(........USODA!)

The closer she got to telling him, the more nervous she became. "I've been good." Not a lie. She'd been doing fine until Yuu came and told her something that put her on edge. Serenity leaned against a wall with her arms behind her back. She would have sat on the couch, but she didn't want to sit right now. Not with what she was about to reveal. "Felix...about your missions..." She paused. How to phrase it? "I've been getting word that...that you're really overworking yourself...is something going on...?" When she'd started asking the question, her gaze had been on the floor, but as she finished, she forced herself to look at him.

(Fate? It's not Fate! It's the Mastermind behind all of NL's Plots.)

Felix smirked. "I've been bored lately." He answered. "And just out of curiosity, Inna wouldn't have stopped by to express her concerns, would she?" He asked. There was a small light in Felix's blue eyes. Where they were normally icy, they seemed to be lighter, less cold. What Felix didn't suspect was for Yuu to have have been the one to rat him out to Serenity. She was the least of his worries and the last person he found himself concerned with. Inna however was a persistent girl. Felix genuinely liked her for the simple fact that she was honest and hard working and never wasted time on petty things, aside from making sure he was pushing himself above and beyond, which he often did regardless of what she had to say about it. She was in a way like a Mini Serenity, but they didn't argue the way him and Serenity did.

(Fate...? Usoda means liar...)

Bored? That had definitely been one of the things that Serenity had suspected, but it had been the last thing she'd suspected. She wondered if he was lying to her. She blinked. When did she start assuming that everything Felix told her was a lie? She looked at Felix when he asked if Inna was the one who had told her. Serenity broke into a light smile. "You know even if you guessed right I couldn't tell you that," she said. Mostly because she didn't want to get his teammates in trouble with him. She paused. "I know it's not really right of me to ask this, but...could you maybe, take a vacation or something? This many missions in such a short amount of time is going to start taking it's toll, even for someone like you..." If it hadn't already started taking it's toll, that is. She was worried about him, even if he did say that he was only doing it because he was bored. She didn't want to throw in something like 'as a personal favor', because then Felix would end up recalling that favor for who knows what. It might even have ended up being something embarrassing.

(Wow, I screwed that up. When I saw it, I was thinking about Jasper. It didn't occur to me that you were talking about Felix. My apologies.)

Felix gave the faintest smirk when she broke into a smile. So it wasn't Inna. The short haired kunochi would have know he'd figure her out, and told Serenity to say hello had she visited him. And aside from that, Kagero wasn't one to butt into people's business. Yuu. Felix honestly didn't care for her, but now he was beginning to not like her. Yes he'd sprouted off a riddle or two in the past two weeks, but that didn't mean she had to go expressing her concerns to Serenity. Hell, what could she do to stop him anyway? A small plead would not budge him. He'd deal with her ass later. They had a mission tomorrow. "I'm feeling fine. When it starts taking a toll then I'll stop. I just need something to do is all." Felix nodded to the couch. "Take a seat if you want." He leaned against the door. "Besides Serenity, being a ninja is all I'm good at. I don't have any other hobbies."

Serenity stayed leaned against the wall with her hands behind her, idly picking at her nails. She'd been doing that a lot lately. It was becoming a bad habit. While she was glad he was being so calm about this, she wanted to try to get him to take a break, but pushing too hard might've resulted in something bad. "Felix..." And there was that nervousness, welling up again. "By the time you realize that it's started taking a toll, you're going to be on another mission, maybe even by yourself. I...don't want to see you come home in the same condition as six years ago..." she said, looking down. Six years ago. That was when he'd gotten home from his personal mission to destroy the Servants. He'd lost his memory, and he'd been inches away from Death. It had made her wonder if it was better to let him live out his life from that point without any memory of her at all. She'd been terrified.

Felix gave a small shrug. She was right, but he wasn't going to admit it. Then she brought up six years ago. Felix's gaze dropped and a small twinge of hate passed through him. And deeper inside of him, past the hate was very small twinge of wanting to go back to that life. He closed his eyes and pushed it to the farthest corners of his mind. "Listen Serenity. I thrive on pushing my self to the limit. After I became immortal I could do nothing but watch everything pass me by. An endless life of nothingness. My mother was gone, Meridian was gone, my friends were gone. I had nothing. So I turned to the life of a Shinobi and where mortals could only do half of what I could, I kept going because I needed that push, that something extra to keep me alive inside." Felix figured he might as well give her the run down. "So when I push myself like this, it's not because I just feel like it. It's because I need to." He wasn't sure if she could understand that, but it was the best way he could explain it.

