Finn went to continue his journey. 

Beneath the deck, he found Lena's footprints in the snow, where Yurie startled him from behind. She had bewitched Day in such ways, that his thoughts may not be divided into Yurie and Finn, but rather just her all alone, unless he was reminded of his duties by the teammates attendant.

"We don't have much time. Where is Arrakis?" she wanted to know.

Finn's head tilted into the shadows, the back of his hands rubbed away the grief from his cheekbones. He swallowed air, his mouth was dry. "First we have to find Lena."

"Right. I meant to ask; why was she passed out on my doorstep?"

"Arrakis poisoned her."

"Oy—he's in big trouble, isn't he?"

Finn bit his lips to stop his hatred from flowing past them. He hummed her a yes instead of voicing it with words, as every thought about Arrakis caused his jaw to tense up in disgust. 

With a clear mind, he now saw that Arrakis was as involved in the lost ship, as Finn himself. And as much as he loathed the guy, he could see him being useful.

"So where is Lena?" she asked, right when they reached Pacu's house.

"Here."

"Oh good, Pacu will know what to do. He always does."

Hesitant to say, Finn notified her that Pacu was not home, but before he could mention the more alarming piece of information (that he had been missing ever since the snowstorm) the swaying light of Nathan's flashlight made an appearance at the corner of the next house, implying that he was coming, and warning them to seek hiding. 

Swiftly, they crouched to the backyard, where six of his eight mounts still stood within a rectangular enclosure, one wore reins. The guilt of having left behind Heroya, Pacu's favorite, ate Finn's conscience alive. At least Chione was safe.

At the same split second as Finn tried to open the locked back door, Nathan knocked at the front door, after having spotted the many footprints around the house. 

Nathan's light emerged and let the surface of the snow next to Finn sparkle like a billion rasped diamonds. Panicked, Finn wanted to run and hide, but wherever he chose to go, his footprints would lead Nathan right back to him. He thought it over, knowing no way out this time. 

As luck would have it, Finn observed the trampled down grass within the enclosure and had the idea to walk through the field, where his feet left no trails, to ultimately hide behind the gate of the attached shed. 

Looking at saddles and reins illuminated by the passing light, Finn's every muscle was tensed up in his squatted position to let not even his breath be heard. 

Yurie stayed behind, as she had no reason to hide from Nathan. Finn listened to their footsteps and their fractionally audible dialogue.

"Is this your house, too?" said Nathan, his neck stiff, his eyebrows high, and his tone smeared with provocative vanity. He held the light at her face, well aware that it was not her house; he asked to nourish his needs to distribute haughty derisions. He longed for her confession of guilt and fallacy so that he could feel satisfied and be awarded victory over their earlier disagreement.

"No," she said and he smiled. "Have you become a guard in the past thirty minutes?"

His smile crumbled together as if someone had stomped on it. "No."

"Then you still have no right to snoop around."

"Neither do you. What are you doing here?"

"This is my good friend Pacu's home. He asked me to look after his animals while he is out hunting."

Nathan scanned the backyard for proof of a lie, but since he saw nothing that led him to suspicion, he once again presented his nasty expression of unaccepted defeat and carried on to the next house.

Finn exhaled. A sudden touch on his leg caused him to jump and lose his balance. Sitting on the dry brown grass now, he saw Lena sitting in front of him. She left him no time to form words and fell right into his arms.

"Don't ever make me leave you again." Her arms grew tighter around his waist, her chin rested on his shoulder, and the burning ache around his wound quivered but he was too numb to feel the pain. He decided to hold her, too. 

He closed his eyes and pulled her closer. For the fragment of their hug's duration, Finn was bound to her soul and thought he would never let go. But after he felt a stab that ceased his heart's rhythm, he needed his desires to make decisions no longer. He needed to think selfless, as Lena would.

"You're not safe," Finn whispered, still holding her to bury his tears behind her back.

"I know, we should get going."

"No. You're not safe with me."

She broke away from his arms to take a close look at his eyes. Heavy pain locked away a rare collection of blues they used to exhibit before his scars turned them gray.

"With you is exactly where I'm safe."

He shook his head. "You can't come with me. You were right before when you told me to leave you. But you were mistaken to think it'd protect me. You must stay, and stay safe."

"Don't leave me, Finn."

"This is not goodbye."

"Yes it is," she sniffed as salty tears touched her shivering lips. "You know it is."

"I don't want this either."

"Liar."

"I'm still keeping my promises."

"Then tell me the truth. Why are you doing this?"

He sighed and looked down. "If I was shot by one hundred bullets, ninety-nine of them would be of equivalent pain as letting go of you. But watching you get hurt—that's the one bullet that hits my heart. It kills me. I can bear the pain of losing you, as long as I know that you're alright."

"Alright? It's not that simple. You're hurting me by leaving, don't you see the irony?"

"I'm deeply sorry for hurting you. It'll be the last time, I promise."

"Don't you dare to promise me that. You can't leave me here! Where am I supposed to go?"

"Yurie will take care of you until I bring back Arrakis. That's the deal I made with her on our way here."

"So what? You're just gonna trade me? Me for him?"

"I just want what's best for you."

"No, you just said it; you're choosing what's least painful for you. You don't care about my feelings."

Finn considered her words to be true. His thoughts fell apart when Yurie opened the gate and saw the two teenagers, their knees touching, their heads lowered.

"We have to go," she whispered, and Finn raised on his feet while Lena stayed put. "Come on Lena, I'll get you home."

Lena's drowning stare of disappointment fixed on Finn's mourning eyes when she spoke to Yurie, "Wherever it is you intend to take me, it is not home." Her head still down, she now looked at Yurie, who was uncertain how to react. "You know what will happen when Finn finds Arrakis, right? When they're done, only one of them will live."

"What Arrakis does to Finn is out of my control. But Finn wouldn't hurt Arrakis."

"I promised it to her," Finn said to Lena.

"Why would you do that?"

"To keep you safe."

When Lena made no answer, Finn walked out and with a heavy heart, he grabbed the reins of Chione to lead her out of the enclosure. Lena stayed behind. He did not look back, not once.

Instead of walking up to the forest where blood was slowly vanishing beneath fresh falling sleet, Finn took the route that would lead him to the frozen lake. It was a steep walk and Finn decided to walk aside Chione until he would think it necessary to burden his weight on her. 

With every step, small chunks of snow rolled down the hillside. Only a subdued glow of the distant lanterns came through a condensing cluster of fog and cloud, and as the wind was reborn to gust away the worries of yesterday, Finn reached the top and found the courage to look back. 

The village was gone, concealed behind the curtains of a wintry night, and on the far side of the light, his memories of suffrage had found a place to rest and pass at last. Through the knee-high snow, he stumped, breaking the thin layer of ice with every toilsome step forward. 

Gale's chorus chanted dynamic melodies of gelid heights and summits. Notwithstanding, Finn was hearing his name being called from nearby and turned to see Lena running in the low craters his boots had produced behind him.

"Thank god," he breathed. His hand disconnected from the reins and his arms opened in one moment to catch her in the next. He embraced her warmly, grateful that she disobeyed him.

"I told you to stay," he said, hugging her tightly.

"You also told me you wouldn't leave me anymore."

"I'm sorry."