Sahara took another bite and rudely kept talking, even though she had food in her mouth, “Yeah, in an obbvanish…”

Steven frowned and quickly went through his memories, while Nether did too.

Nether had spent a longer time in orphanages then Steven did, so Steven realized before she did that…She was indeed a girl that he had met a long time ago.

Looking at the girl that he had gotten on with for a brief time, Steven couldn’t help but also remember what had happened afterwards.

They were dark times, and he had no one, so his brief encounter with Nether was something that was overshadowed.

“You’re not alone now.” Sahara stated, then ate more food.

Matthew wished he could just live inside of Sahara’s head! It wasn’t fair that she could read people’s mind and have a conversation with them, even if they weren’t saying anything! He had an idea upon what was going on, but he felt like he wasn’t included! Holding onto Sahara a bit tighter, he put his head into her neck…Even though their intimacy was seen by others.

They had finally had some time to themselves before coming here to eat but no doubt, in just minutes, they would be ‘summoned’ back…

Matthew knew that his Emperor Father was probably looking for them, even though it wasn’t the best time of the day, but they were all wanting the war to end as soon as possible.

Luckily the day was coming to an end now and they had enough reason to not show up in front of the Green Haven Emperor until early morning!

…Kin let out a noise, to which broke the silence.

Sahara turned to Nether and said, “Nearly three months.”

“It’s true then, that you can read my mind…”

Even knowing that Nether had asked her to find out, Sahara had answered her, falling into the ‘trap’.

“Yeah.”

Nether looked away from Sahara for a moment, then back at her, “That’s how you knew I was with the army?”

Sahara nodded, still eating.

“You still…Didn’t kill me?” Nether once again questioned Sahara.

Sahara looked up at her and said, “I’d prefer to be a person that doesn’t hurt everyone for just one person’s mistake. Not only that, I just felt like I should save you.”

Stopping for a moment, Sahara found herself to be saying the truth…Had she known it then or…Looking at Steven and catching the two of them look at each other, Sahara blinked and wondered for a moment.

So, perhaps that’s why then…

Her instincts had once again made her act and she hadn’t even known why until perhaps right at this moment…

“…Three months!? That probably means he was premature! Being how small he is…” Nether suddenly said, remembering what Sahara had stated before.

Sahara nodded, “He was close to two months early.”

“How…How…” Nether looked at her with widened eyes, “The death of a premature baby…Two months earlier, is high! How did you do it?”

Sahara frowned at her plate, as the memories at that time were still somewhat raw.

Matthew sighed, “Perhaps ask another time.”

Nether watched the two people consoled each other silently and looked at Steven, who was also frowning. She wished she knew what had happened!

Steven looked at Nether and looked down again, these few days had been slowly making him feel weird…Now that Sahara was here, he felt like he could go back to normal.

Taking a deep breath in, Sahara stood up, “Come with me.” She said, looking at Nether.

Nether prepared herself, fixing her attire and taking a deep breath in…Only to be a bit deflated when they were still quietly and slowly walking around two minutes later.

Sahara suddenly laughed and looked at Nether, “You are so fidgety…Such a worry wart!”

Nether narrowed her eyes at Sahara, “Can you blame me?”

Sahara sighed, “I guess...”

Stopping, making Nether finally think that they were going to talk about something to do with her future, she took another breath in.

“He likes you, you know.”

“…Uh?” Nether was stomped.

“Steven.”

Nether immediately looked back to Steven and found him looking away.

Sahara laughed, “He felt like things will go back to ‘normal’ since I’m here, but he hasn’t figured out yet that they won’t.”

Nether let out a breath and couldn’t contain it anymore, “I’m sorry but, can you tell me what you’re going to do with me?”

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Looking at her, Sahara sighed, “Are you very loyal to your country…I mean Haven?”

Nether stared at Sahara, then said, “If I am?”

She had her job there, some personal items…

“If I were to get you your items, give you another job…Would you instead accept being elsewhere?” Sahara asked.

Nether looked down, fidgeting with her hands and fingers. “I don’t understand why you are asking me this.”

Sighing, Sahara shook her head and continued to walk, “If I were to offer you to stay here, with us, instead…What would you say?”

…Aren’t we enemies? Why would she want me to stay here? Would I be a prisoner?

Nether looked around and remembered Christian, and his obvious anger to her being there.

“Oh, don’t worry about him, I’ll tame him one day!” Sahara stated, smirking.

Looking at Sahara, Nether frowned…

This was just…Strange.

Sahara turned to Nether suddenly, seeing Steven watching them with keen eyes, and looked at her square in the face. “You are free Nether, Christian is just an angry teenager…Or toddler. I offer you to stay with us as a potential friend, perhaps as a potential lover…To someone…”

It almost felt like it was worse than what she thought! Nether had accepted her fate, her death…But what was this about her being free and what? A lover!?

This wasn’t what she thought would happen! This was far from what she had thought, so far that she was confused and…Well, she was so confused! Why aren’t they killing her?

“You aren’t moving forward, are you? When will you accept that we aren’t going to kill you?” Sahara said, almost in a bit of frustration.

Nether looked at her and shook her head slightly, “This…This doesn’t make any sense!”

Shrugging, Sahara said, “So?”

Nether then laughed, a small one at first, but she then laughed strongly afterwards, “Are you serious? Are you really serious?”

