He breathed in and breathed out the frigid air. The accessory next to him unlatched from his arm temporarily to protect herself. He too decided it was about time to keep his earholes safe as he tried his best to find a zen-like state, but it was to no avail. How could he when the peak of annoyance was happening behind him?

"Kaliber!"

A sound, so fierce that it would have blown out Ryuji's eardrums if he hadn't shielded them, roared across the night sky. He looked to make sure that Ash was alright. The boy looked spooked beyond belief at the raw power that Jessy had shown in her performance, but his body seemed fine. With a trailing sigh, he peered up into the heavens to gaze at the bullet. If nothing else, it made for a top-notch spectacle. The way it lit up the night as if morning had come was beyond magnificent. His eyes focused on it until the prismatic trail of magic embers burst into a shower that faded to black.

"Oh fuck yeah! You see that, guys!? That is the PEAK OF GUN MAGIC! Witness it in awe and reverence!"

Ryuji was pretty sure that if Jessy looked any smugger, she would start encroaching on Elio's character archetype. Her smile soon infected him, but what kind of friend would he be if he didn't tease her to the max at every available moment?

"I'm so impressed! Truly this is the peak of magnificence. The pinnacle of majesty! It brings a tear to my eye."

A firm hand belonging to a prickly woman grasped his shoulder. "Hero, I suggest you stop it with the sarcasm before the next shot ends up between your eyes." Her eyes faced the master swordswoman. A look of disbelief crossed over Queen's face as she saw one of the strongest people around clapping and jumping around like some little child. "So, what would you rate our weirdly dressed mascot?"

Rhea quickly regained her usual composure and put on an act of brooding. "Well, I can say with confidence that Jessy is superb! She goes well beyond my expectations of anyone Ryuji could have brought. With all that said, I would say that she's somewhere in the Arch range."

"That'd make her middle of the road, right?"

"Just because she's the fourth rank out of seven doesn't mean she is part of the mediocrity most people live in. Most people reside at the lowest. Some of the great warriors of this world are merely 'middle of the road' as you put it."

Just before Ryuji was about to say something a little less than savory, the leader of their merry troupe stepped in with the grace of someone who has definitely lived around rude people all their life.

"Just as Abate so um, informatively put it, ranks are exponential, not entirely sequential. Now, who wants to be tested next!?"

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

In the dead hours of the night, long after the exciting 'tests' took place, Ryuji found himself looking up at the stars once more. It was a new routine of his considering that night was the only time Dot didn't hang on him, apparently sleeping in the same tent is going too far, but bathroom breaks arent. He didn't know why he started it, but now that he was in the habit, he couldn't break it. Maybe it was old age getting to him, but he felt something very sentimental about just listlessly looking to the heavens. Maybe it was because the night sky was scarily similar to his world. They even had their own Polaris. Of course, he was sure it was named something different, but looking at it made something rise up from inside him. Just as he was about to turn in for the night, a branch broke behind him.

"Abate? You up patrolling again? Must be nice to be ranked saint and all. Me? All I got is 'High' not exactly the most exalted title."

"Um, it's Rhea. Suprise... heh..."

Her stumbling and bumbling spoke volumes for how both of them felt. But at this point, Ryuji had undergone trials and tribulations much worse than complaining like a little bitch.

"Are you... upset about the test?"

Under normal circumstances, he might have gone down the easy route of denying it outright or playing it off with a bad joke, but there was something about her innocent amber eyes and how they screamed her good intentions that led him to a different choice.

"Yeah. There's just something really depressing about being told your lot in life. I mean, I know I'm nothing great or anything, but I guess there was some part of me that hoped I was something more. Now that I know for sure that I'm not-"

"But you are great!"

There it was again, eyes that looked upon him expectantly. He was reminded of Ash. Even though Rhea was a head taller and more muscular than him, the way she acted so earnest and thoughtlessly made her seem like a big kid.

Seeing that Ryuji was stuck in his own head, Rhea sat down and leaned in closer. "You don't seem to understand just how great you really are." Her words lost their coating of enthusiasm and glamor. "You can do all kinds of things I can't."

