Please read my note at the last part of this chapter.

~~~~~

Not again... Gusion thought as he technically searched the whole Eruditio City to find Lesley.

Why she is very good at hiding?

After that incident earlier, the midget whom Lesley called Harley, vanished from the sniper's grasp and the unknown group went away immediately.

And Lesley, being a naturally stubborn and a loving sister, quickly followed the group and heck, he didn't manage to follow her trail.

Gusion thought of going back to the SABER's headquarters but it would take too much time so he just decided to search for her.

Worry was already consuming him but he needed to concentrate so he could find Lesley faster.

I should tie Lesley to my waist so she couldn't get away that easily. Gusion thought as he was now entering the forest beside the city.

Lesley, where are you?

=====

"I'm sorry but do I know you?"

Those words kept on replaying in Lesley's mind and she felt her heart was being pricked by tons of needles everytime she remembered those words spoken by Harley.

She knew it was really Harley despite the changes in his physical appearance.

She knew that there was a possibility that her little brother would be a member of that unknown and she thought she was already to accept that fact–

But she couldn't. She just couldn't.

She tried to follow the group as they eloped from the city but she lost their tracks and now she was in the middle of the forest.

Lesley felt tired all of a sudden– physically and mentally– that her knees gave up, making her fall on the ground as well as her tears.

She didn't know that Harley being alive but didn't remember her was more painful than when she first lost Harley.

I'm still not strong enough. Still not enough.

She dropped her rifle and covered her face using her hands as she wept in the middle of the forest.

I'm a useless sister. How could I let Harley be taken away like that? Why did I let all of this to happen?

Lesley kept on blaming herself.

If she could have just took care of Harley more before...

If she could have just not let him out of her sight even for a second...

If she could have any magic abilities so that she could go to Lion Academy together with him...

None of these things would happen.

"I hate myself." Lesley whispered, "I hate it."

"I'm so useless." She said to herself, "I'm still weak. Still not enough."

"What you said aren't even half true, Lesley Vance."

Lesley felt her tears stopped when she heard that voice. She looked up and saw that assassin woman who offered the horse to her.

Lesley didn't see her face before because she was wearing a cloak, but the woman removed the hood now so she could see her face.

The woman had brown shoulder-length hair, she had two big metal fans folded that were hanging on her sides in which she assumed was her weapon–

And Lesley felt she was staring at her own eyes for the assassin woman had the same eye color with her.

Lesley gasped. Could she be my– She then shook her head. But I know my biological mother died when she gave birth to me.

"You have a lot of resemblance to me." Lesley commented, "And to my biological mother." She reached for her locket where she kept a picture of her biological mother with her two friends, and another picture of her late father.

The woman smiled and went near her, "Of course." The woman hugged her, "I'm your aunt after all. I'm your biological mother's older sister, Ashley Hunter."

=====

"Octopus, are you okay?"

His reveries were cut when she heard Vespid asked him, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've been staring blankly since we left Eruditio." Vespid commented and sat beside him.

Octopus didn't speak but instead he remembered the magenta-haired girl who hugged him earlier and called him Harley and that he was her little brother.

Is she my family?

"Vespid." He called her and turned to her, "Do you want to retrieve your memories?"

Vespid shrugged, "I don't know. Dr. Leo said that when he found me before– it was almost impossible for me to survive, but he did everything to save me. I think I have a tragic past. I want to remember it and not at the same time."

Octopus sighed, "I think I still have a family. Even so, why did they let me go in the first place?"

He couldn't feel any anger towards his family if ever he still had, because he was programmed to feel nothing.

But it was unexplainable that he could feel the longing for the magenta-haired woman.

He saw Vespid was contemplating, she looked like she wanted to say something.

"What is it?" He encouraged her.

"I want to tell you something." Vespid said, "It's about that night when we got you."

Octopus knew it that whatever Vespid was about to say, would definitely answer the questions that had been bugging him.

=====

"M-my aunt?" Lesley blurted as she was gaping at the assassin woman who introduced herself as Ashley Hunter, her biological mother's older sister.

The woman nodded, "I'm watching you from afar for quite some time now." She brushed her hair, "Ever since you went on a journey alone to find Harley."

"How did you know about Harley?"

Ashley chuckled, "Of course, I know Ainsley's friends." She said– mentioning her biological mother's name– "I still have communication to them."

Her aunt reached for her locket and opened it. Lesley stared at the picture of her mother with her two female friends. Her mother was in the middle. One of them was actually her adopted mother– Kimberly Vance– who was on the right side of her mother and the one on the left whom she didn't know who it was although she had a resemblance to someone she couldn't point out who.

"So why did you let the Vances to adopt me if you're my aunt?" She asked her. Not that she was angry about it but at least she knew she still had a blood-related family.

"I'm an assassin Lesley. I wouldn't be able to take care of you properly, you were still a child back then." Ashley sighed, "I actually talked to Kimberly and Herald to adopt you because I know they would take good care of you." She smiled at her, "And I was right. You grew up into a strong, fine lady."

