I'm worried about her.. Am I really? Yes, of course. Who am I fooling? myself? Of course I worry about her, of course I love her.

I've known her for a long time, she was usually quiet and shy, but scary sometimes, to be honest. She seemed so cool and smart, but.. The moment she opened up to me, and became comfortable enough to cry in front of me, I understood that she was just a sweet, naive child. I never expected this from her. Why? Why was she showing me her weakness so comfortably? She was comfortable with me, and that made me feel proud and happy.

This pride turned into self-confidence. The self-confidence turned into urge to protect her. The protectiveness turned into care. The care turned into.. affection and love..

I began to see beauty and tranquility in her. Every time I see her, I feel peace of mind and.. a bit of happiness. She was kind. She was understanding and caring. I loved her. I adored her. Of course I hid all this from her. I didn't know how she would react if she knew Darkin had fallen in love with her, or what if she didn't see me the way I saw her. I kept silent.

This was painful sometimes, but I learned to get used to this, and to accept the fact that she might never be mine. She has to be with a normal person, and good person, not with a Darkin. But.. I felt jealous whenever I noticed a man trying to flirt with her. The good part was that she pushed them away.

One day, we were preparing for a patrol in Icathia. I looked at her for a moment, and spoke quietly, keeping on a cold and unmoved expression. "Are you ready?"