"What can I possibly do that you can't?"

With her eyes cast downward, Rhea whispered. "I can't make skills..."

Ryuji had been putting a guise over Rhea deep down in his heart. He had known since the beginning that she was a person just like everyone else. He had seen, thanks to every single one of his companions, that everyone is hurting in some way. But despite knowing that, he decided that Rhea was above it. With the kindest smile he could muster, Ryuji was ready to try and help the best he can.

Because only when he was helping someone did he feel the thoughts that ate at him fade away.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" When she refused to answer, he decided that maybe he wasn't cut out for it after all. "I can go get Jessy if you want; she's the best at these sort of things."

Just as he moved to sit up, a firm hand that could probably grind stone to dust pushed him back down. "I tried to make you feel better, so it's only fair that you get the chance to do the same for me."

"Well yeah, it's what friends do, ya dingus."

The tiniest laugh came from her lips. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get Ryuji's ball rolling.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Dingus? You said like one of my old instructors! He always acted so uptight."

"Like he had a stick up his ass?"

Another laugh, this time is pretty loud, and it took her a moment before she could speak. "Yeah! Yeah, that's exactly what it was like!"

"So if you had an instructor and you're super talented and all, how come you can't make skills? Is it really that hard to do?"

The comfy atmosphere all but dried up. Ryuji knew that it had to happen sooner or later if they were going to talk about it, so he decided sooner was better. But even though she wasn't laughing anymore, she still seemed more chipper than before.

"Most Grandmasters have a few skills of their own, but I know only a handful of people that can boast a repertoire as expansive as yours." The ego boost Ryuji got from hearing that sentence was beyond anything he had ever felt, so he wasn't exactly ready for what she said next. "And as far as my talent is concerned, I have none."

He had to do a double-take. "What do you mean? If you have no talent, then I'm doomed!"

The sad smile she put on didn't make him feel better at all. "It's true, I have no talent. I was just born this way. If someone else was born with the same skills I was, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have received the blessing of the sword over me."

"Rhea..."

"If I'm being honest, whenever I see you fight, I'm jealous. And whenever I see the skills that must have taken you days upon weeks upon months to master, I feel terrible. Don't you hate that I can master something in a single moment that took you countless hours? And what did I do to earn such an ability? Being born? I haven't earned anything in my life. Everything, from my power to my status, was gifted to me by fate. From the day I could walk, I was already a better swordsman than most soldiers who had trained their entire lives. I'm no better than an entitled parasite who can do nothing but leech off those who have actually worked for their power."

A wave of hot-blooded anger and angst that had probably been stewing inside of Rhea for years washed over Ryuji. All he could do was sit in silence while raved and take it all in. And then, for a few moments after, there was silence. He wasn't worried about someone interrupting their talk while he stewed, mostly because he knew that there were probably quite a few nosy campers who were listening in. Then with the most casual voice he could manage, Ryuji swallowed his fear.

"Rhea, I'm just going to say it; who cares?"

He thought he could hear a heavy sigh coming from one of the nearby bushes, but he was more concerned about the hurt woman in front of him.

"Who cares?"

"Yeah, who cares if you're a parasite, or if you can't make skills, or if you just happened to be born with all the right stuff. The fact of the matter is the people you save don't give a shit whether you were born with it or worked for it; they just care that they get to breathe for another day, so who cares?"

"I still care!"

"If you do, then who says you can't start earning this power for yourself right now?"

"...How?"

"All you gotta do is train yourself, and you'll be making skills left and right in no time! If I can do it, there's no way you can't!"

Her face tightened with her mouth slightly open as she hesitated. She seemed unsure of what she was about to say but continued anyway. "I'm a disgrace, arent I? I was trying to make you feel better, but all I did was lay my problems on you. How selfish can I be? Maybe it's because no one ever bothered to listen..."

He didn't think about he just reached out. His hand gripped Rhea's shoulder, and he pulled her into a light hug. For a guy who was terrible at speaking, this was the one thing he could think of that might make his argument seem genuine enough for her to believe it.

