I do not own destiny.

For weeks he watched them parade around the tower together. For weeks he was pushed to the back of her mind once more and this hurt him greatly. He could never catch her alone seeing as she was always in his armpit, quite literally at that. He wanted to be in her armpit, he wanted to be there right beside her and laugh and joke and eat ramen together again. But he couldn't be there, because every time he got close, he knew the man was watching him carefully, as if he knew he wanted her.

As if he knew he had competition.

This thought amused him to no end. Uldren knew he would swoop in the moment he left her side and he couldn't help but feel smug from that knowledge. It was as if he were trying to ensure Ashura stayed away from him and he was going to become such a problem because of this. Cayde chuckled to himself and made his way over to the duo who were eating at his ramen stand and he slipped into the seat beside Ashura.

"Heya, how are you guys doing?" he asked and the man gave him a dirty look over his bowl of ramen. He was going to be an annoyance today because he missed being around her. Ashura, oblivious to the static forming between the two men, reached over and pulled Cayde into a tight hug. "Hello my dear, I've missed you." Cayde said as he hugged her back, causing her to giggle. "Sorry I haven't been by; we've been busy running around the tower." she said and he ruffled her hair and released her from his embrace.

"You doing anything interesting today?" he asked as a bowl of ramen was set before him. Yes, he spent a lot of time at this ramen place, and no he was never going to get tired of it because why would he. It was his happy place. He looked over to her and he would have smiled if he could, she just looked so happy having both of them sitting beside her. Despite the fact the both of them kept sending dirty looks at each other, they were enjoying the silence of their lunch.

"No not today. Might go check on our fallen friend again but other than that nothing is happening." she said after a while and he nodded. "So, you think he is friendly? That's good." he said and she nodded. Despite all the news of oryx still being alive and the lucky seven going after him once more things were still relaxing at the tower. He reached over and his hand accidentally brushed hers and she looked up at him with a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"My bad." he said and scooted his hand away from hers. She scrambled for her words and Uldren released a sigh as he grabbed her hand and held it on the other side. As if that were going to cause him to feel insecure. He chuckled to himself and shook his head; he wasn't fazed by the other man in the slightest. Ok he said that but here he was being a little shit and annoying them because he could.

Sure, he was jealous that the other man had her heart but he would always have her as a best friend and that was enough. "Uldren I hear you're leaving soon." he managed and the man nodded. "I have to go save my sister." he said and Cayde nodded. He could understand wanting to save his sister from whatever was out there, but he couldn't understand the wanting to do it alone. "I'll take good care of Ashura until you get back." he said and the man gave him a dirty look, but Ashura smiled up at him.

"I'm being serious. She's my best friend. Can't have her being all down in the dumps." he said and Uldren scoffed at him, which received him a swat from Ashura. "Get over it, we will be fine while youre gone." she said and he grumbled under his breath, which made Cayde chuckle once more. He could handle the man being jealous of him in his absence. He looked down at Ashura and she was stiring her noodles around in her bowl silently.

"Cayde, you'll have to excuse us." She said and before he could say anything she was gone, Uldren falling in line with her. He sighed and finished his noodles in silence. He didn't think he had said anything wrong, but he might have without knowing it. He finished his food and made his way back up to the vanguard room where Zavala was waiting for him. "You heard he is leaving? He asked and Zavala nodded. "Yes, and I am letting him go without issue. We have other matters to tend to." he said and Cayde nodded. He could understand how uldren leaving was the last of his worries.

He knew that they had other things to worry about, like the large fallen that has been killing other fallen in Ashura's name. That was why he had sent her out after said fallen. She was creating war within the fallen ranks and those who didn't support her as Queen of Kells were being slaughtered or ganging up on the ones who did. Normally they wouldn't intervene in the matters of the fallen but this was getting out of hand.

Months went by and she had continued to keep tabs on the large fallen, who she had claimed as her own. She grinned at him as she told him stories about how he protected her and called her mother, like she had raised him from a young fallen. "He cares about my wellbeing and even asks about you and Misra when no one comes with me." she said as she devoured her third bowl of ramen in a span of a few minutes.

"Hungry, are we?" he asked and she blushed but nudged him in the side gently. "Yeah, don't tease me for it though. I know I'm gaining weight too, but I have never felt better. So just let me have this." she grumbled and he nodded. He could let her have this. She deserved to be happy as well. He ruffled her hair as she ate and she looked over to him in confusion. "Cayde?" she asked and he shook his head.

