empty save for Jade and Anise. The colonel stood up slowly from his chair and stretched his back, obviously making a show of being old and decrepit.

Anise rolled her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips. "Come on, Colonel, stop being slow."

"I'd say you are the slow one," Jade replied, with an almost lazy smile. He pushed the chair in and replaced his hands in his pockets. "Staying behind to tease an elderly man while your charge wanders off unattended?" He glanced towards the door, which Ion was just disappearing through.

"There's no danger in Yulia City, he'll be all right for a little while," Anise said, shrugging. "Being elderly, I thought you might need my help more."

"Hm," Jade replied. "Well, I suppose you are just the right height to use as a cane..."

"Boo, Colonel," Anise complained, but there was no true irritation in her tone. "We should get moving or the others will head on to Shurrey Hill without us." Jade gave a smile and a nod in reply and allowed the energetic little girl to lead him out of the room.

The streets of Yulia City were busier than usual today, owing to the bustle of finding food and living quarters for the refugees from St. Binah. "Really, Anise, I was quite surprised at you in the meeting," Jade remarked, as they wandered side by side down the sloping path leading to the bottom floor of the city.

"How so?" Anise asked, tilting her head to the side in what she thought was an adorable manner. "Were you dazzled by my cuteness?"

"No," he replied, and Anise pouted. "But I was rather intrigued that you would allow me to sit between you and Ion." He raised two gloved fingers to the bridge of his nose, calmly adjusting his glasses. "I would think you would want to keep him well away from the frightening Jade the Necromancer."

"Oh, Colonel, you don't scare me," Anise said, with a cheerful giggle. "You're a pretty nice guy, deep down. And Ion really likes you too."

"I suppose I must try harder, then," Jade sighed. "How exhausting."

"Don't bother. You're too late now," Anise replied. She latched onto his elbow. "If you tried to frighten me off now, I'd know you're just playing with me and like you even more."

"Is that so," said Jade. "Well then, I suppose the only way to get rid of you is to ignore you completely. " And he increased his stride, dragging Anise, still attached to his arm, along with him.

"Hey! Colonel!" Anise complained, digging her heels into the stone floor in a futile attempt to stop him. When she almost overbalanced, she instead quickly righted herself and ran alongside him. "That's not fair!" Jade did not answer, his eyes fixed on a spot on the path some thirty feet ahead. "Hey! A gentleman replies when a lady is speaking to him!"

"Gentleman? My my, Anise, you really are pleased with me today," Jade said, finally slowing down. He turned his head slightly in her direction and smirked. "What did I ever do to deserve such compliments?"

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Nothing at all, but at least it got you to talk to me!"

"Hm," said Jade, with his patented unreadable half-smile. "Perhaps instead I should have gone with the observation that you are not a lady."

This of course, sent Anise into a very un-ladylike chorus of "boos."

---

The pair made their way back toward the docked Albiore at a leisurely pace, in no part thanks to Anise. Her attempts to drag Jade into a faster clip were thwarted by the fact that he was a foot taller and rather heavier and stronger than she was. When they did finally reach the ship, Anise abandoned him and darted up to the cockpit, where the others were already assembling.

The chairs behind Noelle's were mostly filled by the members of the group. Noelle herself was positioned behind the flight controls and gave Anise a friendly smile as she entered. Luke sat to one side, gazing out the window at the miasma just beyond Yulia City's protective barriers. Natalia glanced up from her own seat near the back as Anise entered the room. "There you are," she said. The princess was already belted in for takeoff and had brought out a book to read during the flight.

"The Colonel was being slow," Anise complained, plopping into a seat beside Tear. The young melodist held Mieu on her lap and both human and cheagle looked very content.

"It's not nice to talk to people behind their backs," Jade said, entering the cockpit behind her.

"I'm in front of you, Colonel," she shot back.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Guy cut through the bantering from his own seat (directly behind Noelle, so he could peer over her shoulder as closely as the phobia would allow.) The blonde swordsman glanced around the room. "Natalia, Tear, Anise, Luke, Jade, Mieu..."

"...Where's Ion?" Luke asked, frowning at the lack of green-haired Fon Master in the group.

"Wasn't he with you and Tear, Natalia?" asked Anise, turning to the princess.

She shook her head. "He was, but he stopped to talk with Field Marshall McGovern for a few moments. I thought he would be back by now."

Anise sighed. "Honestly, that Ion... I guess we'll just have to wait for him."

After everyone agreed that was the best option, the minutes trickled past. As each successive tick of the clock, Luke became more and more agitated. Finally, after about twenty minutes his thin patience frayed completely, and he rose to his feet, Anise only a few steps behind.