"Rhea, you are one of the most sensitive and caring people I know of! The fact that you even stopped to consider my feelings is proof of that. Not to mention, it was me who asked to hear your problems in the first place, so there's no need to apologize. And as far as listening goes, I can do that whenever you need me to. In fact, I would be happy if I was the first one you reached out to when you needed to vent."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not! If I can be of help to someone as cool as you, then it'd be a dream come true." Silence filled the night, and Ryuji decided to give one final push. "Think about it this way." He pulled away so that he could look in her eyes and so that she could see the unmissable grin that took up his whole face. "Right now, we're friends, but I wanna be best friends with you someday cause you're awesome! Best friends are the kind of people you can depend on for anything, and doing this for you is just the first step!"

Fresh tears filled the bottom of her eyes. It took all she had to make sure they didn't spill out. The face staring her down, which was usually side-eyeing something, was full of compassion. She tried her best to contain the torrent of mixed emotions rousing inside her. For the first time, she had heard what she wanted to hear, exactly when she needed to. To have someone close to her that she could disclose all of her misgivings to without being judged was something she had wanted for a long time. But even in the face of the promise she had always dreamed about, she still held her doubts.

"You would really do that?"

"I would."

"Really?"

Ryuji couldn't help but snicker at the seemingly childish tone she had taken. "Heh, really, really."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The clouds stirring around inside her head were still there. But even with all that confusion, she knew what she had to do. The answer was plain and simple but by no means did that make it easy. When she opened them again, she saw the man in front of her. His lips were curled up in a knowing smile, and his eyes seemed to be saying that he knew she had it in her.

"Well, if you're going to such lengths for me, then I have no choice but to give this my all! But that being said-" The sudden burst of positivity fizzled out as she realized the problem. Even if she wanted to, how do you overcome your weaknesses? "-I don't really know where to start..."

With a once in a lifetime chance, Ryuji took his opportunity to act smug. "I see, I see. So you don't know where to start? Well, it's a good thing you got me as a friend! I can teach all I know about making skills! Of course, I've never really taught anyone before, and I'm not even that great, but if none that matters, then I'd be glad to be your teacher!"

The light that was Rhea seemed to be alive and better than ever. "I'd love that! Just one thing though." Then just like that, she seemed to shift back into being upset. The cuteness radiating from her pout was so potent Ryuji worried he might get diabetes. "You're awesome! So stop saying you're not!"

"Is Ryuji slander banned?"

"Yes, as of this moment, I will not permit any more badmouthing of the warrior named Ryuji! So... stop it!"

"Alright, alright. If you say so, then so it shall be."

Speaking like some self-entitled god seemed to be the funniest thing he had done all night if the laughter coming from Rhea was any indication.

"Good! What I say goes around here, mister, and don't you forget it!"

Now it was Ryuji's turn to have a good laugh. Then he had a thought, this might be the first time he and Rhea had talked for longer than a few minutes.

"Hey Rhea... can we talk like this every night?"

Staring at the ground was easier than looking up to her. But all he was avoiding was a smile that could probably end wars. Her gentle tone made his hair stand on end.

"I would love that."

"T-Then we can start both tomorrow!"

Now Rhea could also feel the awkwardness in the air, but hers was for a decisively different reason. So like all seasoned cowards do, she decided now would be a good time to dip.

"Good idea. I'll be heading for bed now." But as she turned around to head back to her tent, she lingered. Her head turned back, and a soft voice trailed off into the cold night. "Me too, by the way..."

"What?"

Ryuji believed he must have been seeing things, otherwise, there would be no way for Rhea to be as red as a strawberry. But he still a part of reality, so everything he had been seeing was as real as they come. "I also want to be best friends..." Before Ryuji had a moment to process what she had said, Rhea exited with the fastest parting he had ever heard in his life. "Wellseeyoutomorrowbye!"

Left alone with his thoughts, Ryuji calmly sat on his knees and plunged his head into the snow to cool off. Withholding his temptation to scream and let it all out, he made his way back to his tent, where he couldn't catch a wink of sleep. He pretended not to hear the snickering coming from nearby tents nor the whispers about him and Rhea. Instead, he decided to focus all of his effort and energy on the training plan for his new and first student.