"It's nothing." he said and she stopped eating to look at him fully. "No there's something you aren't telling me." she said and he sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's just that I worry about you... you've been getting sick lately and I know you try and hide it but you can't always hide the fact you're throwing up. Is it the oil again?" he asked and she shook her head and set her chop sticks down. "No, it isn't the oils anymore. I haven't had that issue since that time at the reef... not since I got the new limbs." She sighed as she fiddled with her noodles once more.

"Have you gone to see Sakura?" he asked and she shook her head. She was stubborn like that. She insisted on not seeing medical staff because she thought she could handle it all herself. She was wrong though; he knew she needed to see medical staff because she couldn't see everything that would be wrong no matter how hard she tried. He looked over at her and looked her up and down. She no longer had the tinge of oils under her skin, and she looked to be of a healthier weight, but he could tell something was wrong.

"Promise me you'll go see her when you get back from your mission today?" he asked and she nodded. "Fine, but only for you." she said and he nodded. If he could smile, he would, because she would do it for him and no one else. He liked the idea of her doing it to appease him. "You know I love you right?" he said without thinking, only to freeze and hope she hadn't heard that. He had not meant to say that out loud and yet he had.

She laughed lightly and leaned into his side. "I love you too, Cayde." she said and his whole being felt light. He knew she didn't mean it in the same way he did, but she had never said that to him before and he was going to cherish it in any way he could get it. He planted a kiss on the top of her head and she leaned away and looked at him with joyous eyes. She made him so happy and yet he couldn't tell her he truly loved her. He leaned over and planted another robotic kiss on her forehead and she stared at him with curious eyes as he pulled away.

"Why do you do that right before you leave?" she asked suddenly and he tilted his head in his confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked and she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You did that once before, like you were mad at me. You kissed me on the forehead and left." she said and he shrugged. "It just seems like the right thing to do." he said and she shook her head. "No, I mean... you treat me so differently from everyone else. You treat them all like they're your children but with me it's different." she said and he felt the steam escaping his jaws once more. That damn telltale sign he was embarrassed.

"I uh... I already told you. But be safe on your mission." he said before he scrambled out of his seat and took off before he had to answer any more questions. He made his way to the vanguard room and sighed as he looked around at the other leaders who were eyeing him oddly. "What?" he asked and they chuckled to themselves and shook their heads at him. "You're steaming, Cayde." Ikora mused and he stiffened and began fanning his face.

"We aren't going to talk about that." he grumbled and they just shook their heads once more. "You sure?" Ikora asked and he contemplated telling her but not Zavala, Zavala would just have his own input to add to the situation and he didn't want to hear it. "We already know it has to do with Ashura, you might as well spill." Ikora said and he blew a raspberry at her. "No." he said shortly and turned to see that Hinata and Sasuke were in the room and Ashura was making her way down the hall. "Shut it, Ikora!" he hissed and she just laughed as Ashura made her way into the room.

"Cayde, you got a little steam." Ashura pointed out offhandedly and he could feel his speech receptors heating up more. "Shut up." he grumbled and she laughed once more. She got joy out of embarrassing him well he could do the same thing. But he wasn't going to. Not in front of everyone else, he would wait till later for that. "Ok so you all understand your assignment?" Zavala asked and the room got serious.

"Yes." they said and he nodded as they explained their mission to them. "Good now head out." Saladin said as he made his way into the room. Misra followed behind the tall man in and waved enthusiastically to Cayde who sighed and waved back. "So why have you brought Misra in?" he asked and Misra seemed to deflate. "Not being mean Misra, just wondering if you all are worried about the same thing I am." he said and they nodded.

"Yeah something is wrong with Ashura again and no one knows what it is." Ikora said and he nodded. "Yeah, I noticed she's getting sick again." he said and they all went silent. "Is it the oils?" Zavala asked and Cayde shook his head. "She doesn't have the sheen to her skin that she did before but she definitely has something going on." He sighed and they all nodded once more. They all sat in silence for a minute and it was Ikora who spoke up.

"Could she be pregnant?" she asked and Cayde felt the nonexistent air leave his form. He made a sound that sounded like a wheeze and shook his head rapidly. He couldn't believe that the reason she would be sick again was that. It didn't make sense. Guardians could get pregnant, but Ashura had said on more than one occasion she was never able to conceive in her past life from records she had found about her health, so what would be different about this one?