"He's taking too long," the redhead said decisively.

"Yeah," said Anise. "I'll go and drag him back here." She started moving towards the door.

"Wait," said Guy, standing up as well. "Maybe we should all go look. If he's taken this long, maybe something's happened..."

"It's Yulia City, Guy," Luke sighed. "He's probably still yapping away with somebody. You know how he is, he's way too nice to ever break off a conversation on his own."

"Be that as it may, Guy's suggestion does make sense," Natalia said, standing and folding her arms. "Let's go together. That way if we can't find him immediately, we can split up and search for him."

This brought agreement from the other members of the group. Noelle remained behind to watch Mieu and keep the Albiore primed for takeoff, so after checking the craft to ensure that the young Fon Master was not hiding in a corner somewhere for whatever reason, the group set off along the path from the dock to the city.

"Honestly," Anise grumbled to Jade, as they moved briskly along the unnecessarily long walkway (in Luke and Anise's opinions.) "Ion knows we're in a hurry..."

"And whose job is it to watch him, hm?" Jade poked. "Perhaps we shouldn't blame the Fon Master, but the bad Fon Master Guardian."

Anise accidentally trod on his foot.

Finally the group reached the fontech doorway into the main city building. Dragging Guy through it quickly, they spotted Field Marshall McGovern and his son standing with a few other St. Binah refugees. The group immediately turned upon seeing the six adventurers approaching.

"Field Marshall," Jade began immediately, never one to mince words. "Have you seen the Fon Master recently?"

"Why yes, Jade, I was speaking to him oh... about twenty minutes ago, I'd say," said the elderly man, stroking his long grey beard from a hand that emerged from the depths of his hair. "Why?"

"Guy—" Jade began, but Guy didn't allow him to finish the statement.

"We can't find Ion anywhere," he explained, looking sideways at Jade. The man almost looked annoyed at being prevented from using his favorite responsibility-deferring phrase, but as with anything where Jade's emotions were concerned, it could also be nothing but Guy's imagination.

"That's odd," said the Field Marshall. "He said he was heading back to the Alboire."

Natalia glanced across at Guy, then quickly thanked the Field Marshall and pulled the others aside, shifting into her take-charge princess mode. "All right," she said. "Luke and Guy, you search this building. Tear and I will search the building with Tear's rooms. The Colonel and Anise can search outside. Whoever finds Ion will alert the rest of us."

"Yes, your majesty," Luke replied, with the slightest trace of sarcasm. Natalia didn't seem to notice and Guy quickly dragged Luke off before she could.

---

The group was soon split up and the search began. Jade and Anise each took opposite ends of the maze of metal walkways that encircled the exterior of Yulia City, interrogating the populace and searching for any sign of the familiar green hair. Anise's frustration grew as person after person merely apologized and said they hadn't seen the Fon Master recently. Kicking the railing out of frustration, she turned on her heel and began walking back towards where the Colonel was searching.

"Anise!" Jade called suddenly, urgency in his tone. Anise immediately sped up her pace. The Colonel was standing on the farthest west end of the outer platforms, near the area where that silly man who always begged Tear for supplies sometimes hung out. The area was deserted today however, most people busy in other places helping with the refugees.

"What is it, Colonel?" Anise asked. In reply the man merely began walking quickly down the hidden set of stairs that attached to the side of the platform. Anise followed—then gasped in surprise.

At the bottom of the staircase, on the metal floor of the small alcove below, lay Ion, unmoving. With a strangled cry of his name Anise dashed forward, only to be caught by Jade as she passed. "Careful, you'll trip just like he did," the Colonel cautioned before releasing her.

Ignoring the Colonel's warning, Anise finished her quick dash down the steps and knelt by the green-haired boy's side, frantically searching for vital signs. Her heart began beating again a few moments later when she saw he was still breathing. Reaching out, she gently shook his shoulders. "Ion? Are you all right?"

With a groan, the boy's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at his Guardian with slightly unfocused green eyes. "...Anise?"

"Oh, thank goodness..." Anise said, trying not to choke on her words. "What happened? Are you okay?" She put a hand behind his back as he tried to sit up. "Why were you down here anyway? Did you fall? Ion, you should be more careful!"

"Slow down and let him answer," Jade said with a hint of amusement, stepping off the staircase and kneeling beside the Fon Master as well. "He appears to be alive, at least... that's a start."

"I'm sorry, Anise," Ion said, leaning against her as she propped him upright. "One of the refugees told me that her cat had run away. When I was walking back, I saw it run down here. I chased it, but my sandal strap broke as I was going down the steps and I fell." He looked sheepishly at his feet. "I guess I wore them out with all the walking we've been doing..."

