Shrike awoke to hear the sound of a massive piece of ice shattering. "What in blazes, can't people let a grimm sleep?"

Grey looked Nijuu in the eyes, "I don't want to make you cry......I don't want to be apart from you.....I've......I've had such strong feelings for you....since the day I awoke.....after you saved my life.......I think I.....love you......." A tear streamed down the side of his face as he spoke.

Amalia chuckled slightly, still in the air above the lake, holding Frost firmly in her hand. "A gift, lazy bones." She called down to the lazy bones.

Nijuu wiped the tear from Grey's face. "Why does confess your feelings, bring you such pain?" She whispered.

Shrike grumbled for a moment, before sitting back down against the pile of demon bodies, "My ass, that wasn't a bloody disturbance."

Grey looked away from her, "The last person I told I loved........they died before my eyes, and I could do nothing.......I don't want you to die......but I cannot deny these feelings....."

Nijuu placed both of her hands on Grey's face. "You saw what I did today, and what I have been able to do. I can hold my own if I need to." She told him, as she looked into his eyes. "You should never again have to cry when being honest with your feelings."

"Don't look a gift dragon-kin in the mouth, lazy bones." Amaila retorted from the air.

Grey couldn't say anything else, he simply stood up and kissed her as passionately as he could, holding her close to himself as he did, another tear falling down the side of his cheek.

Shrike shrugged, "A dead demon is no gift, especially since a group of them came here to get revenge, they found me, and they found Muerto and died."

Nijuu wrapped her arms around Grey's neck as he kissed her.

Amalia raised her brow slightly. "Well, that's obviously not a problem for you, seeing as you're sleeping on their corpses."

Shrike shrugged, "Flesh pillows, you'd be amazed how soft they are!"

Grey continued to kiss her, and hold her, before separating, and saying plainly, "I love you."

Nijuu smiled gently, as she said: "I love you too."

"And this is our first line of defense against demons." Amalia stated coldly. "I think I'll continue to take my chances on my own."

Shrike took from his pocket a cigar, and lit it up, "Well lady, we reapers have a saying, fight alone, live alone, die alone, only a grimm should walk that path, well, I tend to believe otherwise, best not to do so."

Standing at the corner of the room was Serriola, simply smiling at this moment between Grey, and the woman he had returned home with.

Grey could do nothing but simply hold Nijuu close, not noticing his mother had entered the room.

Nijuu rested her head on Grey's chest, quite comfortable in his arms as he held her.

Amalia merely raised a brow. "As far as I can tell, if I can't depend on you to have my back, then you shouldn't travel with me."

Shrike stood up, "I may sleep alot, but that's simply because I'd rather sleep during my free time, than screw off in some other manner. Sleep provides stability for the mind, and besides, I have to build back my strength quickly to use my grimm form. Despite all this, I can be depended on, you have no right to question this without first knowing me."

Grey looked across the room, and finally noticed his mother, but simply stood there holding Nijuu.

With a smile on her face, Serriola approached the two, "Young love is a wonderful thing, ya know."

Nijuu's face seemed to turn red...she had hoped that the first time she had said 'I love you' would be words between herself and Grey.

Amalia raised her brow further. "Just as you had to right to question my ability. Faith and trust isn't a one way street. That's the last thing I learned from my father before he was massacred."

Serriola smiled, "I'm sorry for disturbing you two dears, it was too adorable not to watch."

Grey looked down toward the floor, his face now blushing, "Mom......umm.....I think you're embarrassing Nijuu......."

Serriola gave out a slight giggle, "Nijuu, what a cute name." She reached out her hand, and placed it on her shoulder, "I am Serriola Mystic, happy to meet you youngling."

Shrike grinned, "Not a single comrade I've gone into battle with has died, that's my proof of my ability, You merely froze a few demons."

"And that is quite literally, the tip of the ice burg." Amalia retorted coldly.

"My father always taught me to greet my elders by their family name, Mrs. Mystic." Nijuu spoke softly.

Serriola tilted her head sideways, "Hmm, well I prefer Serriola, its the name my mother gave me, and we knights don't often go by our last night, because there are many within our families."

Shrike grinned, "And you've seen nothing of me little dragon-kin."

Amalia relaxed her expression slightly. "Are you trying to goad me into a fight, lazy bones?"

Nijuu looked at Grey's mother. "It was how I was raised. It's rude for me to call you by your first name, even with your permission to do so."

Shrike cracked his neck, holding onto his rod with one hand, "Girlie, even if I wanted to fight you, it wouldn't end well for you, I can assure you."

Serriola gave her a stern look, "This is my home dearie, and you will call me Serriola, lest you face my wrath."

Grey sighed, "Mother tends to be very....very....fierce........."

Nijuu blinked at Serriola (sp?), then looked at Grey. "I suppose it's okay." She said at length.

"I sincerely doubt that, lazy bones." Amalia stated flatly, then turned slightly.

Serriola placed both of her hands behind her back, and smiled, looking back at them, "Okay dearies, dinner's done, please start heading in to eat." As she skipped along back to the kitchen.

Grey sighed, "My mother is a bit immature for her age......."

Shrike pointed his weapon toward her, "Would you like me to show you?"

The expression completely fell from Amalia's face. "I really rather not." She stated coldly.

Nijuu smiled warmly. "I never thought that. I think she enjoys her family."

Shrike simply balanced his weapon on his shoulder, "And there goes all of that talk and confidence eh?"


Grey smiled, "Oh yes, she loves us all, just don't make her mad, and everyone gets along, otherwise, well, once during a training session, she sent me flying."

"Your family never ceases to amaze me." Nijuu commented with a slight giggle on her tone.

Amalia looked down on the lazy bones with an icy stare. "I do not fight those whom are not worthy of Frost's efforts."

These words struck Shrike deeply, as he let out a long sigh, "Girl, raise your weapon......" As he spoke, nearly half of his body became armored, and skeletal like. He jammed the pole he wielded into the ground, and took from his shadow, a long, curved staff.

Grey grinned, "Oh, just wait till you meet my brothers, you'll get a kick out of them.....now, would you like to go eat something?"

Nijuu nodded her head. "I would love to." She agreed. "I'm starving."

Amalia turned, as the lazy bones, seemed to become just as she thought he was. "A being such as yourself would dare waste the effort of my father's spirit. You disrespect my father's memory." She spoke coldly. "You really want a fight...then you shall have it." She hissed as she pulled off Frost's sheath, and threw it to the ground. As the sheath fell, an icy, howling breeze surrounded her very being in a furious blizzard. Then she breathed an icy plume to the ground, freezing the lake, and all around it, before the sheath struck its icy surface.