Not that he was going to feel any different about her if she were, but it couldn't be possible, could it?

He was shown just how wrong he was when Sakura appeared before them an hour and a half later with her hands folded in front of her. "I have news that I can't keep from you because it involves Ashura." She said and they all listened intently as Sakura told them that what Ikora had suspected came to be true. "She's pregnant and she needs to make a choice on what she is going to do because she can't work if she keeps it." She said and they all nodded. They knew this to be the truth.

Sakura left the room and the three of them each had their own reaction to the news. Cayde was excited, seeing as Ashura would be around more and he could help take care of her better if she stayed around. Zavala seemed disappointed, but that was his standpoint of losing a strong guardian even if only temporarily. Ikora seemed reserved, seeing as she didn't show how the fact that she had guessed correctly made her feel.

He knew he would support Ashura no matter what so he decided to go talk to her. He made his way down to the medical bay and he heard her screaming at Sakura. He looked in the room and his chest tightened as he saw the tears streaming down her face as she yelled out her frustrations. He wanted nothing more than to hug her and tell her everything was going to be ok, but he knew right now wasn't the time.

He allowed zavala to pass by him and Ikora looped her forearm with his. "She will come around." she said and he nodded. He knew this. He just wished he could comfort her right now. He listened as Zavala and Ikora spoke with Sakura and tried to make her feel better about the situation, but he just watched as Ashura stormed past him. Bumping into him roughly. He reached out to her but she swatted his hand away as she went past. She didn't even want to talk to him right now and that hurt.

"When she is ready to talk, she will return. I know where she is going." he said and turned to look at the pink haired woman who was obviously hurt by the words Ashura had said. "As I said... when she is ready to discuss what is going on, she will come back." Cayde repeated and Sakura nodded. "Cayde, she is going to the chieftain, is she not?" Zavala asked and Cayde nodded. "Good, she will be safe with him." Zavala said and Cayde watched him curiously. "Cayde, nothing happens within these walls without my knowledge." He said and Cayde nodded, but also opened his mouth to say something. What he was going to say earned him a dirty look and thus it didn't get uttered.

Obviously, some things did go on within the walls without his knowledge. Judging by the burst in half awoken births in the tower some things went way under the radar. Especially in this case because Ashura and Uldren had been in public view most of the time, including late at night some nights. He sighed and made his way around the tower, checking to see if she had returned yet. After a few hours of searching, he came across Misra who was excited about the fact a wolf had stolen her arm.

"You do realize that's not a good thing, right?" he asked and she waved him off. Of course, she wouldn't care she's excited. He was busy trying to convince her that her armor was nice but having a wolf steal your arm and chew on it was a bad thing when Ashura made herself known. Misra immediately jumped into telling her all about how the wolf stole her arm and he sighed as he made his way over to her and opened his arms to her.

The trembling of her lips told him she needed this more than anything right now so he pulled her in close and hugged her tightly, but not too tightly she couldn't breathe. He sighed deeply as he held her. "What are you planning on doing?" he asked and she buried her face further into his chest and her shoulders began to shake. He patted her on the head gently and she looked up at him and he could see the tears in her eyes. She was scared. "Cayde... what do you think I should do?"

When she asked him this, the rage built up in him. Someone had told her what they thought she should do already and it pissed him off. "Ashura... what you do is not my choice, nor is it your brother's. And it damn sure isn't Zavala's or Ikora's." He huffed and she watched him carefully, like she was trying to figure out why he was so angry. "If anyone decides what to do it should be you. No one else can tell you what to do with this child you created." he said and Ivara began pressing herself into his sleeve to calm him down.

He watched as a small smile crossed her lips and she plucked Ivara from his sleeve. "You two had a child together." she said and he nodded as his whole body seemed to relax. "His name was Ace." he said and she nodded as she brushed her fingers over Ivara's shell once more. "Cayde, Ace, and Ivara..." she whispered softly as she pulled herself away from his embrace and let Ivara free once more. She stepped away from them and smiled sadly.

"I think I'm going to go contemplate by myself for a while." She said and vanished from sight swiftly. He knew where she was going, her ledge. She loved that ledge and knew she always went there to think when she needed to be alone. He made his way over there, but she wasn't alone when he got there. He watched her for a moment and sighed as Shaxx and her conversed. He watched her for a moment more and couldn't help but be captivated by the way her hair blew in the wind.