"Chasing a cat?" Anise sighed. "Oh, Ion..."

"So you tripped and hit your head?" Jade prompted.

"I guess I must have... I blacked out at least," Ion said apologetically. "When I woke up, the cat was gone and my ankle hurt too much when I tried to stand... I called for help, but no one came... and then I guess I must have dozed off again."

"Hm," said Jade, his brow furrowing with the slightest hint of what could possibly be called concern. He gently touched the boy's ankle, which was twisted at an odd angle. Ion winced. "The sleepiness could mean a concussion. And it looks like your ankle is broken. We should get you to Tear and Natalia as soon as possible."

"Honestly, Ion, you're such a klutz..." Anise sighed. "You're just like that clumsy Chosen girl from the fairy tales..."

"I'm sorry, Anise," he apologized, his smile still looking slightly disoriented. "I should have been more careful."

She shook her head. "No, it's my fault... I should have been here with you." She grabbed his hand, frowning at him. "From now on, don't go anywhere without me or the Colonel coming with you, alright?"

Ion nodded at this, while Jade merely looked amused. "Am I being drafted into the Fon Master Guardians?"

Anise just rolled her eyes. "Just help me carry Ion back to the Albiore, Cantor Curtiss..."

---

Miasma-tinted light continued to filter through the windows of one of the Albiore's side cabins. Tear and Natalia had wasted no time in healing Ion's ankle and head injury, though the combination of healing arte overload and fatigue from the trauma had caused the little Fon Master to fall asleep almost immediately afterward. The entire group decided it was in his best interest to let him rest and that they would depart for Shurrey Hill in the afternoon.

Anise stood beside the green-haired boy as he slept on the cushions, a blanket drawn up to his head. He was using Tokunaga for a pillow, too tired even to find a real one before he'd curled up. He was so sound asleep he made no reaction as Jade slipped into the room as well, standing next to Anise as she watched Ion dreaming.

"I've often wondered," Jade murmured quietly, "how one so young became the Fon Master."

Anise sighed. "The Fon Master is chosen through the Score... Ion probably didn't have much choice in the matter."

"At least he seems to like his work," Jade replied. His eyes flickered from Ion, to Anise's face, and then back to Ion. "And what of you, Anise? Were you chosen to be a Fon Master Guardian through the Score as well?"

Anise shrugged. "It just sort of happened..."

"Hm," said Jade, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "And do you like your work?"

"...I like Ion," she replied.

Jade smiled. "My my, that was exceptionally blunt."

Anise scowled and her cheeks reddened. "I didn't mean it like that, Colonel. I still intend on finding a rich husband!"

"Of course," Jade replied, without a trace of repentance.

Anise chose to tactfully ignore him and glanced back at the sleeping boy. Finally she sighed again, loudly enough that Jade turned toward her with a raised eyebrow.

She raised her head and met his eyes. "...Am I really a bad Fon Master Guardian?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically.

Jade shrugged. "Well, I don't profess to have much expertise in the duties of Fon Master Guardians..." When she continued to look downcast, he continued. "But from what I have gathered through observation, they seem to be principally to aid the Fon Master in whatever he chooses to do. And in that regard, Anise... I doubt there is someone who could help Ion better than you."

She was silent. Jade had opened his mouth to add something more (and probably unnecessarily sarcastic) when she quietly cut him off. "...Colonel." He glanced at her questioningly. "I think... I might need your help getting through this."

He blinked once, and then smirked at her. "Well, I'm not exactly accustomed to giving assistance to anyone, but taking into account your disability, it would be cruel if I were to ignore such a direct plea... So, I suppose I can help you watch Ion."

"Disability?" Anise asked.

Jade's smirk widened as he looked down at her, then patted her patronizingly on the head. "Disability." And he started walking for the door.

Anise gave him a confused look, reached up to touch her head, and then with sudden realization, stomped her foot angrily and shouted, "Boo, Colonel! Boo! That was mean!"

He gave her one final grin before shutting the door.

Anise huffed once and plopped backwards onto the couch cushions beside the Fon Master, folding her arms defiantly. Within a minute, however, her anger had dissipated, and she gave a small sigh. Her eyes turned to Ion, still asleep even after her shouting match. A few locks of his green hair fell across his eyes, ruffling slightly with each slow breath he took. He looked so peaceful. So innocent. So trusting.

"I think... I might need your help getting through this."

Anise leaned back into the cushions, smiling half heartedly at the closed doorway and knowing that for once in his life, Jade Curtiss had completely missed the true point of her words.

-The End

Jade gained the title of "Assistant Fon Master Guardian"

Ion gained the title of "Colette"