[ToxicShadow]

"Thank you, Kay." A dark haired woman spoke into her mobile phone. "I will be calling you again soon. Stand by." With these words, she moved the phone away from her ear and hung up the call.

From behind her, through a dark, sparkling void, a man with long, brilliantly bright pink hair appeared. He was her companion, although they were certainly not lovers.

[ToxicShadow]

Once he'd set foot on solid ground, the man glanced around at their surroundings. Well, it was certainly an improvement from their last destination. "What are we doing here?" He repeated the question that he had asked not all that long ago. It certainly seemed like he was asking the same thing a lot today.

The woman, Yanora, did not answer right away. Instead, she slipped her phone back somewhere on her person. He didn't really know where she kept it and, standing behind her and not paying much attention, it wasn't as if he'd found out by watching.

[ToxicShadow]

"There should be someone in this local town that can fix your weapon." When the woman finally answered, she shifted her body so that she was only half turned toward him. "You can't very well fight unarmed."

"Ah, yes. My chain whip. You broke it."

The woman glared at him for a brief moment after he spoke. Although, it did not last long, as she quickly turned away from him.

[ToxicShadow]

As she had broken something precious of his, she didn't have the right to look him in the eyes, let alone glare at him. But, besides that, Yanora was almost ashamed of what had happened. She could not explain it, how she had enough brute strength to tear his chains apart, so what could she say?

Watching as she turned her back to him, Zelos frowned. Neither of them moved for a long moment, before he finally stepped forward, gingerly resting his hand on her shoulder.

[ToxicShadow]

The woman flinched at his gentle, but sudden touch. Part of her wanted to shrug off his hand or step away from him, but Yanora could not will her feet to move. Another moment passed in silence, but then she took one small step back, leaning against him, her back to his chest. Her eyes closed.

"It's all right," he reassured her quietly. His hand was forced to move from her shoulder as she had stepped back, but he then rested it on the top of her head.

[ToxicShadow]

"I'm not angry with you. It's just shocking." How could such a thin woman break those chains? Zelos had been using the same weapon for years now and such a thing had never happened before.

Being with him always brought her peace. Yanora wasn't quite as comfortable with anyone else as she was with Zelos. Of course, it had always been that way.

[ToxicShadow]

But Zelos wasn't hers. Of course, she didn't want him to be. Although she loved him, it wasn't the sort of love that lead to romance or sexual intimacy. Rather, they were like one in the same. Brother and sister could not even describe it; it was as if they were two separate parts of one person, really. And you could love yourself, but you could not be with yourself.

Zelos was very happily married and Yanora congratulated him in finally settling down. Yet, ultimately, he felt the same way. Being with Yanora, he was always strangely at peace, but he didn't look at her that way. She was more like someone that he had to protect. Her gender, the fact that she was woman, was not an issue, one way or the other.

[ToxicShadow]

The two stood as they were for a few minutes, before the woman finally leaned away from the man. Inhaling a deep breath, she turned to face him. "I can't explain what happened, but the least I can do is pay to get it fixed."

Zelos laughed, stepped forward and pulling her into a hug. It only lasted a few seconds, but it continued to reassure her. "You don't have to worry about it. Money is of no consequence."

[ToxicShadow]

Yanora abruptly pushed Zelos away when she heard what he said. She was glaring at him again. This time, she didn't feel bad about it and look away. "Don't act like just because you're so well off."

The annoyance in both her expression and tone made him chuckle once more. "But I am a rich man."

[ToxicShadow]

"And you act as though I am not."

While Zelos' real job was the creator, CEO and, occasionally, the model for a designer company, Yanora's riches were even more boundless. She had bank accounts all over the lands of Evelon, safety deposit boxes with untold riches, stocks, land, and a number of businesses. Between them, it was Yanora that was the real high roller, not Zelos.

"Fine, fine," Zelos gave in, waving his hand. "I'll let you take care of it."