She was an odd beauty. Rugged and feminine all the same. She was beautiful to him and he knew it was because she was out of his reach. He always wanted the ones he couldn't have. he was amazed that he had even gotten with Ivara because she was one of those that he was never meant to have. His eyes softened their glow and he remembered the time they had met. He was alone as usual for a mission and she was just looking for something to do.

"You need a partner?" she asked and he had nodded. "Sign me up, just don't die too much." she said and he chuckled and rolled his eyes. "As if. You better watch yourself. I'm a menace in my own right." he said and she had laughed as she ran her fingers over the bell tied in her hair. She was beautiful and he didn't know how to react over the fact. He had never had someone so pretty willing to join him on an assignment.

"Trust me I've heard about you, Mr. Menace." she said and he suddenly felt embarrassed. Damn she had heard about him and his tomfoolery. It was no wonder why no one wanted to work with him, he was reckless and a fool, but that was just who he was. He wasn't going to change that for anyone. That mission had gone well and he had continued to pair up with her after that. They became quite the team and had carried out hundreds of successful missions together. Years later after Ace was born, the dreaded day came.

The day he lost her as a human... that haunted his memories.

They had gotten separated on a mission to go after fallen supply ships and he had found her. Her ghost in shambles on the ground beside her and she lay there impaled upon a fallen captain's blade. "Ivara..." he called and she looked over at him. He rushed over to her and she reached up and brushed her fingers across his cheeks. "Oh Cayde..." she whispered as she ran her thumb over his cheek once again.

"Don't mourn me... you know I'll be back... we were scammed remember?" she said and he clutched her to him. He held her close as he whispered that he loved her. Later that night he had taken her body to the Braytech facility as they had promised and before he knew it, she was an Exo. She had remembered him from the moment she had been woken up. She hadn't remembered dying, but he was grateful for that. He would never want her to remember that.

Once more, she had needed to be rebooted many times before him. Once more, she died before him. They had always had this pattern, it was always her before him and he could never save her and that killed him inside. They had never been Exo together... they had never had a chance.

He was wrought from his memories by two small arms encircling him. He looked down and saw a head of white hair. His gaze softened and he hugged her tightly back. 'I love you.' he thought as he buried his face in her hair. "Cayde..." she whispered and he made a noise letting her know he had heard her. "I'm going to keep the baby." she whispered and he hugged her a little tighter. "Then I will stand with you." he said and she nodded.

'I will never repeat the cycle I have with Ivara, with you. I will do anything to make sure I go first. You will be protected.' he thought to himself as he released her from his embrace. "I will do anything for you." he said and she looked up at him curiously. "Go with me to Zavala then?" she said and he nodded. He followed her up to the vanguard room and immediately the silence imploded.

"You have a duty to the traveler!" Zavala snapped and she laid into him and he was there for it. She continued to yell as tears streamed over her cheeks. "I have a duty to myself Zavala! I do everything I do for you and the traveler! Let me have one thing to myself! I want to be a mother!" she screamed and all the yelling silenced. Zavala seemed to have been caught off guard by this and he was standing with his mouth slightly agape.

"I... I suppose you're right. Forgive me." he whispered after a few minutes and Ashura nodded to him. Ikora had yet to say a word and she looked as if she wanted to speak but chose not to because she knew it would only incite more yelling. Cayde kept his mouth shut for this reason as well. "Go see Sakura, she can get you prepared for everything you are going to go through." Zavala said and Ashura nodded once more.

Before she could leave the room Zavala called out to her once more. "And Ashura... You're on light duty. The only thing you can do is go out with a group and only to see your fallen." he said and she sneered at him but left the room in a hurry. Yeah... she didn't like being told what to do when she wasn't in on the planning for it. He knew she was angry, and rightfully so. Someone should not have so much control of your life. He would know, the man had him in a bind, as well.

"And you side with her?" Zavala called out and he rocked his head back in amusement. "Why wouldn't I? I'm trapped here too and if she is trapped here too, I can keep a better eye on her." he said and he meant this. He wasn't trying to trap her in the tower per se, he was trying to take care of her. Whether she liked it or not he was going to be there for her. "You will come to regret that. And it's not a threat." Zavala sighed as he turned to look out the window of the room with his hands folded behind his back.

