Sunny was standing in a Room all by himself. His mind filled with a thought he couldn't get rid off for a while now. Something He once knew exactly where to find was lost now and that plagued his mind with unnecessary Stress. Something he clearly tried to avoid for as long as he can remember. When the Frustration became unbearable his voice finally Echoed through the Building.
"AIKO…do you know where the Bread is? The one for the Sandwiches I mean."
He waited a second for the Petite girl to answer. Soon a Voice called out from the Basement.
"Yeah it's in the Fridge, Boss."
He frowned while walking to the kitchen he shouted.
"Why the Hell is it in the Fridge? Who puts bread in a Fridge?"
He opened the Door and Soon he could feel a Chilling Aura assaulting his body. That was not just because he just opened a Fridge of course. Electricity didn't really work in the Dream Realm like it does in the Waking world, so he had to be a little creative when building something that could make his Ingredients last longer and stay fresh.
'Killing that Bastard wasn't easy but totally worth it.'
The Winter Best may have given him Nightmares for a while after their traumatizing encounter in Antarctica but after Becoming a Saint he actually had the power to get his Revenge and so he killed it. All by himself.
"Next time you put it in the Pantry ok? Bread actually stays fresh for Longer in Room temperature."
He said calmly to the woman that was suddenly standing behind him. He wasn't angry with Aiko of course.
'Sneaky girl. Being able to float like that is really useful for sneaking up on someone. But Shadow Step is still superior.'
Sunny thought to himself with a Chuckle. In the last couple of Months he had started to like his Peaceful life as a Humble Café and Memory Shop owner very much.
"Sorry Boss, will do. Have you gone to the Waking world yet to get more Silverware?"
He chuckled and shook his head.
"No, I will make it myself. I recently got some High quality Metal on my hands and I think it's perfect for some Silverware."
Aiko rolled Her eyes and mumbled.
"What a Scrooge."
He frowned and quickly spat, annoyed.
"What was that?"
"Ehh nothing. I will be in the Dining Area. We have some new guests as it seems."
Sunny let out an annoyed huff and turned away from her to start Cooking while he mumbled under his Breath.
"I'm no scrooge! What is wrong with saving money by making Silverware out of a Great Devil?"
The high Quality metal he was talking about actually came from a Nightmare Creature that had tried To dig its way through the Nameless Temple.
'Fiend has mauled The thing pretty bad. He has gotten much stronger after I sent him into the Hollow Mountains. He learned his lesson as it seems. Well, saint is a great Teacher after All. Speaking from personal experience.'
Not so far away in the Ivory Tower Nephis was laying in bed. Since yesterday she Could only think about one thing.
'I didn't even get to see his Face. Not even Kai could, even though it wasn't really Weavers Mask. Sunny's Weaving must have improved a lot if he's able to Craft something that is Strong enough to withstand Kai's Piercing Gaze.'
Suddenly there was a Knock on her Door.
'Argh…who is it? Can a Girl not suffer from Heartbreak in Silence?'
She didn't say that out loud of course. Instead she stood up and walked to the Door. To her surprise she found Kai standing in front of her with Civilian Clothing that was of course, very fashionable. She put on a fake smile and asked.
"What is it Kai?"
The handsome Archer was a bit nervous for a reason she didn't know, but curious to find out.
"OH well how do I say It. I think Sunny might Be here in Bastion. And if I'm right he has been Aiko's Boss for the last couple of Months."
Her heart skipped a Beat upon hearing Kai's words. She couldn't Quite believe them but Kai had no reason to lie to her and knew better than to joke around with her when it came to the Subject of Sunny.
"I…I don't know what to say? How?"
"I don't Know, but yesterday Aiko told Me about her Boss. Something we haven't talked about so far since we both try to avoid talking about work. After she described him a bit I came to the Idea that he might be Sunny in disguise."
Nephis head was suddenly spinning.
'Don't tell me he has been living here in Bastion the entire time right under our nose while we were looking for him all over in the 2 Realms.'
She was still a bit stunned but still managed to give him an answer.