Giving her a look that nearly passed into showing stupidity, Sahara didn’t say anything and just started to walk back to the boys. “Think what you want but now that you know what ‘I’m going to do with you’, you can calm the fuck down!”

Nether watched as Sahara sat down and her eyes seemed to find their way to Steven, who was also watching her.

Him? A lover?

She hardly knew him…Well, she didn’t know any other guy either…

But why had the girl said that?

‘He likes you, you know’

For a brief moment, heat entered into her cheeks as she went silent into thought.

Thinking back to their time together, Nether had not once thought of him romantically. She had been so worried about what they would do with her, that she had not seen him…Really…

She had talked to him a bit, watched the boy in his arms often but…Not once did she think of him as a…Potential future partner…

Was this what her life amounted too? She had worked so hard for so long of her life, only to suddenly come here and what…

Nether felt her eyesight go blurry and she shook her head, turning the other way and walking away.

Sahara sighed as she sat down, “She’s taking it the wrong way…Do I really speak another language?”

Seriously Sahara looked at the two men at the table and they both didn’t say a word.

Steven went to talk but held back. He looked at Nether but then looked away. Whatever was going to happen, did it really matter?

Sahara shook her head again, “Problems, that’s what you guys are! She worries too much about unnecessary things and you!” Sahara pointed at the suddenly scared Steven, “You think it doesn’t matter? You care, admit it! So…Go over there and talk to her…”

Steven looked from her, to Nether, wide eyed…

What do you mean go and talk to her!

“Go!”

Steven didn’t budge a single step, though, making Sahara angry.

“Humans…They clearly feel something but go into denial and pretend…Human’s suck!”

“My dear, you act like you aren’t even human!” Matthew stated in a sarcastic tone.

Sahara smiled at him and said, “Maybe I’m an alien…From another planet…”

Laughing heartily to her own pun, Matthew saw the love of his life relaxed once again as he held her tighter.

Steven looked at Nether, through Sahara’s hysterical laughter, and realized that her words hit him like a brick. He clearly felt something and was clearly in denial.

He did want to go over to Nether, he just…Tried to tell himself that he didn’t…

Trying to be discrete, Steven got up through the other two’s engrossed sarcastic conversation and slowly made his way to Nether, absently taping the back of the baby carrier to keep Kin calm.

It took him a while to reach Nether, as she saw him coming and walked further away from him, but he got to her and stood there.

“What? What do you want? You want me to love you!?”

Steven stared at her and looked down, “No.”

He never wished for anything…

“I just came to…See if you are ok…”

That’s all…

Nether looked away and put a hand to her mouth. She was still trying to accept her change of fate. What choice did she have!?

If she wanted to return back, wouldn’t she just be killed!? If she wasn’t going to be killed by the girl over there, then she’d be killed by the army for having abandoned them!

Then, if she were to leave her Haven, wouldn’t she be betraying them?

“I didn’t even know what a home was until I met Sahara.”

Nether turned to Steven, “…What…”

She was still in her own thoughts…

“Do you remember…”

Nether interrupted him, “Are you going to say something about the orphanage? Can I not get away from the past? I can’t really remember you, I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t have golden eyes, at the beginning, I came when I was a teenager…”

Nether once again interrupted him, “Nothing rings a…”

Suddenly she stopped and looked at him…

There once was a boy, a teenage boy who had already been homeless. He had been so…Different to the others.

He was different because he had a wild edge to him…He also looked like he was watching all the time yet, at the same time, he never initiated any kind of conversation.

The boy had kept to himself and never cried, he never fought back to any kind of bullying either.

That…This boy…

“That was you.”

Steven stared at her and then said, “I’m not looking for a lover…The truth is that I am attracted to you, but I wouldn’t know the first thing of going into a relationship. I just wanted to tell you that this person, Sahara…She can give you a home.”

Nether looked at Steven and saw that he was deeply sincere to his words, only making her swallow a short sarcastic reply that she might have said that would have included the word ‘home’ and what she thought of it.

That boy, that scavenger, that had…

“Where did you go?” She suddenly asked.

He had suddenly disappeared from the orphanage after a sudden attack…And never returned…

“I…” Steven shut his mouth and frowned towards the ground on the side.

Nether suddenly remembered that she had worried about him, “Why didn’t you come back!? I was worried about you!”

Steven looked at her and didn’t know what to do or say.

Walking up to him, to be in front of his gaze, Nether stared at him, “And suddenly you had golden eyes…That man, the leader of the army had golden eyes too…”

Staying silent, he continued to stare at her too. They were such pretty eyes, they were always pretty…They were just a simple brown color, like so many others, but why did he feel different when he stared into them?

“I’m guessing that I’ll never know what happened to you?”

Nether had never been in the ‘in’ group wherever she went. She always found out anything last, if she found out at all!

It was normal for her to be left out but all of a sudden, she felt wronged. Even though she had no right to feel upset for not knowing a stranger’s story, she still felt wronged…

“I was being chased by him. I left Blue Haven, went to Purple Haven, then came to Green Haven, where I met Sahara. I have been with her since.”

Steven didn’t need too much extra learning from Sahara upon stating basic facts and saying the least amount possible. He was just better at it now!

Nether was silent as she took in his information and looked at the child, who seemed to be awake and looking at his own hand.

Watching the kid open his hand and close it, like it was the most remarkable thing in the world, Nether let out a short laugh and her eyes went gentle. “This child isn’t yours then?”

Steven gently touched Kin’s head, “No. But I am his God…Father?”