"I would prefer for her to think I am the bad guy, because she doesn't understand how this is going to work. She's going to have this child and she's going to focus more on coming home from her missions safe. Which is what I intend. I just had to be the bad guy because she had to fight for something and if it is this child, then so be it. She had lost her way and was getting reckless once more. We can't have her getting angry and irrational once more." Zavala sighed softly and Cayde nodded. He understood the man entirely.

He knew the man was just pushing her buttons and not being truly evil as some would seem to think. Cayde knew the man better than most even though somethings he himself were the one breaking the man's rules. Zavala was a kind man, but stern when he worried about someone and their behavior, so people hating him was common. Cayde could never hate him because he knew the true motives behind his words.

"I'm going to my room to rest." he sighed and walked out of the room. He crammed his hands in his pockets and strolled through the courtyard towards the barracks. Ivara hovered beside him silently and he looked over to her. "Are you upset with me?" he asked and she turned to face him as she hovered beside him. "No, not angry. Proud of you." she said and he tilted his head in confusion.

"You're going to be doing it all over again... this time perhaps you'll be by her side throughout everything. You were able to be there for me when I needed it and she is going to be alone, so you can be there for her too. She needs you even if she thinks she can do it all by herself." She said and he nodded, he understood now. He made his way into his room and sat on his bed. He looked over to her and she vanished from sight for a moment only to reappear and sit herself on her little pillow beside his. He laid down next to her and powered off for the night.

The next morning, he awoke to the sound of thunder ringing out. Something felt off about today but he couldn't place what. It wasn't the feeling he had gotten when Ashura and the others had joined the tower, it was something more like dread. And it haunted him. He sat up and stretched his mechanical limbs thoroughly before slipping off his bed and pulling on his armor once more. He took one look in the mirror before heading out in search of the source of his dread.

He searched high and low, but nothing seemed to be off today except the storm. Thunder rumbled once more and he looked up to the rolling, angry skies. He always did love the storms that raged on this way. His hood was pelted by raindrops and he chuckled to himself as the rain fell even harder within a span of a few seconds. His hood was getting plastered to his head and he sighed as he walked towards the vanguard room to get out of the rain.

Before he could reach the shelter of the vanguard room, he saw a fellow rain plastered soldier. He turned to look at her and he felt bad for her. Her rosy pink hair was plastered to her face and she looked in distress. "Petra, why don't we get out of this rain?" he offered and she shook her head softly. "No, I deserve to be blistered by the rain today." she sighed and he made his way over to her. "What's going on?" he asked and she frowned deeply.

"I need your help. I have neglected my duties in search of the queen and Uldren." She said and he shook his head. "No, you were doing what you were obligated to do, not what they wanted you to do." He said and she looked down at her hands. He couldn't help but feel bad for her. She was soaked to the bone and refused to seek shelter from the rain. He opened his mouth to speak but something cut him off. "Cayde!"

Her voice... it sounded so broken...

He whirled around and saw Ashura stumbling towards him in the rain. She was muddy and covered in inky black liquid, that of which he had no doubt was Fallen blood. 'Fuck.' there was the source of his dread. Misra was right beside her tucked into her side to keep her standing and he knew it was because she was so grief stricken that she could barely hold herself up. Cayde crouched before her once she hit her knees and his hands found their way to her face and he began rubbing away the tears that were falling from her eyes. "What happened my dear?" he asked softly but she just continued to sob.

Her hands removed themselves from the ground and she placed her hands on top of his and held them to her cheeks firmly, stopping him from brushing her soaked hair out of her face once more. She couldn't talk due to her sobs, so Misra cut in angrily. "Fikrul is gone, that bitch warlock killed him." She seethed and he froze, only to look up at her in disbelief. He nodded softly, but guilt wracked his being as he pulled ashura into his embrace and began running his hand over her hair to comfort her.

"I'm sorry Ashura, I never should have had you go after him. I never should have asked you to do that." he said and she shook her head in his embrace. She mumbled something incoherent but he couldn't understand her. After a while she began to calm down and the rain had also lightened up to a soft sprinkle. He leaned back away from her and she looked up at him with glistening eyes and trembling lips.

She looked so pitiful there in his embrace that he just wanted to hug her more and make everything better. "Ashura..." Petra called out and he looked down to see she was looking anywhere but at Petra. He understood why she was mad at the rosy haired woman; she had tried contacting her multiple times and had gotten no response from her friend. "Why didn't you come? Why did you ignore my pleas?" she hissed from his embrace and he softened his gaze on her.