"OK then let's go see if it's really him. I hope you're wrong though. After all, it would be pretty embarrassing for us to not have noticed him. Where is he?"
"OH you must have heard of the Place. It's pretty famous among the Female Firekeepers and even Effie has been there. It's a Small Café on the other side of the Lake called [Noctis Café and Memory Shop]."
"Why is it only famous among the Female Fire keeper's?"
She asked while raising an Eyebrow, her voice very serious with a hint of annoyance. Suddenly Kai began to sweat a little. He didn't want to tell Nephis The reason for that since he knew that she wouldn't like it.
"Let's just Go so we can see for Ourselves. I haven't been there myself."
She gave him one last annoyed Glance and closed the Door again.
'If it's really him I should make sure to look presentable. Maybe that will remind him of something. Maybe even… of our love?'
Nephis had a plan and a Mission, but sadly no Idea what she should put on. Never had she been interested in Dressing for Others to look at her, so now she will need a little help. Luckily the Fashion expert himself was right outside her Door to help her. She quickly opened the Door again and waved at Kai to come inside.
"I need you to tell me what clothes I should put on. I don't just wanna wear my White Blouse and Blue Jeans when meeting him there."
Kai laughed heartily and said with a smirk.
"Are you perhaps hoping to reawaken some lost feelings?"
Nephis face flushed red and she hid it from him before she mumbled something.
"M…maybe? Is that weird?"
Kai walked past Nephis towards her Wardrobe while answering, clearly amused by her shyness.
"No, it's not. I'm just happy that you're finally acting on your Feelings. Maybe it will help us get through to him. Watching you two in the past was painful. Of course we all know why none of you two ever made a move on the other instead of just some childish teasing."
Nephis knew it all too well of course. She didn't Know how Sunny must have felt though. After all she was the one with Power over him, so although they have been in that situation together their experience could not have been more different.
"Yeah what can I say? We never talked about what we are or something like that. I wanted to do so right after our 3rd Nightmare but of course I never had a Chance to do so. I'm such an Idiot for not telling him how I feel sooner. Maybe he wouldn't have left us to get rid of Shadow Bond if I did. And now it's too late."
Again she was on the verge of Crying but Kai tried to calm her down by something she hadn't thought about yet.
"Maybe it's not too late. Why not tell him how you feel now? Of course you can't just dump All your feelings on him all of a Sudden, but there is nothing wrong with trying to be close to him and maybe forge a new bond between you. Of course that's gonna Take time and a lot of Effort since Sunny Doesn't trust strangers easily. Who, as much as it pains me to say, we are to him now."
Kai was right of course. There was nothing left standing between them. Just because he has lost his Memories doesn't mean that this can't be a start for something new.
"Alright, let me get dressed and then go over there. Maybe your theory is Wrong and it's not even him."
Soon they arrived at the Café Kai had told her about. Nephis was Wearing something she didn't even know She had. It was a white Summer Dress with beautiful bows on the Back and Thin straps leaving her Shoulders bare.
Of course she was terribly nervous. After their Meeting 2 days ago she didn't know how he would react. Would he leave and never come back? Or would he accept the fact That they have found him and keep running his Café in Bastion?
Kai put his hand on the Door And opened it for Nephis to walk inside. When she did she looked around to take in the interior Of his Café.
'Wow, it looks so warm and inviting. Completely different from his Citadel.'
Kai also walked inside And suddenly froze when noticing a particular piece of Furniture standing behind a small desk.
'That's…the Chair Sunny got from Noctis. Until now I was still thinking I could be wrong but now there is just no way. Where is he though?'
Of course he was looking for him but instead of Sunny he found Aiko walking up to them with a bright smile.
"Hi guys, WOW, I just realized. You two totally look like Siblings now. If I didn't know you two would arrive here I wouldn't have noticed who you really are. Great disguise, really. The Black suits you very well Neph. Not so much you Honey, you should definitely keep that pretty brown hair of yours that I love so much."
They have both chosen to put on Memories to Change their Appearances. Nephis was back to having Raven Black Hair which was actually her original Hair color that only changed to Silver after becoming an Awakened. In case of her eyes they too changed from the striking Gray color to the Dark Blue similar to Jet's.