Lesley was in tears again upon hearing those words from her aunt. She hugged her tightly.

"I can't believe I will have this chance to introduce myself to you." Her aunt said, she could hear her sobs, "I'm always busy with my missions so I'm just contented to watch you from the distance. Now that you know about me, don't hesitate to ask for my help huh, Lesley?"

Lesley nodded while still hugging her aunt.

Her aunt gave her a necklace with a dagger pendant, "Daggers are actually Ainsley's weapon. This necklace is my gift to her on our fourteenth birthday. It's quite cute that we have the same gift for each other, my necklace was just have a fan pendant." She got her hand to give her the necklace.

Lesley frowned. She knew her biological mother was an assassin and her father was a marksman. But she didn't know her mother's weapons were daggers.

"So where are the daggers now?" She asked her.

"As far as I remember, she gave it to one of her friends."

"To my adopted mother?" Lesley frowned even more. Her adopted mother wasn't an assassin, she was a pure mage. And she didn't see any daggers at the Vance Household.

"Not to Kimberly." Her aunt smiled knowingly, "To her other friend in this picture. And you already saw the daggers actual–"

"Lesley! Where are you?"

Is that Gusion?

She now then remembered that she ranaway from him, again.

Her aunt chuckled, "Oh, the lover boy is already looking for you."

She gasped and looked at her aunt horrifiedly, "Auntie!"

Her aunt chuckled, "What? You are really Ainsley's daughter. You are quite dense, my lovely niece."

Lesley gave her aunt a confused look but her aunt just chuckled once again, "I need to go now Lesley. Take care, okay?"

Her aunt gave her one last hug before she vanished into the darkness of the forest. At the same time, Gusion already found her.

"Lesley!" He quickly teleported to her and hugged her, "Thank goodness you are safe." Gusion then pulled away a little to check her, "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Tell me."

Lesley just stared at Gusion where she could see panic, worry and relief were written in his face at the same time.

"Lesley, damn it! Answer me!"

She grimaced and frowned at him, "Are you cursing me?"

Gusion was startled and panic was evident in his eyes once again, "Of course not. I'll never do that to you. I'm sorry."

Lesley sighed chose not speak anymore. Her mind was still processing the information she just gathered today.

First, Harley was still alive but he was a member now of that unknown group and he didn't remember her.

Second, she had a aunt.

Lesley didn't know what to feel at this moment. She was happy and melancholy at the same time.

Why is this world so cruel to me?

She heard Gusion sighed and before she knew it, she was enveloped in his arms once again.

And just like that, she felt safe– at ease. As if she didn't have any problems right now.

"I know it's painful to be forgotten by your little brother, and it's more painful that he is a member of that unknown group now. But we will do everything to save him, Lesley. Don't worry." Gusion whispered to her as if he was comforting her, "You can cry all you want, I won't stop you. If that is the only way you can ease the pain. I'll be here. I won't leave you."

She felt her tears were now forming in her eyes once again. She was too overwhelmed with Gusion's sincerity.

She clung to his neck and sobbed, "Thank you."

She felt he sniffed her hair, dropping a light kiss on it, "Anything for you, Lesley."

Lesley didn't know how long they were standing there, hugging each other. She was still sobbing as she buried her face to his chest while Gusion was gently hushing her, caressing her back to comfort her and continuously whispering the words "Everything will be okay" and "I am here" to her.

She stopped crying after a while though she was having hiccups from time to time because of too much crying.

"Better?" Gusion asked her while drying her tears using his hands.

Lesley nodded, "Thank you. And I'm sorry for running away again."

"I told you, I will always find you anywhere you go." Gusion smiled at her, "We need to go back and tell the squad about this. Now the searching will be easier because we already know that Harley is alive. We will be targetting this unknown group now."

Lesley just nodded to him. She didn't have enough energy for now. All she wanted was to rest.

"Can you still walk Lesley? Or do you want me to carry you?" Gusion asked her, noticing she was tired.

Her eyes widened, as if her body cells had woke up, "I-I can still walk. Don't worry."

He shrugged though a smile was playing in his lips, "If you say so."

Lesley chose to be silent anymore and just pouted. She knew Gusion was teasing her.

She could hear Gusion's chuckles as he bent down to pick her rifle but then she noticed he reached for another thing that was on the ground.

"Is this locket yours?" Gusion asked her while showing her the locket she didn't notice she dropped on the ground.

She nodded and was about to get it from him when Gusion frowned upon seeing the picture in the locket.

"Why do you have a picture of my mother?" Gusion asked her confusedly.

~~~~~

Dun dun dun dun~

HAHAHAHAHA. Sorry for that. And sorry for not having enough drama in this chapter. I planned of pouring all the drama at the last chapter. *evil laugh*

The pacing is too fast I know. I told you, I planned on writing this story in just twenty chapters or less.

And I want to say that I want to focus first on See You in My Dreams and I really regret having two on-going books plus two compilation books at the same time. Hahaha.

See You in My Dreams will be my priority for now (since the plot is near on its climax and that is my favorite part *evil laugh*) but don't worry because I will still update my other books, it's just that expect more updates in See You in My Dreams.

Ah, but this book is also near in its climax omg.

Anyway, I'll be leaving you hanging for a while. *evil laugh*