"They wanted me to take Queenship... what was I supposed to do?" Petra asked and Ashura snapped her head to her and pulled out of his embrace and stood. "I'm scared Petra, what do I do?" she snapped and the rosy haired woman made her way over to her and embraced her gently. "I don't know..." she whispered to her friend and he made his way to his feet. "Do you... Would you like to find somewhere to sit and talk?" Petra asked and Ashura nodded.

He hung back and watched as they made their way over to a bench and sat down. Once more he was left alone with his thoughts and he didn't like it. A hand found its way to his shoulder and the soft calling of his name was heard. He turned to look at Misra who had been stewing in silent anger over their fallen friend. "Yes?" he asked and she softened the glow of her gaze when she looked over to Ashura.

"Are you ok?" She asked and he shook his head softly. His ghost hovered around him and turned to face Misra. "He's worried about her." "I can tell..." Misra responded softly and Ivara looked from one exo to the other. "He loves her." She said and Misra nodded. "Ivara ..." Cayde managed that and that alone. He couldn't find anything else to say. "She's me... But she's different... I can see why you fell for her too." Ivara said softly and Cayde's mouth hung open as he listened to her speak.

He couldn't find the words to refute what she was saying, nor could he even think of a rebuttal of any kind. He knew it was true, he had fallen in love with her and he hadn't been denying it. He just wasn't going to tell Misra this yet. "Cayde, try and be there for her, especially since she's alone now." Ivara said and Misra nodded softly. "I mean... It's going to be you or Shaxx , so figure it out quick." Misra mused and Cayde's jaw snapped shut and the bright blue of his eyes darkened on her. Man, if she could have smirked, she would've. "So, Cayde ... how are you going to go about this without the prego pummeling you?" Misra asked in amusement and Cayde looked off to where Ashura had gone. "I don't know..." He murmured softly and looked back to Ivara. She hovered near him and her light was blinding to him.

"Ivara ..." He tried to talk it over with her, but she was going to have none of it. "Cayde... My job is to keep you alive. My job used to be that and to keep you happy, but I can't always do that anymore. I know you will always love me, but she needs someone to love her too. Especially in this trying time. It's like Ace and I, Cayde ... Would you have left me a single mother?" Ivara asked and Cayde was silent for a second. Misra patted him on the back and he looked off to where the white-haired woman had gone once more.

"No, Ivara ... I never would have left you that way..." He sighed and made a move to head that way. Misra and Ivara looked at one another and then followed behind him. They wondered what he was going to say, because they all knew he was not always the brightest. They followed him right to the area where they saw Ashura and Petra sitting, discussing a large and beautiful blade that was rested in Ashura's lap. Her gentle fingertips brushed over the hilt which was made in the image of a crow. Ashura seemed to catch sight of him and she carefully waved him over. He sat beside her and offered a hand to her, which she gently took.

"Why is everything falling apart, Cayde?" she asked softly and he shook his head. "I promise you it isn't, Ashura... things are just happening all wrong right now, it'll get better." Petra cut in and Ashura looked over to her with sad eyes. "Might also be the hormones making you sad." Misra butted in and Ashura pursed her lips and looked down to the blade. Cayde had reeled at that accusation from Misra, any other time and someone would have received her wrath. She just sat in silence for a moment. She nodded softly and stood, holding onto the hilt of the blade tightly. "So, what's next? Siva is still running amok and I am pregnant and overly emotional... Where do I go from here?" She asked and Cayde offered her a hand.

"You let me help you." is all he said as he took the blade from her hands and secured it to his back. He looked to Petra then back to Ashura. "Cayde, come with me, I need to discuss some things with you." Petra said and Cayde shook his head. "Meet me at the ramen shop down in town, but first... take Ashura home." He said and she nodded.

"Cayde ..." Ashura called out to him and he blinked only to remove the blade from his back and hand it to Misra. "Not what I wanted but ok... Stop by later... I need help with something." She said and he nodded as he took off to follow Petra. The awoken woman sat on a bench overlooking the city. He watched her, then took off after Ashura. He knew whatever the Awoken woman needed to speak with him about was important, but he needed to talk to Ashura first. He made his way to her home and opened the door, only to be met with Misra's bright eyes. "Go on in... confess to her, Lover boy." She chuckled softly.