Kai was pretty much the same except for his eyes which stayed their usual Green color.
"I hope you found your way here just fine. I will bring you to a table I have specially chosen for you two."
Both Nephis and Kai followed Aiko to a Table that was Located at the end of the Café. It wasn't particularly special in any way. At least not for normal Customers. But it had one thing that no other Table had.
"Here we are. A Table with a perfect view into the Kitchen. I hope you two can figure out if it's really him because I never even thought of the possibility that it could be Sunny since my Boss looks completely different from him."
Nephis gave her an assuring smile and grabbed her hand softly.
"It's ok Aiko, if even Effie didn't recognize him then there is no shame if you didn't either. We will just wait here for him To show up and See for Ourselves."
Kai gave Aiko a small kiss before sitting down on the Chair beside Nephis. He didn't want to sit opposite of her in an Effort to not make this look like a Date. Even though they were in disguise he didn't want to take any Chances since people could still figure out who they were from their Presence. Also a date between Siblings is very much disgusting so he really wanted to avoid giving that Impression too.
Soon a man with White Hair and striking Red eyes entered the Café from the Basement. He was wearing a beautiful black mantle that Nephis Immediately Recognized to be the Same Mantle Ananke Was wearing in their 3rd Nightmare.
But what caught her interest the Most was his Face. The Onyx Black eyes that looked like a Deep dark ocean were replaced With a Scarlet Red which Reminded her more of Morgan but the rest of his Face was still very similar to what he looked like when she last saw it. Of course after becoming a Saint Sunny was bound to get more attractive but to her he had become Beautiful Beyond Reason.
"By The Dead God's… He was really handsome before but now? No wonder his Café is so famous among the Female Firekeepers. I will have to punish some of them for not telling me sooner."
She mumbled to herself while following him with her eyes.
In reality some of the Firekeepers have told Neph about the Café. Granted, they called it the "Eye Candy" Café, clearly pointing out that they weren't just going for the good food, but for the fact that its Owner looked like to be the Most handsome man they ever saw, well, except for Kai maybe. Since Nephis wasn't interested in other Man, she never went.
"Although his Hair is completely White and his Eyes are Scarlet Red there is no doubt that it's him. I don't know how he did it but even his Presence is suppressed to the Point where everyone would think that he's a Master. Still… how could Effie not have noticed that?"
The reason for that was Simple actually. Because Effie was never in love with Sunny so she never studied the shape of his face so throughout like Nephis has done. She immediately recognizes him since she has seen his face in her Dreams almost every time she went to sleep for longer than she can remember now.
She turned to Kai and noticed him staring into the Kitchen with wide eyes. Nephis tried to pull him from his thoughts by Bumping his shoulder with her own but that didn't help since he was still fixated on the Humble Shopkeeper that in his eyes had Raven Black Hair and Onyx Black eyes that looked like to be a Deep and Dark Ocean someone could easily drown in while even enjoying it in a way.
Suddenly Kai too mumbled something.
"That's 100% sunny… I needed to use my Ascended ability to see through his disguise but now that I see him with his Raven Black Hair and his Onyx eyes there is no doubt that it's him."
Nephis was actually a little jealous. She too would have liked to see Sunny like he really looked like now, but sadly she had no such ability so for now all she could see was the Disguise Sunny was wearing.
"Do you think he has noticed us?"
Nephis asked carefully, she didn't want to draw any attention to them since blowing their Cover could result in an Public outrage. They were Saints after all and very famous ones on top of that.
Soon Aiko came back with 2 Menus in her hands.
"Here you must be hungry. Have you figured it out yet?"
Both of them Looked up at Aiko and said simultaneously.
"It's him, no doubt."
"It's him, no doubt."
"But it's not your fault for not noticing since his disguise is very good. If not for my Ascended Ability I wouldn't have figured it out either."
Aikos eyes went wide after hearing them state something that she had feared actually.
"OH no, now that his Cover is blown will he leave again? Fuck, why does my Bosses always have to be go missing after a while? Can't I have a job that lasts?"