Serenity looked at him as he told her to listen. When he was near finished, Serenity's gaze dropped again. So that was it. "I get it..." she said. "But I...that doesn't stop me from worrying about you..." She understood what he was talking about, but she could no longer relate. She'd given up on trying to feel alive about five hundred years before this point. Long before she'd met Felix. He was a lot stronger than her, and not just physically. With a sigh, Serenity went over and sat on the couch, leaning back. "Ya know, I wish I had as much willpower as you do," she admitted with a small smile. There was no use in pushing the issue any further, so she'd stray from the topic completely. Serenity wondered...when the two of them finally separated, whenever that may end up being, if she should give the life of a ninja a shot. She'd never tried before, and she wasn't completely useless in battle, so long as she got back into practice. She hadn't had any real fights in over seven hundred years. Not since those witch trials had taken place, before even Felix's time. Yeah, it had been a while.

Felix shrugged. "You shouldn't. I've been doing this for years now." He watched her take a seat on the couch, but then he stayed put. "Willpower?" Felix shook his head. "This isn't willpower. It's an addiction." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Nothing good comes out of me being this way. I'm reckless and it gets my team into trouble because they can't keep up. I'm in the mindset that if they can't keep up then they can just go home or find another Captain. There's no place for the weak when you live the life of a Shinobi." That's why I joined the Servants all those years ago. We were the best of the best. "Willpower isn't taking on missions because you're bored." Felix didn't have much of a soul left, so he didn't mind going mission through mission. Didn't care that people were hurt because of it. There were only a few instances, which he cared. But that had been back when he was a mortal. Felix's eyes narrowed at the memory. Of all the people to live, why had it been him? And then two hundred or so years back when he'd been reckless and gotten his entire team killed. The night where he'd come back to wounded to even make it inside the gates.

Addiction? Serenity hadn't exactly thought of it that way. And while it was true that nothing good came of him being that way, Serenity wouldn't agree with him aloud. "Willpower," Serenity started. "Is continuing to do things that make you feel alive, even if you don't believe that you are," she said with a smile. Serenity hadn't planned on staying long, but now they'd gotten to talking. The only thing she'd hoped for before she'd come was that they wouldn't end up arguing. So, in her mind, things were going good. She wouldn't stay much longer if he didn't want her to, since he had a mission the next day. Actually, she wanted to stay a while longer and talk with him, but she told herself that maybe she'd leave in twenty minutes or so.

Felix grinned. Not his natural grin, but one that held a meaning behind it. "Oh Serenity, your so cute when you get like that." He pushed himself away from the door and walked over to the couch and sat down. He kept some distance between the two of them. "I don't feel alive," he answered. "I think it just keeps me grounded." I feel like a monster. A soulless creature that kills because he's good at it. But you'll never see it that way, will you. She didn't know the truth behind everything about him. He didn't want her to learn the truth either. It would destroy every bit of trust they'd formed between the two of them. And that silent love they had, it too would disappear in the blink of an eye. Felix turned his head. We all have secrets. Skeletons in the closest. But who's ever willing to admit them. He wasn't. Never would. He'd buried all his darker memories a long time ago.

Serenity blinked when he called her cute, then turned her head to the side with a small blush. "When I get like what?" she asked casually, hoping to be spared of the teasing about her blush. But that was too much to ask for. Ever since she'd gotten out of the habit of acting like a complete child, it seemed like the teasing had gotten worse. Just how long ago had it been that she'd grown up, she wondered. "Grounded, huh? Just what do you think would happen if you weren't grounded?" It was a question of curiosity really. Just what did he mean by grounded? If by grounded, he meant sane, then she could relate. Otherwise probably not.

Felix grinned. There she was, blushing once again. Felix could tease her for hours on end and she'd get a shade darker each and every time. He loved when she blushed, because it reminded him that she was perfect in each and every way. Felix's grin faded lightly when she asked him about being grounded. He should have chosen a better choice of words. Now he had to turn this around before it got too deep. "I don't know. I haven't lost ground yet." Simple answer, no further questions should be asked. Yeah right, he hadn't lost ground. It'd happened three times at least. That he could remember at least. Kyla knew how many times he'd lost it. He just hoped Serenity wouldn't go prying again. The last time she'd done that, things had gotten way out of control. Felix shook his head at the thought.

Serenity looked back at him when she was sure her blush had faded. "Hm. That's good then," she said with a smile. Serenity was starting to realize one major flaw about herself. She had this really bad habit of assuming that people were lying to her. Call it paranoia or simple mistrust, whatever it was, she knew that she had to start working on that. Only...she couldn't exactly tell anyone about it. She leaned back on the couch. "You know how long you're gonna be gone for this next mission?" she asked lightly. It's not like he ever stopped over after missions anymore anyways. It was really a pointless question for her to ask.

Felix nodded. "Two days max. But I've got to go home, so I'm not coming back to the Crested." Felix sighed. "Not sure how long I'll be gone though." Felix wasn't thrilled about going away, but it was needed. He leaned back into the couch. "Why?" He asked. They never saw each other anymore, so it was irrelevant. If she lied to him then he'd be expecting it. That was probably why he'd told her the truth to begin with.