He stepped within and watched Ashura as she stroked the feathers of a mechanical crow lovingly. "Another crow?" He asked and she nodded. He knew those crows always came with bad news anymore so he felt for her. "Yes... I received this one a few days ago." She whispered as she stroked under the bird's chin. It looked over at him with beady mechanical eyes. "What did this one have to say?" he asked and she bit her lip softly and motioned for the bird to play the message. "You've been watching his message on repeat... haven't you?" He asked and she nodded. Sadness filled his being and he sighed.

Uldren's image appeared before them and he looked like he was struggling with something. There was a twitch to his features that made him look irate. His usually bright eyes looked... Darker. "Ashura... I... I can't come back... there's something I have to do... but being near you will only make everything worse." he whispered this and it looked like he was going to break down, his eyes glossy and remorseful. "I wish things could be different, but right now... I wish you didn't love me. With everything I have done, I don't deserve you..." He muttered; it sounded as if he were going to genuinely cry. He seemed scared. Cayde actually felt for the man in this moment.

"My Queen... please do as I ask... Forget about me for now. When I return maybe we can try again... but something is wrong and I don't trust myself." He whipped his head to the right and fallen chatter echoed in the background right before the feed cut out. Tears streaked over Ashura's cheeks once more and Cayde sat beside her on the bed and pulled her close to him. "Ashura... I know I have always had impeccable timing... but I need to ask..." He started as she tucked herself closer to him. "I need to ask you this so badly... that despite the fact you are hurting I don't care. I just want to make it all better." He muttered and she looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Cayde ... Please..." she whispered, but he kept going.

"Can I be the one? The one to help you... to take care of you in this time of need? Can I-" " Cayde ... I'm begging you..." She whispered gripping his leg tightly. "You're all I want... I feel things for you, that I once felt for Ivara... I need you to know. I know you love him, but he doesn't deserve you... He abandoned you..." He whispered as he pried her hand from his leg ever so gently. "I may never deserve you... but I need you." He whispered and she tried to pull her hand away from his gentle grip, but it was still strong enough to keep her hand there on his cheek. "Ashura... please... I'm begging you, just... think it over..." he whispered as he brushed the hair from its place plastered to her cheeks with his free hand.

He released her hand and patted her head ever so gently as she sobbed into the pillow she grabbed. His hand rested on her head for a moment before trailing to her cheek to brush away her tears. "I will be here for you, until my final death. I will never leave you before then." He said and she looked up at him through her bangs. He knew she was watching him as he left the room, he could feel her eyes on him.

He made his way outside and looked at Misra before nodding and making his way out of the barracks, but not before he watched her go in to comfort her friend. He didn't want to leave her this way, but he knew he needed to hold to his promise of meeting up with Petra. He swiped open the curtain to the ramen stand and slipped into a seat beside her. "I can tell you love her greatly..." Petra sighed as he got settled in beside her.

"Always have." he said and she nodded. "It must have been painful to see her love the prince." she said softly as she rolled her chopsticks through a bowl of ramen set before her. "Never, I knew he was no good." He grumbled and she sent him a scowl, but sighed and nodded. "He was quite the narcissist, wasn't he?" she sighed and he chuckled. He knew she was just trying to make light of the situation and knew she didn't really feel that way about her prince.

"I need your help." "With?" He asked and she gave him a dirty look. "Obviously not making Ashura cry. Any who... There's some fallen running amok that I need assistance with." She said and he was interested now. "I think you will have fun with these." "Oh, do you now?" "There are seven of them known to still be alive. Araskes, Hiraks, Elykris, Reksis Vahn, Kaniks, Pirrha, and Yaviks." That was all she had to say and his interest was piqued.

"What are we going to do with them?" He asked and a smirk crossed Petra's lips. "We put them in the prison of elders. About a week ago they have been sighted working together. Separate they aren't a threat, but together it could be disastrous." She said and he nodded. "What do you want me to do to help?" He asked. "Speak to Zavala, then come with me." she said and he nodded. " Yeahhh about that... Zavala will say no." Cayde sighed and Petra quirked a brow. "I spoke with him before I spoke with you."

Cayde was caught off guard by that. He was not expecting Zavala to agree with this mission for any reason. Cayde shrugged and rocked his head to the side slightly. "I guess I can kick a little fallen tush. Might not be such a bad idea, y'know?" He asked with an amused tone, which she knew would be his typical response.

"Alright! Let's go to prison!"