Kai couldn't help but laugh a bit. If it was for him she wouldn't have to work a single second in her life ever again. But Aiko actually enjoyed working in a Field she's good at. And Sales…that's probably Something Noone could beat her at.
Upselling Customers who just wanted to drink a Tea or a coffee only to leave with a Recite that showed 10 times the amount was not just her Job but also her Passion.
'I just love money. Sometimes I wish Kai was made out of Money. Well… he kinda Is…In a Way.'
Being a Saint means To be not only Strong and Handsome, but also extremely Rich after all. Also Kai is a Famous Ex Idol and could capitalize on that fact any day if He wants to, but there was no need of course.
"Have you met some friends Of yours or what is going on here, Aiko?"
Suddenly a voice Called out from Behind Aiko. A voice That they knew all too well since they had last heard it 2 Days ago. Although this time it was much more friendly but still Calm.
Aiko stepped to The side to reveal the Man standing behind her. It Was Sunny of course. Now that he was standing so Close Nephis heart began to beat faster and faster. She just saw him but so close has he not even been 2 Days ago. He was giving both Her and Kai a smile and said.
"My name Is Master Noctis, I hope You had a good time here so far. Are you friends with Aiko or how do you know her?"
'He…he didn't lie? I wonder how he's doing it.'
Kai thought while Giving his old Friend a Smile. He stood up and reached over Nephis head with his hand which Sunny took.
"Nice to meet you Master Noctis, My name is Kirk, what would you recommend from your Menu?"
Suddenly the Grip around Kai's hand tightened to the point where it was very
Painful, which could be clearly Seen as His smile cracked a little. Sunny pulled him to The side and much closer before whispering something in his ear, his voice dark and Sinister.
"You know when I told you to leave me alone 2 days ago I actually thought that you would understand that warning. Now tell me Saint Nightingale, what should I do with people who ignore my Warnings? I will tell you what I have done with people you in the Past."
He distanced himself a bit from Kai to look into Nephis Eyes instead. She and Aiko had long frozen in place, not daring to move a Muscle. With an even Voice he continued.
"I teach them how it's like to fear the Shadows before I slit their throats. Don't think I didn't immediately notice who you two are the Moment I laid eyes on you."
"Please….Sunny. We…We just want to talk to you…I promise."
Kai was clearly in pain from the sound of his Voice. Although Sunny was a bit Smaller than him he was much stronger. So strong in fact that he could break his hand right now if he wanted to. But for now he was willing to hear them out.
"If you wanted to talk then why have you come here in disguise huh? What do you think that looks like to me? For all I know you could be here to spy on me cause you plan on ambushing me."
Their Eyes widened as sunny explained his Suspicion. It was ridiculous of course but Only from their Perspectives which they should have realized sooner. Nephis of course tried to plead with him since Kai has long given up on trying to keep the pain he was in from showing so all he could do right now was trying To keep standing straight Which got harder With each second.
"We are sorry Sunny, we shouldn't have come here while trying to hide our Real identities. We were scared you would leave the Second you saw us so that is why we did it. Please… we mean no harm."
The Pain in her Voice and eyes was perhaps greater than what Kai was going through right now. The sincerity in her Voice actually managed to calm him down a bit, or was it something else?
Important is that once Nephis Was done pleading for their Innocence Kai's hand was freed from Sunny's crushing grip. His hand was almost completely Blue now after the Torture he endured. Aiko got to his side trying to Aid him but after a Couple of seconds the Blood began to flow again and he was getting better.
"Fine…You will stay here till I close the Café and then we can have a talk. I don't know Why we need to have one in the First place but it seems like you won't leave me alone without one."
His voice was back to being cold and distant, like it has been 2 days ago. He left them by their Table and went back to the Kitchen. His expression completely changed from the usual happy and carefree Café owner to one that was completed devoid of Emotion. Maybe even a hint Of sadness in it.
"Maybe you shouldn't have come here. He doesn't seem to be recognizing you at All."
Aiko said with a sad expression while Kai let out a Chuckle that was still disturbed by the Pain he was still recovering from.
"I mean…he shook my Hand. I call that progress."