Serenity looked down when he said that he was he wasn't sure how long he'd be away from the Crested. "Dunno. Was just curious," she said with a shrug. She then fell silent for a few moments. "I kinda miss having you come over is all." While she did have the villagers to come over every now and then to chat with her, she still felt alone. She hadn't seen Hunter in a long time either. She felt like maybe she should go visit him. He was the only other immortal besides Kyla and Felix that Serenity knew of, and her and Kyla weren't exactly on greaet terms.

Felix gave a weak smirk. " I'm sorry, but you and I know it's the best that we keep out time spent together short. Nothing good comes of it." He was only telling the truth. There was no bond strong enough to keep them together. Felix had learned to never get too attached to people. Serenity had been a different story, and now he was hurting because of it. But she would never know that. Felix looked off to the side. "A month. I'll be gone for a month."

Serenity looked at him as he smirked and spoke what they both knew to be the truth. She gave a slight sigh and a small smile. "I know.." When he looked off to the side, she looked at him for a moment before slowly standing up. "I should probably let you get ready for your mission then," she said with a small smile, dusting herself off lightly. "It was nice seeing you again Felix." She was sure she'd probably cut the twenty minutes a bit short, but they didn't really have anything else to talk about now. It was clear he wasn't going to try and take a break, but there wasn't much she could do about that. Pushing too much would only cause an arguement.

Felix looked up when Serenity got up. He guessed she was going to be leaving. Some goodbye that was. He looked back off to the side. "My birthday is coming up," he said weakly. Not his actual birth birthday, but the day that he'd become immortal. She wouldn't know anything about that though, because Felix was never around when his Immortal Birthday came around. He always disappeared on a single mission, alone. What Felix wasn't telling Serenity was that he was glad she'd come because he needed the company. A friend. Someone who would understand his unbreakable silence.

Serenity paused and looked at him as he said that his birthday was coming up. Was it? She thought that his birthday was still a little ways off. "Is it?" She wondered why he'd said it in such a weak manner. And why he'd looked off to the side like that. Had she forgotten his borthday, or was he talking about something else entirely? She gave a small smile and went over to him. "What day? We should do something," she said. Something was off. She hadn't forgotten about his real birthday, so what was he talking about?

Felix shook his head. "I won't be around," he told her. He shrugged. "So we won't be able to do anything." Not like he wanted to. He just felt like telling her. To keep her guessing, and to stop her from leaving. Felix just needed her around for a bit longer. Not long enough to start an argument, but a good ten minutes would do. He wasn't packing much anyway. Felix guessed that Yuu hadn't told Serenity the whole story. Had she, the Seer would have been much more worried. She'd have been much more persistent. Felix almost grinned, but he kept his face straight and his blue eyes clear.

Well that was no good. "When is it? If you're off your mission by then, I can come visit you in whatever village you'll be staying in," she told him. "And if not, we can do something after," she said with a nod. So much for not being persistent on things. Really, what was the point of him mentioning his birthday then? Serenity was starting to wonder if something was up. Her first suspicions were coming back. The ones that told her Felix had been trying to distract himself from something.

He'd done it on purpose. He's made her stay so he could explain, but Felix never spoke freely without hesitation when it came to the darker side of him. "How about you just stay over for a while longer, that'll make up for it. The village I'm going to is too far for you to travel anyway." Felix gave a grin. "Since we don't spend enough time together, as you stated earlier." It's not about pride. It's about safety. And each time it gets worse and worse. I'm losing it. It's only a matter of time before I break.

Serenity blinked when he asked why didn't she just stay over a while longer to make up for it, then gave him a blunt look. "If you wanted me to stay, you could have just said so." She then sighed and sat back down on the couch before looking at him. "Too far for me to travel? Hm, I doubt it, but okay." When he grinned, she smiled. He was so coy. "Anyways, when is it? And just which birthday are you talking about? I know your real birthday is still a while off."

Felix's grin widened. "That wouldn't have been any fun." Felix saying fun was a sure sign of the Apocalypse. The silver haired ninja never found anything fun. Amusing yes, but fun, that was overkill. "It's a few days away and the path isn't meant for the weak of heart or those who attract trouble, like yourself." The weak of heart wasn't describing her, he hoped she realized that. It seemed like a lifetime before he answered, only if it had been a few seconds in all reality. "My immortal birthday. It's two weeks from now. I'll still be gone." Felix shrugged. "How many birthdays did you think I had?"

Oh great. Felix's form of fun was teasing her into the color of a ripe cherry. She looked to the side when he said it wasn't meant for people who attract trouble. "I'd bring a ninja with me. Jeez, you make it sound like you're heading straight into the Unknown," she said. When he said that it was his immortal birthday, she looked at him. Was that the only thing he could have thought of to get her to stay? Or had he simply wanted to inform her? "...I...was, just making sure," she said, looking off to the side again in slight embarrassment.